MEME: The Year That Was 2015

Its that time of year again, where I look at the Year that was, and do the customary Year that was Meme.

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?

OK, New things :-

1. Wrote a Paper (The Two Pillars)
2. Got on the Ladder in Rose Croix (Captain of the Guard)
3. Got Installed as 2nd Principle in Chapter.
4. Gave the Charge after Initiation.
5. Visited a Provincial S.R.I.A. Meeting
6. Gave a Full Lecture in Royal Arch (Symbolic)

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Yes. Well I gave up on resolutions many years back as I never stuck to them, whereas my competitive nature makes me stick to challenges. So for the last few years I have had a yearly challenge. This year it was of a threefold nature,

1. Do the 100 Days Challenge.
2. Write a paper
3. Write a joint bi-weekly story.

The first two I did and stuck too, but the third failed due to external problems. But as my friend MeatLoaf says “two out of three ain’t bad!”  Next year I am again doing a threefold challenge, very similar to this years. 100 days, Write 4 papers, Do a unique piece of artwork.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? 

I was going to answer Yes, PlanetPete to this question. Then I realised he only gave birth by proxie. So instead I shall adjust my answer slightly to be, Yes, Mrs PlanetPete AKA H, Gave birth to the MicroMagoo Callum, who I get the honour of being his Godfather, and I plan to take my role seriously and have already begun practicing beheading horses..

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Uncle Tommy, My Old DC from my mother Lodge, My old Chaplin from my mother Lodge.

5. What countries did you visit?

The usual suspects of England/Wales. I did go through Bala which should really be classed as it’s own country, if not it’s own planet! I also visited the Magical Dale of Roch for the first time.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015?  

More Productivity, More Published Works, Less things on the todo list. Lolipop on my tablet (stupid americans getting update already)

7. What dates from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

1. 2nd March – The day I Emailed out my 1st Paper for Peer Review.
2. 14th November – The day the Maguires asked me to be a God Father.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Writing an academic paper for the first time ever, and nobody laughing when it was emailed out and posted online for discussion.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not actually getting anything published this year, Not finding a New House. Not getting the Lollipop update on my Tablet. (stupid americans getting update already)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not that I can recall!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

New Car? PS4?

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

• My Niece for getting accepted at 5 of the 5 Universities she applied to.
• Amanda for going back to Uni to get her BSA/MBA/WTF
• MaguirePete & Myself for doing the Academic Papers.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? 

The same group of people from last year, who are still up to the same sneaky underhand tricks that they were last year, and affecting more people.

14. Where did most of your money go?

New Car, Diesel for said New Car. PS4, Games for said PS4.

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

In two simple words STAR WARS We are finally getting a new Star Wars film that has nothing to do with Lucas so hopefully it will not be as bad as the Prequels, or as annoying as the Remastered versions.

16. What song will always remind you of 2015?

Little Mix – Black Magic

For some reason this song got played 300% more often than any other song during my morning commutes when I listen to the radio. Also I lost count the number of times I saw the video on someone’s TV. (Is it just me or is the Video just the film “The Craft” condensed into 3:45 minutes?)

 

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

• a) happier or sadder? Happier
• b) thinner or fatter? Fatter (slightly) but 2016 will be a time of change
• c) richer or poorer? Poorer due to spending Money on things like Cars & PS4’s

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

Falling in Love, Writing, Following my Dreams, Conquering the World, Finding a cure for the common cold and blackmailing people for the cure, You know, the simple pleasures in life.

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

Wasting time, and suffering from lack of enthusiasm.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

I will wake up late, grab some breakfast & a coffee, then go over to my Parents house with the rest of the family to open presents and do that festive cheer stuff. Then I am off to my Sisters for Christmas Dinner. (Which I will be fed up of by then as I think it will be my 8th or 8th of the month). Luckily her other half is cooking, if she was cooking there is no way I would go (Sorry Sis but you once cooked boil in the bag fish so bad even the dog would not eat it). Then home.. Beer, Doctor Who Special, and laze in front of the TV. I do need to decide what film series to rewatch over xmas, as per tradition. Something like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, etc?  

21. What was your favourite month of 2015? 

I do not think any one month stands out more than any other. So This year I do not have a favourite month.

22. Did you fall in love in 2015? 

Alas No. I am high functioning Sociopath.

23. How many one-night stands?

I do not believe in one-night stands. How can you tell if you realy like something unless you try it at least a couple of times?

24. What was your favourite TV programme?

How do I pick just one? Killjoys, Dark Matter, Lost Girl, Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Scorpion, Jessica Jones, Castle, Person of Interest, Librarians, Blacklist, Brooklyn Nine Nine. the list is endless…….

