2011 in review
So now 2011 is over, I've been trying to review it in my head and figure out if it was as all bad as I have decided it was. So using my LJ as well as social media (Facebook, Twitter, G+) I am going to attempt to piece my year back together for a retrospective review of sorts, I'm sure there was plenty of good I've forgotten about.
January
Who I was living with: Matt, Brenton, Trystan, Bec
The good:
- The beach weekend I had with Brenton and Bec in Kiama (at my Mum's beach cabin). It was just so ridiculously fun and I don't think the three of us have been closer than we were that weekend.
The bad:
- I was still working in the Supervisor job that I violently hated. I was still recovering from the drama that occurred in December, which had shaken up not only my job but several friendships. I can never do things the easy way :p
The undecided:
- I finished reading Season 8 of Buffy. I cried. I wasn't ok with crying at a comic, and to this day I haven't been able to bring myself to read the end of Season 6 of Angel... just in case.
- Matt offered to help send me to Europe for my friend's hens night, and to visit other friends. The nice-in-theory gesture led to many fights for months to come and much stressing over money.
Quotes:
"What is Brenton's first punch for?" - Brenton
"I know a nipple when I feel one" - Brenton
"It's an abstract penis" - Trystan
February
Who I was living with: Matt, Brenton, Trystan, Bec/Kelly
The good:
- Summer finally arrived!
The bad:
- I was feeling mighty friendless with so many people out of the country.
- Kelly singed off some of my arm hair.
- Relationship was definitely on a downer.
The undecided:
- I drank one of the most potent slushies/cocktails I have ever tasted. It had a blended tequila caterpillar in it.
Quotes:
"I'm going to assume Matt was the person who left half a bowl of dry milo cereal next to the sink, but that doesn't make it make more sense..." - Me
"A child just picked something off the bottom of my shoe and threw it in my eye. Sometimes I just love my job. #sarcasm #work" - Me
March
Who I was living with: Matt, Brenton, Trystan, Kelly
The good:
- Mardi Gras. Travelled to the city in an awesome limo. Kelly, Bec and I got insanely drunk in a pub in the city, Trystan broke a lamp with his face.
- I stepped up my interest in gay rights, which stuck through out the rest of the year.
- I went to Wagga for Elsey's 5th birthday with Jarrah, Kristi & Lilly-monster.
- Visiting Bec every Tuesday night so I didn't lose my TV watching buddy :p
- Minutes with Murray
The bad:
- I had a Backstreet Boys song stuck in my head for about a week.
- Europe-based arguments continued.
The undecided:
- I managed to put a hole in Bec's bedroom wall purely by existing.
Quotes:
"it sounds like a Kookaburra is fighting an Ewok outside my window..." - Me
"even tigers move" - Lilly
"you know how movies have that bit where you have to cry" - Tegan
"my mum said I can't cos I'm sticky like a fishing rod" - a baffling statement by a child when asked to sit down for group time.
"cookie monsters are bad. Bad like donkeys." - the same child, when asked to lay down.
Baffling child when asked to stop pushing a chair across the ground: "but it looks like a lawnmower!" #wtf
April
Who I was living with: Matt, Brenton, Trystan, Kelly
The good:
- Foundation Day. Went into the Royal to have a drink (we were thirsty!). 12 hours later we stumble back out, wondering where the day went.
- A hoedown at my cousin's house. It was a pretty great night for a party filled with people looking like country bogans :p
- Used the fireplace for the first time. It's so awesome and warm.
- Bollygum Easter disco.
- ANZAC themed party. Everyone dressed as different careers. Amanda showed us she could do Will Smith's Men In Black dance, reaffirming that I love her.
- Doctor Who started again.
The bad:
- Puppets talking about football.
- Video evidence from the hoedown.
The undecided:
- Party in Yellow Rock. Bec got amusingly messy, one of my little brother's friends cracked his head open on gym equipment, Kelly used her childcare skills to cordon off the mess and mop the floor.
- I finally got to give up the Supervisor job... and took on the role as the sole administrator for four businesses.
