End of Year Meme - 2023

1. What did you do in 2023 that you'd never done before?

Built a PC - haven't got round to installing Windows yet though...
Lots of other minor things but nothing significant enough to warrant a mention.

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't really do new year's resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth, get married or engaged?

A close friend got engaged.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No.

5. What countries did you visit?

England and Holland.

6. What would you like to have in 2024 that you lacked in 2023?

More social interaction (although I think 2023 was better than 2022 on this front.)

7. What dates from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory?

None really come to mind.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

More major breakthroughs with my guitar technique. Hopefully it continues into 2024.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Nothing specific comes to mind.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I got food poisoning while tobli and I were in Utrecht which was a shame because I'd been really enjoying myself up to that point. It wasn't that serious but I was so tired and dehydrated afterwards that I ended scrapping the other stuff I had planned :(

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Fairly boring answer but probably a round, tupperware box for cakes.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

One of my coworkers received a best employee award which was very well deserved. He's one of those rare people who does his job well and is liked by everyone.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

I wouldn't go as far as "appalled and depressed" but a friend of my mum's has been acting in a way that could be termed "not good."

14. Where did most of your money go?

Probably food.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Similarly to last year it was probably breakthroughs with my guitar playing.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2023?

Probably Heroes End from Stained Class by Judas Priest just because I kept playing this riff on guitar.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? I'm going to say happier.

ii. thinner or fatter? Definitely thinner. So much so in fact that several people have commented on it. That being said I'd be amazed if I hadn't gained some weight over Christmas.

iii. richer or poorer? Richer. My salary went up a bit this year.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Socializing.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Avoiding social interaction.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

tobli and I spent it at my parent's house.

21. Is there a particularly memorable meal you had?

Probably the 6 course tasting menu (with wine pairings for 5 of those courses) we had for tobli's birthday.

22. Did you fall in love in 2023?

I've been in love with tobli since 2017.

23. How many one night stands in this last year?

I have never and almost certainly will never have a one night stand.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Not a new TV program but I started watching 24 in September. I bought season 3 (I think) in CeX years ago thinking it was the entire show but never got round to watching it. I was sorting through my old DVDs last year and realized I needed to go out and buy the first 2 seasons. I'm blown away by how good it is and how well it still holds up.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

I don't think I really "hate" anyone.

26. What was the best book you read?

To my shame I haven't finished a single book this year. I started Tales From Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin but I'm not even a third of the way through it.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Actively seeking out new music isn't something I really do which is strange considering how much I enjoy listening to music.

28. What did you want and get?

A better work-life balance (for the most part anyway.)

29. What did you want and not get?

The opportunity to play my guitar in front of other humans.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Probably the new Hunger Games film. Millennials gonna millennial I guess.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old are you now?

I think I might have been on-call so we ended up staying in the house and having a boring pizza.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Having the opportunity to play my guitar in front of other humans.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?

As ever I am blue.

34. What kept you sane?

Doing new things.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you like the most?

I don't really follow celebrities/public figures.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

I feel like climate change is the only political issue I really have strong feelings about which has been the case since forever. I'm not really interested in politics which I think is sort of irresponsible but I struggle to give a fuck about it.

37. Whom did you miss?

No-one really.

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Maybe the organizer of the badminton club I started going to.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.

This sounds extremely clichéd but try to live as if you're life might not go on for that much longer. A slightly watered down version of "treat every day like it's your last."

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

Before you're in a corner
Can't crawl away
Here's a way to save you

You got to push
Get out of my way and push
You can turn the wheel, push
One more push