2012 catch up

No, not a New Year's meme, though they are a nice excuse to look back on what we've all achieved in the last year. I think both lots and distressingly little. I was chatting about this to Alison over Christmas - how most of the stuff we think is interesting and newsworthy is only really so to our friends and family, and besides that most of our achievements get down to a small clump of things - moving house, death, birth and marriage, essentially.

Well I have only achieved one of those in the last year and will only be achieving the same thing again next year but I have certainly spent a long time daydreaming about other shizzle. Mainly owning pigs.

Yes, I am back on this theme again.

Lookit them.

AREN'T THEY CUTE? Anyway, besides moving to NZ, and daydreaming about owning pigs one day, I have little of substance to say for 2012. Nevertheless, I'm full of hope and expectation that it will be a happy year.

Two of my good friends are getting married (TO EACH OTHER. Best kind of marriage.)
I get to be best man.
I have finally cracked German, I reckon.

In my Profound Theory of Language Learning, there are 3 stages to learning a language. The first crack comes when language turns from being complete gibberish to being complete gibberish that has a sentence structure. Hurrah! The second crack is when it goes from gibberish arranged in sentences to being sentences with the odd gibberish. And the third crack is when you can win an argument about the pros and cons of the welfare state with a Mexican hostel owner when neither of you know how to say 'welfare state' and are extremely drunk.

I am on the first crack with German.

Hurrah!

I never intend to get to the third crack (perhaps first crack and a half?) because I fear it's not the sort of language where people indulge you when you don't know how to say 'welfare state' yet insist on having an argument about it (whereas all the Spanish speaking countries don't really mind, as long as everyone is drunk.) Currently all I can say is, "I cannot go there today because I am very busy today, but I would like to go there tomorrow as it is very important to me", and variations thereof, because I am learning it with Michel and he, bless him, likes to do this kind of thing.

I love Michel.

Anyway, one of my resolutions is to get onto almost-the-second-crack with German.

Another one is to find my camera cable, which I cannot find, hence why there are no pictures in this thing.

I am still planning to do a vegan week this year. TOFU. Tofu is my friend. Tofu can be your friend. The end.*

(*ASIDE. Do you find it REALLY annoying when people talk about how no one in their right mind will eat tofu and only health nuts pretend to like it because actually it's disgusting so people should stop writing recipes for it because EVERYONE KNOWS only hippies eat it. I bet you don't, because you probably agree with this. But I do. I do. I find it REALLY ANNOYING. Look, I don't like sprouts, but I don't deny that you may enjoy sprouts. I don't tell you you are lying to my face when you eat sprouts. I don't tell you you are being a joyless healthnutjobfreak when you slurp them down in front of me.

Why? Why does this annoy me so? I hate it! Anyway, the point is, I love tofu and my family eat it every day and I would eat it everyday if I could be bothered to cook it every day, and if I cooked it for you you would like it too even if you normally don't like tofu, because 1000s of years of Chinese cuisine AIN'T WRONG FOLKS.

Edited to add: Sometimes it is wrong, like boiled duck's blood.

Edited to add x2: but not tofu. Hurrah!)

I need to buy a camera and become proficient.

I want to go to Hay on Wye (not really a resolution. In fact this whole list isn't exactly a resolutions list. However Hay on Wye needs no excuse, really.)

Also, I read the last book in the Bartemaeus trilogy and BOY. It is good. I wish to read the other ones. Do not tell me they are children's books. I will hate you.

Dr Who!!!!

That is also not a resolution, I guess.

And New Zealand, of course, the best Christmas present I have ever got. Apart from getting into Oxford. Oh, Oxford. I love you.

All my best presents have come on the 22nd December. I wonder what I will get this year!

And my last and final proper resolution, besides I guess keeping a diary properly so I actually remember what I did rather than just ramble at length about random thoughts I have, which is not interesting to anyone, is to have a proper good time, and love it all while I'm doing it.

Happy New Year!