I haven’t done a year summary blog for a long time. This
year has been good, it’s been fun, it’s been scary, it’s been expensive, it’s
been a whirlwind, it’s been all over the place, it’s been tight, it’s been
depressing, it’s been a financial nightmare, it’s been stupid. It’s been lots
of things and I’m glad it’s nearly over – I’m quite excited about what next
year will bring.
This year I have:
-
Started giving blood regularly again
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Joined the organ donor register
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Joined the bone marrow register
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Made 100 hats for premature babies
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Owned a car for a year
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Got rid of my dreadlocks after 7 years
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Got a chainsaw licence
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Got pesticide licence
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Had to get my thumb stitched back together
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Helped with the publication of three guides
looking at the geology of building stones in Birmingham
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Stood on the footplate of the Flying Scotsman
I also had [yet more] therapy to deal with my varying mental
health conditions, cut horrible negative people out of my life, officially made
it past the age that rockstars die (27), become an even bigger nerd,
successfully ran some public engagement events (nerd), drove all the way to
Scotland and back (only getting lost once), started doing geology roadtrips
(nerd), made loads of things including a massive blanket which took 32 balls of
yarn, and loads of other stuff.
I’ve seen a lot more of the UK thanks to my traineeship with
the Wildlife Trust, learnt loads of new things and have quite enjoyed expanding
my knowledge base to things that aren’t rocks (shocker I know). I’m glad that
this year has happened and I’m very glad that it’s ending. It started with
depression and a horrible realisation about my life, and it’s ending with
depression and feeling like a massive knobhead, so not much has changed.
In terms of the goals I had for 2016, I have achieved six
out of ten, which isn’t too bad. Goals for next year are gonna be mostly
financial. My next major life goal is to be debt free by the time I’m 30, which
is less than two years away. I currently feel like this is massively
unattainable and the next couple of years are gonna be tight and depressing and
full of overdraft charges & interest and unemployment and other such fun. I
guess this is adulthood.
