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Was 2024 a good year for you?
Yes. More than I can begin to express. I am almost embarassed by how good my year has been and how happy I am.
What did you do in 2024 that you'd never done before?
Completed the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, lived outside the UK, studied theology at university, grew a serious beard, learned semitic languages, went to mass celebrated by the pope,
Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year I resolved not to take on too much, and do you know, I pretty much actually managed it. I have been doing A Lot in terms of university work, but I have been really good at resisting the temptation to take on any other responsibilities. This year I intend to continue making the most of the amazing opportunity that this degree is providing.
Did someone close to you give birth?
My youngest sister had her second child, although because they live in Canada I haven't actually met my newest niece yet. They're going to be in London in late January though, and fortunately it lines up with me being back for the weekend.
Did anyone close to you die?
No.
What countries did you visit?
Wales, France, Belgium, England.
What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?
I... I am honestly not sure there is anything.
What events from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory
The Spiritual Exercises. Mass with the Pope. Moving to Belgium.
What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Making everything come together for this new stage in my life.
Either that, or carrying all the furniture for my new flat up four long flights of stairs. Never have I felt less convinced of the merits of high ceilings!
What was your biggest failure(s)?
Nothing is standing out. I could probably have done better at keeping in touch with people, but I think I've managed reasonably well.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.
What was the best thing you bought?
Probably my two new recorders, a Kung Superio alto in palisander, and a Moeck Rottenburg soprano in olivewood. They are giving me a great deal of pleasure.
Where did most of your money go?
A much greater proportion went on living expenses rather than luxuries this year - mortgage and rent (both at once is a bit of a kicker), furniture and stuff for my new flat, moving expenses, course fees, train tickets. I also spent rather a lot on my month at St Beuno's at the beginning of the year, and a fair amount on a holiday in France in June, and the aforementioned recorders. I spent much less than usual on restaurants. I also gave a lot less to charity this year, which will probably continue for the next couple of years but I'm keeping track of my pledge and will get caught up when I'm earning sensibly again.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Theology!
Compared to this time last year, are you...
i. Happier or sadder? I am the happiest I have ever been.
ii. Richer or poorer? Somewhat poorer in terms of assets, much poorer in terms of income, vastly richer in terms of satisfaction.
iii. Healthier or iller? Significantly healthier mentally and somewhat physically.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Singing. But I have recently changed churches to one with a choir, which I have joined, so that's now sorted.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Immigration admin...
How did you spend Christmas?
At home in London with Robert, Ramesh, my sister, and my niece. Despite having fewer people than the previous couple of years, we failed to make any less food, so the leftovers may last until Candlemas, but it was lovely and impressively stress-free.
How was your religious year?
Hah. Last year I said "Much less eventful than the previous one!" This year I am tempted to repeat my opening from the previous year of "Let me explain. No, there is too much, let me sum up..."
So, I started the year with a 30 day retreat. I meant to write it up properly on here, but never got round to it, and I probably shouldn't try to do it now, but a came home a different person and my relationship with God was fundamentally changed. Before the retreat I would talk about the Ignatian concept of God in all things, and it was something that I believed in, but it was always a bit conceptual, a bit theoretical. Now, God is everywhere, in everything and everyone, right there. Of course, God always was right there, and if I stopped to look I would notice. What has changed is my awareness. I don't have to stop and look any more.
Actually, maybe that's all I need to say about my religious year. There's been lots of other stuff about church, and of course there's been lots of theological learning, but in a sense, it's all kind of secondary.
Did you fall in love in 2024?
Not with a person. But I think I've fallen in love with life in a whole new way.
How many one-night stands?
None
How has your romantic life been generally
My husband is bloody fantastic. I have asked a lot of him this year, and living apart is not what he would have chosen, but he has been unstintingly supportive of my pursuit of my dreams, and I am so so lucky.
What has your professional life been like this year?
A year of two halves. At the beginning of the year I went from working full time back down to 3 days/week, and yet somehow still never seemed to have enough time. I was also trying to get all of my churchwarden and church treasurer duties wrapped up and ready to hand over, which probably accounts for much of that busyness.