Quotes:
"if you find a narrow gloomy cave don't go in it, I know what's in there" - Me to Bec
May
Who I was living with: Matt, Brenton, Trystan, Kelly
The good:
- Saw 'Much Ado About Nothing' with Bec at the Opera House. We fell in love with Benedick.
- Made it to the end of S3 Buffy with Kelly. Watching Buffy with a n00b is awesome.
The bad:
- I have no LJ post for this month and my Facebook & Twitter are both sparse on information, which generally means I have nothing nice to say (cos y'know, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all). This mustn't have been a very happy month. From what I can figure I was drinking a lot, fighting a lot, and my job was already getting to me again. Also it was car rego month.
- I believe this would also be the time I gave up on the whole Europe plan.
The undecided:
- No undecided this month, it was all grumpy.
Quotes:
"did you know Dom used to tickle me?" - Lilly
June
Who I was living with: Matt, Brenton, Trystan, Kelly
The good:
- Supanova. Something I planned to do at the beginning of the year, and actually managed to go through with (unlike almost everything else I listed in a post at the beginning of the year). I splurged my savings and got a Whedonverse ticket, got to go to a bunch of exclusive panels, a James Marsters concert, got a picture with James Marsters, Amy Acker & Sean Maher, met Tom Felton, AND I got to have after-party drinks with James Marsters and Gareth David-Lloyd. It was a nerdgasm from beginning to end.
- Had an S Club party with Kelly.
- Saw Hairspray at the Lyric Theatre with Bec & Kelly
The bad:
- "Doing admin and listening to S Club. Just had one of those moments where I reassessed my will to live."
- Relationship communication breakdown.
The undecided:
- I got vomited on at work. Not just a little bit. At least I got a slight early mark.
Quotes:
"Well with you being marvellous and me spritely we could just be considered jaunty. If you were Kristi you would take it as an insult." - Kelly to Bec
I say: "what's wrong with your toast?" Child says: "you can't see my shoes, na na na na na"
"I am advised that panda is the typical diet of reindeer/moose.. usually stir fried." - Bec
Trystan upon walking through the front door: "I'm gonna shave... So I must shower"
"Hey look everyone, it's Kung Fu Panda!" -Bec
July
Who I was living with: Matt (partially), Brenton, Trystan (partially), Kelly
The good:
- Watched the final Harry Potter movie at midnight with a whole bunch of friends. Stacey visited from Canberra for the occasion.
- Brenton and I stayed up all night one weekend, got smashed and got hypnotised by our awesome fire. We talked a lot of shit.
- Brenton created the OmniBed in my room. Two Queen beds pushed together for one glorious sleep.
- SuperMario
- NPH & Elmo sang a pyjama song... Kelly and I sung it for a while after that.
The bad:
- DRAMA EXPLOSION. Kristi and Trystan excommunicated themselves as my friends in one ridiculous week.
- Matt left the following week.
The undecided:
- In light of all the drama I pretty much stopped going out on weekends (and still haven't really resumed). I miss weekly sillyness, but my bank balance and liver are quite happy.
- Bec headed off to Europe to explore and visit Dom, leaving Kelly in my care :p
Quotes:
"Being single for the first time since I was sixteen sure is a mind bending concept... I swear I used to have money..." - Me
August
Who I was living with: Brenton, Kelly, Lachlan (partially)
The good:
- I gave up believing I was single and decided to admit I'm with Brenton now.
- We discovered the new (insane) owners of the Winmalee Tavern and ate there whenever we could scrounge the money.
- Mitchell came home from Berlin for a visit.
- Visited Tegan & the girls with Brenton in Wagga.
The bad:
- "Dear gross smokers, next time my yard gets covered with cigarettes and their billions of packets I will hunt each of you down and make you drink from the butt bucket. Love, me."
- I got ridiculously sick, with a fever that lasted for days and got a slight Panadene addiction from it which was awful.
The undecided:
- The Australian census. I'm a weirdo who likes this shit so I love census time, but not all their questions impressed me.
- I found a fork glued to what appeared to be a blob of fluorescent green paint in my laundry. This is not important, but it was baffling.
