Skerret wrote:

No it hasn't.

Except for the bits you were in.

Realisation tonight this is the first Christmas since I was 17 that I've been unemployed. On the upside I had a meal with three friends I've been close with since that age and got some Mark Twain + Chomsky books, an Iceland pocket guide (the country) and a book of cat selfies.

Unwillingly.

Diluted Dante wrote:

This year basically sucked, bar a week in March. The key, I think is to not be in this country.

I certainly found that to be the case.

But this year. I'll look back on it as the one where I sat at the desk in my house and did lots of reading and writing. That's pretty much it. It's kind of nice in its own way, just running away to Cyprus to write my thesis, shutting out the rest of the world, and it's great that my wife is happy to do the same. 10 years married and we still spend all our time together. Other than that, my social life at the moment is basically this place, sad as that sounds. Probably why I've been more involved in forum shenanigans, like the World Cup thread, the music quiz, Secret Santa.

Next year I'm actually supposed to finish this thesis and get a job. I'm honestly not sure how I'll cope with being reintroduced to society. I like the solitude, but I also can't wait to do something new.

I'm forty on Sunday as well.
So you always have time to do something different.

This year my job has gone from strength to strength, I got promoted to regional manager, started the year with the plan of being able to teach 5 classes a week at my local gym. 
I now have 7 each week and they're talking about giving me more and using me to spearhead a new PT programme.
My martial arts career has taken off, I'm training harder, more often and my own club is getting stronger.
I've been personally invited by some of European finest karate instructors (most of my bookshelf and DVD rack is full of their writings and publications) to train with them. I even got invited by a very highly respected karate instructor and martial arts author to come live and train with him and 12 other top instructors for 4 days at his farmhouse. 

I met some amazing people and some amazing fighters, some I beat, some I lost horribly to and most I've turned into real good friends.

Oh, and I got engaged to a wonderful woman who can actually put up with my crap.

Yea, 2014 has been pretty awesome for me.

superflyninja wrote:

OOh didnt know that Revel. Nice to know its never too late.

Yeah. Get that shit done mate.
You have to make the time. Do stuff during lunches. Anything to move forward.
Pretty much drawn most people in the industry.
Rich Stanton , Ian evenden, matt lees, the guys from sit down shut up, pc gamer people, most of the future staff,
all in a year.
Its possible like.

Pretty sure. Although I did find myself constantly wise cracking and finding the ledges I gripped to occasionally crumble

Yep, 3 times. Got very irritating

Never mind, at least you hurt some people.

Outta the way Ninja, fuck sake.  Like an actual ninja, kind of.  But not really.

No that's not very fly, ninja

I just got a PS4.

Result.

Glad to hear some of you have had a good year. Planning for next year to go better, starting with not being at Game.

Self-gratification?

2014 started like most others.  I was working in a low paid job with little prospects for a desirable career.  

I did get put forward for a small promotion though but when the area manager came to 'sign me off' he told me that despite what the onsite staff told him, he didn't want me involved at management level and proceeded to make the process as awkward as possible.  This included frequent interruptions, looking at his watch when I was talking and misquoting and twisting what I was saying.  Needless to say I wasn't promoted.

The upside of this was that it gave me the kick up the arse I needed to go out and get something better.  I applied to study an HND in Photography at college and have been doing that since August.  It's been tough (the time management is harder than the coursework) and weird being a student again but pretty rewarding.  I'm unsure if I'll continue on and do the degree but I'd like to if possible.

I was speaking to someone the other day and said with only some hyperbole for dramatic effect: "Photography saved my life".  It has given me hope that I'm not destined to rake about the bargain shelves in Tesco for the rest of my life and I'm happier now than I have been for a while.  I may well flop as so many photographers do but I'm taking in as much information as I can about the technique and business side of things to avoid that.

In other 2014 news my granny died in April.  She had suffered with awful dementia for the last few years and I was more relieved than anything else when I found out she had finally slipped away.  Dementia really is horrible.  I could write a five page essay about the large and small effects it had on my gran and my family.  I hope I avoid that in my life.

We had to put the dog down in September.  The poor thing's hips had given up and she was clearly in discomfort.  That was distressing.

Had a couple of holidays which was nice.  First was a weekend break up in Elgin.  Hardly exotic but nice to get to a part of the country I hadn't visited before.  The second was a week in Turkey.  Got an amazing price and while the place was way more touristy than I would normally go for, it was my first overseas trip since I went travelling in 2011 and my girlfriend's first ever trip abroad.  One of my life goals is to spend as much time as I can visiting new places so I'm glad I haven't had to cut that out entirely despite being skint.

Haven't been out on my bike at all this year.  Can't afford to do the work needed to get the MoT.  Will probably have to sell it and buy another when I'm (hopefully) doing better financially.

So all in all it's been an up and down year, as most years are.  It's the first year in a long time however, that I'm feeling positive about moving into the next one.