At the end of July I basically stopped doing paid work. Ramesh & I took a couple of weeks of August as holiday - we didn't go away, but we did a bunch of theatre and art and such in London. The rest of August I spent sorting out last minute bits of admin, and then at the beginning of September I moved to Brussels.
Since then my 'professional' life has been that of a student, and all I can say is that university is wasted on the young. Or at least, it was wasted on the young me. It is clearly too early to figure out what doing this degree is going to mean for what my professional life will look like afterwards, and there's still the whole thing of waiting for the Church of England to do it's discernment about priests in same-sex marriages, but let's just say that a permanent pivot to academia is definitely showing a certain allure.
What is the best thing you created in 2024?
Oscar's "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." has never felt more apt. My creativity this year has been in becoming.
What were the best books you read?
I've read fewer entire books and more chapters and academic papers than usual this year. I'm quite tempted to say "Revelations of Divine Love" by Julian of Norwich, which is a reread, but it's really hard to beat. But if I'm going to pick a new-to-me book, then I'll go for "Queer Theology" by Linn Marie Tonstad.
What were your favourite musical discoveries this year?
I haven't really listened to all that much new music this year. From a making music perspective I've been enjoying getting more familiar with french hymnody, and also I've been learning several recorder pieces from 'Recipes' by Alan Bullard (I don't play them nearly that well...)
What did you want and get?
To go back to university!
What did you want and not get?
For me personally, nothing significant. For the world as a whole...
What was/were your favourite film/s and plays this year?
I had another year with very little theatre, which I should really try to do something about next year. Ramesh & I went to see Blue Velvet at the Prince Charles cinema, and although I'd seen it before at a camgoth film club many years ago, I'd forgotten a lot of it, and really enjoyed it.
What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I was 43, but I don't think I did much to celebrate.
Who and what kept you sane?
I continued to stay sane without really struggling.
Who did you miss?
Weirdly, I've been missing people a lot less this year than I often have in the past, despite spending a lot more time on my own. I'm sure that in time I will resurface with a need for more human contact, but for the time being I am coccooned in my world of books and ideas, and quite content to stay there.
Who was the best new person you met?
There are two that stand out. One is Leah, another student. For the most part I have been absolutely rubbish at making friends amongst my cohort, partly because most of them are about two decades younger than me, and partly because I'm just not that enthusiastic about making new friends when I don't have nearly enough time for those I already have. But just in the last few weeks of term I started chatting to Leah after a lecture, and we have really clicked; initially just in a "it's nice knowing that I'm not the only queer autistic person in the room." but soon realising that we've also got a bunch of shared fannish interests and enthusiasms.
The other is Phil Forness, my Syriac professor. I rate all but one or two of the teachers I've had this semester pretty highly, but Prof Forness stands out in particular. I'm auditing his course rather than taking it for credit, and I only really went to the first class on a whim because I was curious, but I have quite possibly done more work for it than any of my other modules. And to a great extent that is due to how engaged and engaging he is as a teacher.
What are you looking forward to in 2025?
In a weird way, my exams. When I was younger I would have been terrified of looking like a swot by saying that, and there was still a moment of hesitation. But I'm not that kid who needs to worry about people thinking I'm weird and ostracising me anymore, and you know what, I like exams. I'm good at them, and I like things that I'm good at. And this might be the first time in my life when I've got exams that are challenging, and I've worked hard and consistently and I feel properly on top of the material.
I am also looking forward to![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
themidnightgirl's birthday party next week, and various people's pencilled in visits to Brussels in the next few months, and going folk dancing with Gaëlle, and starting modules on Greek, Pastoral Theology, and New Testament Studies, and singing with my choir more regularly,
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024?
Sometimes, when you get exactly what you thought you wanted, it's even better than imagined it would be.
Was 2024 a good year for you?
Yes. More than I can begin to express. I am almost embarassed by how good my year has been and how happy I am.
What did you do in 2024 that you'd never done before?
Completed the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius, lived outside the UK, studied theology at university, grew a serious beard, learned semitic languages, went to mass celebrated by the pope,
Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year I resolved not to take on too much, and do you know, I pretty much actually managed it. I have been doing A Lot in terms of university work, but I have been really good at resisting the temptation to take on any other responsibilities. This year I intend to continue making the most of the amazing opportunity that this degree is providing.