Quotes:
"Elephants don't want to die. Cos they're happy to stay" - One of my Bollygum kids
"Lol, who knows, I might enjoy the taste of ass." - Bec
September
Who I was living with: Brenton, Kelly, Lachlan
The good:
- Stacey's hens night. Followed by Stacey's wedding. An awesome long-weekend beach holiday, that we have decided needs to be repeated (except without the wedding part). There was wine, there was beach, there was friends. What's not to love?
The bad:
- This is when I first realised how fucking broke I am.
- Work started more of a downhill slide.
- A month of so many social activities meant socialising with people I'd not spent time with since July. Awkward.
The undecided:
- Kelly's 21st. An interesting night.
Quotes:
"Also speaking of terrifying, your gift was just lovely, thanks." - Me to Dom
October
Who I was living with: Brenton, Kelly, Lachlan
The good:
- My birthday. Brenton, Lachlan and I went on an epic drive around the Blue Mountains. We chilled by Wentworth Falls lake, had hot chips in Blackheath, discovered long forgotten fears of heights at Govett's Leap, found awesome art at the Talisman Gallery in Little Hartley, found secret gardens in Mt Wilson and explored Mt Tomah.
- Penne stayed with us for a week, keeping me entertained at work (and at home) and giving Tegan a break.
- Went to Trainee/Supervisor of the year awards to support Janine (my awesome Supervisor/Manager) who had no idea she was nominated =D
- Spent the night as a pirate at my cousin's Hallowe'en party.
- This:
The bad:
- "So I've been called for jury duty again, my job has been eliminated for a month and my grandfather is on his deathbed. #Fail"
- My grandfather died.
- My laptop's hard drive shat itself.
- The stink tree flowered.
- "Fire me then. I dare you." - A tweet showing how much I love my job.
The undecided:
- Met various members of Brenton's family for the first time. It was so odd doing the whole 'meet the family' thing again after being in a relationship for seven years. Also his older sister was in my year in high school. Tiny bit awkward.
Quotes:
Penne: what's for dinner? Me: what do you want? Penne: a carrot!
"Doing accounts, dressed as a pirate. I feel like a Monty Python sketch." - Me (Hallowe'en @ work)
November
Who I was living with: Brenton, Kelly, Lachlan
The good:
- I plotted a summer holiday for Brenton and myself.
- Staff Christmas party. Slushies and swimming :)
The bad:
- My job steadily got more frustrating and I finally snapped, telling Janine I wanted to quit. This is something I have yet to share with the rest of management as the future of my job is already in the air as it is. I am currently looking for other work however.
- I became more broke than ever.
The undecided:
- I went to see some very odd theatre at the Joan Sutherland centre with my dad. I think it was called 'The Falling Project'. It involved some guys doing weird acrobatics and yes, falling off things.
Quotes:
"Your dog is looking at me." - Penne
December
Who I was living with: Brenton, Kelly, Lachlan
The good:
- The Marriage Equality rally in Sydney. Brenton and I had so much fun carrying a giant pride flag through the city.
- The kids Christmas party and graduation. Lots of fun and quite sad.
- Our annual Christmas party with all the friends. Four children this year, lots of fun.
- The Wiggles. Brenton, Kelly and I went by ourselves. It was awesome. Wiggles FTW!
- Christmas. Yup, even with 5 family Christmases I loved it. Good fun, good food (and some awesome presents).
- Doctor Who Christmas Special.
- Visiting Stacey in Canberra. Chocolate, movies and wine. :)
- New Years Eve with Brenton. Maccas, 2 bottles of wine and documentaries. Strangely perfect.
The bad:
- The countdown to holidays was agony. I had a ridiculous amount of work to do.
- So. Broke. Bills came pouring in just to make Christmas easier.
The undecided:
- My babies all grew up and finished childcare. A lot of them I have cared for over the last 4.5yrs. Very bittersweet.
Quotes:
Brenton impersonating Chloe: "don't fuck up my moustache!"
All in all, I would not call this my best year, but there was definite highlights there. Also I'd like to think that this epic entry makes up for my slack posting habits throughout the year at least a little. I mean, it did take over five hours to write.
TTFN