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

You know what? NO! I do not believe I hate anyone this year that I did not hate previously. Maybe I am growing as a person, becoming more enlightened? Or is everyone already on THE LIST

26. What was the best book you read?

Picking a favorite book, is even harder than picking a favorite TV Series, or Film. So here is a list of some of the Top books I read this year (In no particular order)  :-

• You’re Never Weird on The Internet (Felicia Day)
• Psych Series
• Warheart (Terry Goodkind)
• Frabato The Magician (Franz Bardon)
• Invisible Collage (Robert Lomas)

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Thanks to a random Photo IM from Amanda which showed a CD won at a charity night, I discovered a great now band.

Steel Panther is an American glam metal band from Los Angeles, California, mostly known for their profane and humorous lyrics as well as their exaggerated on-stage personae that parody the stereotypical “glam metal” lifestyle in the 1980s.

So my new (great) musical discovery of the year is….. Steel Panther.

28. What did you want and get?

A New Car, A Next Gen Game system (PS4), A new Star Wars film 😉

29. What did you want and not get? 

Enthusiasm, Love, Slaves A PA/Intern, A new House (Not easy finding one I like, I may be fussy?)

30. What was your favourite film of this year?

• Minions
• Star Wars – The Force Awakens
• AntMan
• Avengers Age of Ultron

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

 I spent the day as I would any other Sunday. After a time birthdays become meaningless. I believe its as soon as you no longer get toys as gifts So I spent the day playing Video games and drinking beer.

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

The Zombie Apocalypse. Seriously, How cool would that have been!

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2015?

Mostly Cargo Pants (I like the extra pockets) Jumpers, and in work Coats…. Oh and suits, because suits are awesome…… True story

34. What kept you sane? 

Sane? Sane? “You Keep Using That Word, I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means” I think, Good Friends, Good Books, and the fact I was never very sane to start off with, so there is not that much to keep hold of.

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

The character Kenzi from the TV Series “Lost Girl” I worked my way through all five seasons in December, and have overdosed on her a bit.  I just love her attitude, style, and her love of dressing up with different wigs to have many different appearance’s. And her eyes…. 

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

It’s not really a “political issue” but it is politics so it counts! We had a General Election this year. and the Conservatives won. Almost instantly all the Labour supporters started screaming that no one in the UK wanted the Conservatives in power, and as the majority did not want them they should not be elected.  Which is odd since UK politics works with the party who win the most seats gets in power, so if only a handful had voted for them they would not be in power. Ignoring that, the next load of shouting was how the Conservatives had destroyed the county, the healthcare, everything, and that we needed Labour in power to fix all the things the Conservatives had broken. Err, lets look at the facts. 2015 was the 1st Conservative government in the UK since 1997. So thats 18 year. 14 of those years were under a Labour Government, and the last 4 under an ineffectual coalition (coalitions never work when both parties have vastly different views). Now I am not saying the Conservatives are the best, or perfect. But since our healthcare, infrastructure, and welfare has been failing for many years now it seems insane to blame a group of people who have been in power for less than a year, its more likely that they inherited the mess the country is in. Yes we are in a state. No Labour is not the solution. the 14 years they were in power proved that. We did not get into the state we are in over night.  Give the other party a chance, you may not agree with them, but you should give them a chance, and not instantly scream for the previous guys back in, when all evidence seems to point to them breaking everything to start with.

37. Who did you miss?

No one. “ high functioning Sociopath” Remember? Remember? from Question 22?

38. Who was the best new person you met? 

I have considered the new people I have met this year, from Masonic Orders, The Widows Son’s, and online and while I have met a few interesting, and decent people there are none that jump out as “The Best” So I am going to go all sentimental, and say Callum “the littlest” Maguire.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015?. 

A valuable life lesson I learned this year?. Well I never thought I could write None-Fiction, I have published fictional stories, and while the majority of this blog is None-Fiction it is of a more comical and insane vien than actual factual none-fiction. After writing four academic papers, that did not get laughed at, or pulled apart by my peers, and that a couple of them I actually liked, I have realised that if I put the work into research, I can actually write None-Fiction. Also, when you stop procrastinating and force yourself to actually do something, you can actually enjoy yourself.

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

I’m just a Maserati in a world of Kia’s

Genius would describe any of my ideas

If I was born in 1453 Leonardo Da Vinci would be jealous of me

But a world of Stevie Wonders will never see.  

It’s a burden being wonderful like me.  

“The Burden Of Being Wonderful” Steel Panther