Did someone close to you give birth?
My youngest sister had her second child, although because they live in Canada I haven't actually met my newest niece yet. They're going to be in London in late January though, and fortunately it lines up with me being back for the weekend.
Did anyone close to you die?
No.
What countries did you visit?
Wales, France, Belgium, England.
What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024?
I... I am honestly not sure there is anything.
What events from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory
The Spiritual Exercises. Mass with the Pope. Moving to Belgium.
What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
Making everything come together for this new stage in my life.
Either that, or carrying all the furniture for my new flat up four long flights of stairs. Never have I felt less convinced of the merits of high ceilings!
What was your biggest failure(s)?
Nothing is standing out. I could probably have done better at keeping in touch with people, but I think I've managed reasonably well.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.
What was the best thing you bought?
Probably my two new recorders, a Kung Superio alto in palisander, and a Moeck Rottenburg soprano in olivewood. They are giving me a great deal of pleasure.
Where did most of your money go?
A much greater proportion went on living expenses rather than luxuries this year - mortgage and rent (both at once is a bit of a kicker), furniture and stuff for my new flat, moving expenses, course fees, train tickets. I also spent rather a lot on my month at St Beuno's at the beginning of the year, and a fair amount on a holiday in France in June, and the aforementioned recorders. I spent much less than usual on restaurants. I also gave a lot less to charity this year, which will probably continue for the next couple of years but I'm keeping track of my pledge and will get caught up when I'm earning sensibly again.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Theology!
Compared to this time last year, are you...
i. Happier or sadder? I am the happiest I have ever been.
ii. Richer or poorer? Somewhat poorer in terms of assets, much poorer in terms of income, vastly richer in terms of satisfaction.
iii. Healthier or iller? Significantly healthier mentally and somewhat physically.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Singing. But I have recently changed churches to one with a choir, which I have joined, so that's now sorted.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Immigration admin...
How did you spend Christmas?
At home in London with Robert, Ramesh, my sister, and my niece. Despite having fewer people than the previous couple of years, we failed to make any less food, so the leftovers may last until Candlemas, but it was lovely and impressively stress-free.
How was your religious year?
Hah. Last year I said "Much less eventful than the previous one!" This year I am tempted to repeat my opening from the previous year of "Let me explain. No, there is too much, let me sum up..."
So, I started the year with a 30 day retreat. I meant to write it up properly on here, but never got round to it, and I probably shouldn't try to do it now, but a came home a different person and my relationship with God was fundamentally changed. Before the retreat I would talk about the Ignatian concept of God in all things, and it was something that I believed in, but it was always a bit conceptual, a bit theoretical. Now, God is everywhere, in everything and everyone, right there. Of course, God always was right there, and if I stopped to look I would notice. What has changed is my awareness. I don't have to stop and look any more.
Actually, maybe that's all I need to say about my religious year. There's been lots of other stuff about church, and of course there's been lots of theological learning, but in a sense, it's all kind of secondary.
Did you fall in love in 2024?
Not with a person. But I think I've fallen in love with life in a whole new way.
How many one-night stands?
None
How has your romantic life been generally
My husband is bloody fantastic. I have asked a lot of him this year, and living apart is not what he would have chosen, but he has been unstintingly supportive of my pursuit of my dreams, and I am so so lucky.
What has your professional life been like this year?
A year of two halves. At the beginning of the year I went from working full time back down to 3 days/week, and yet somehow still never seemed to have enough time. I was also trying to get all of my churchwarden and church treasurer duties wrapped up and ready to hand over, which probably accounts for much of that busyness.
At the end of July I basically stopped doing paid work. Ramesh & I took a couple of weeks of August as holiday - we didn't go away, but we did a bunch of theatre and art and such in London. The rest of August I spent sorting out last minute bits of admin, and then at the beginning of September I moved to Brussels.
