Happy New Year!
Happy new year, everybody! It’s weird – I know all my folks at home are already in 2008, while I’ve still got a few hours left with 2007. I am writing to you FROM THE PAST. I hope your celebrations were jolly.
The holidays have been lovely – I have somehow managed to consume five roast dinners in the last eight days, which is an excellent indication of my commitment to the concept of Christmas decadence. I spent Christmas Day with friends, and there was chocolate money, mulled wine, remote control helicopters and much merriment. There was also a giant ham (and I’m not just referring to myself). Secret Santa brought me an awesome giant wooden spoon:
This past weekend a bunch of us went off to a beautiful old farmhouse in the countryside just near the Welsh border. It was cold and wet outside, but I soaked up the picturesque scenery through the window as I sat all cosy on the couch with my book. We ate and drank a good deal, as is the custom on such trips, sat by the fire playing board games and building Meccano and generally having ourselves a time. I distinguished myself in several ways:
- insisting that we stop off in Abergavenny for no good reason except that I found the name ‘Abergavenny’ to be irresistibly delightful;
- performing a wee dance in honour of each type of ale we consumed (the Waggledance was good, but the Hobgoblin was exceptional); and
- spending a goodly amount of time on Saturday evening attempting to stick a cork into my ear.
It was fun.
Tonight I’m heading to Dr Evil’s lair where I expect there to be much revelry. I’d love to say that I’m planning to be hangover-free tomorrow, so that I can start the New Year as I mean to go on… but many years of experience has taught me that such noble intentions inevitably disappear with my first glass of champagne.
I’ve been feeling slightly ambivalent about bidding 2007 farewell – while I’ve had a lot of fun, it was a pretty long and frustrating one in many ways. Those first six months, where my life revolved around The Visa Question, then two months of unemployment, then adjusting to my new job – it’s been pretty full on and I’m glad that part is over. Among other things, I just haven’t felt much like writing for a while now – as this sad, neglected blog attests. I’ve only filled one notebook this whole year, and while many of the snippets recorded there are hilarious, I seem to have lost the habit of keeping my eyes and ears open for amusing stories.
I got two new notebooks for Christmas – subtle hints from those who love me – and so there will be a lot more scribbling in 2008.
A bundle of fantastic things happened this year as well: visits from so many lovely people, an excellent wedding, spending a good chunk of time with both my brothers, a fabulous sailing holiday, new friends and new places and a mad caper or three along the way. When I say that I feel like 2007 was a bit of a fizzer I think I’m feeling as though the struggly first part of the year cast something of a pall over the rest– and it’s time for that to end.
2008 is going to be great, and not only because that rhymes. I’m more sorted than I was a year ago, and I can build on my new beginnings and get a few steps closer to having my shit together for real. Getting better at my job, paying off debt, saving money, getting healthier – I’m not going to make resolutions, but I do feel like I’m in a better place to try and get some of that stuff done. Plus, I’m coming home at the end of February for a two-week visit! I’ve been more than a little holiday-homesick of late, so I’m looking forward to getting a good dose of you all to tide me through the next year. Stand by for more details of when the jLo Travelling Roadshow Extravaganza will be passing by your way.
I hope you have all had a very festive Christmas and a most excellent New Year. I miss you all something crazy and so I’m sending buckets of love across the seas.
The holidays have been lovely – I have somehow managed to consume five roast dinners in the last eight days, which is an excellent indication of my commitment to the concept of Christmas decadence. I spent Christmas Day with friends, and there was chocolate money, mulled wine, remote control helicopters and much merriment. There was also a giant ham (and I’m not just referring to myself). Secret Santa brought me an awesome giant wooden spoon:
This past weekend a bunch of us went off to a beautiful old farmhouse in the countryside just near the Welsh border. It was cold and wet outside, but I soaked up the picturesque scenery through the window as I sat all cosy on the couch with my book. We ate and drank a good deal, as is the custom on such trips, sat by the fire playing board games and building Meccano and generally having ourselves a time. I distinguished myself in several ways:
- insisting that we stop off in Abergavenny for no good reason except that I found the name ‘Abergavenny’ to be irresistibly delightful;
- performing a wee dance in honour of each type of ale we consumed (the Waggledance was good, but the Hobgoblin was exceptional); and
- spending a goodly amount of time on Saturday evening attempting to stick a cork into my ear.
It was fun.
Tonight I’m heading to Dr Evil’s lair where I expect there to be much revelry. I’d love to say that I’m planning to be hangover-free tomorrow, so that I can start the New Year as I mean to go on… but many years of experience has taught me that such noble intentions inevitably disappear with my first glass of champagne.
I’ve been feeling slightly ambivalent about bidding 2007 farewell – while I’ve had a lot of fun, it was a pretty long and frustrating one in many ways. Those first six months, where my life revolved around The Visa Question, then two months of unemployment, then adjusting to my new job – it’s been pretty full on and I’m glad that part is over. Among other things, I just haven’t felt much like writing for a while now – as this sad, neglected blog attests. I’ve only filled one notebook this whole year, and while many of the snippets recorded there are hilarious, I seem to have lost the habit of keeping my eyes and ears open for amusing stories.
I got two new notebooks for Christmas – subtle hints from those who love me – and so there will be a lot more scribbling in 2008.
A bundle of fantastic things happened this year as well: visits from so many lovely people, an excellent wedding, spending a good chunk of time with both my brothers, a fabulous sailing holiday, new friends and new places and a mad caper or three along the way. When I say that I feel like 2007 was a bit of a fizzer I think I’m feeling as though the struggly first part of the year cast something of a pall over the rest– and it’s time for that to end.
2008 is going to be great, and not only because that rhymes. I’m more sorted than I was a year ago, and I can build on my new beginnings and get a few steps closer to having my shit together for real. Getting better at my job, paying off debt, saving money, getting healthier – I’m not going to make resolutions, but I do feel like I’m in a better place to try and get some of that stuff done. Plus, I’m coming home at the end of February for a two-week visit! I’ve been more than a little holiday-homesick of late, so I’m looking forward to getting a good dose of you all to tide me through the next year. Stand by for more details of when the jLo Travelling Roadshow Extravaganza will be passing by your way.
I hope you have all had a very festive Christmas and a most excellent New Year. I miss you all something crazy and so I’m sending buckets of love across the seas.
posted by jLo at 4:51 PM
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