Since then my 'professional' life has been that of a student, and all I can say is that university is wasted on the young. Or at least, it was wasted on the young me. It is clearly too early to figure out what doing this degree is going to mean for what my professional life will look like afterwards, and there's still the whole thing of waiting for the Church of England to do it's discernment about priests in same-sex marriages, but let's just say that a permanent pivot to academia is definitely showing a certain allure.
What is the best thing you created in 2024?
Oscar's "I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works." has never felt more apt. My creativity this year has been in becoming.
What were the best books you read?
I've read fewer entire books and more chapters and academic papers than usual this year. I'm quite tempted to say "Revelations of Divine Love" by Julian of Norwich, which is a reread, but it's really hard to beat. But if I'm going to pick a new-to-me book, then I'll go for "Queer Theology" by Linn Marie Tonstad.
What were your favourite musical discoveries this year?
I haven't really listened to all that much new music this year. From a making music perspective I've been enjoying getting more familiar with french hymnody, and also I've been learning several recorder pieces from 'Recipes' by Alan Bullard (I don't play them nearly that well...)
What did you want and get?
To go back to university!
What did you want and not get?
For me personally, nothing significant. For the world as a whole...
What was/were your favourite film/s and plays this year?
I had another year with very little theatre, which I should really try to do something about next year. Ramesh & I went to see Blue Velvet at the Prince Charles cinema, and although I'd seen it before at a camgoth film club many years ago, I'd forgotten a lot of it, and really enjoyed it.
What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I was 43, but I don't think I did much to celebrate.
Who and what kept you sane?
I continued to stay sane without really struggling.
Who did you miss?
Weirdly, I've been missing people a lot less this year than I often have in the past, despite spending a lot more time on my own. I'm sure that in time I will resurface with a need for more human contact, but for the time being I am coccooned in my world of books and ideas, and quite content to stay there.
Who was the best new person you met?
There are two that stand out. One is Leah, another student. For the most part I have been absolutely rubbish at making friends amongst my cohort, partly because most of them are about two decades younger than me, and partly because I'm just not that enthusiastic about making new friends when I don't have nearly enough time for those I already have. But just in the last few weeks of term I started chatting to Leah after a lecture, and we have really clicked; initially just in a "it's nice knowing that I'm not the only queer autistic person in the room." but soon realising that we've also got a bunch of shared fannish interests and enthusiasms.
The other is Phil Forness, my Syriac professor. I rate all but one or two of the teachers I've had this semester pretty highly, but Prof Forness stands out in particular. I'm auditing his course rather than taking it for credit, and I only really went to the first class on a whim because I was curious, but I have quite possibly done more work for it than any of my other modules. And to a great extent that is due to how engaged and engaging he is as a teacher.
What are you looking forward to in 2025?
In a weird way, my exams. When I was younger I would have been terrified of looking like a swot by saying that, and there was still a moment of hesitation. But I'm not that kid who needs to worry about people thinking I'm weird and ostracising me anymore, and you know what, I like exams. I'm good at them, and I like things that I'm good at. And this might be the first time in my life when I've got exams that are challenging, and I've worked hard and consistently and I feel properly on top of the material.
I am also looking forward to
themidnightgirl's birthday party next week, and various people's pencilled in visits to Brussels in the next few months, and going folk dancing with Gaëlle, and starting modules on Greek, Pastoral Theology, and New Testament Studies, and singing with my choir more regularly, Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024?
Sometimes, when you get exactly what you thought you wanted, it's even better than imagined it would be.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-01 01:17 am (UTC)From:It's so lovely to see your joy here.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-01 01:27 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-01-01 02:01 pm (UTC)From:As one of those currently-fairly-miserable people, I'm happy to confirm that your happiness does me no harm at all. But I also know what you mean because if I'm happy around a sad friend I worry in the same way.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-01 10:07 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-01-01 11:16 pm (UTC)From:Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday. Been a while!
no subject
Date: 2025-01-01 11:54 pm (UTC)From:Yes, delightful and lovely!
no subject
Date: 2025-01-02 12:55 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-01-02 04:07 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2025-01-02 11:13 pm (UTC)From:You have and make such an interesting life.
no subject
Date: 2025-01-06 07:14 am (UTC)From: