2005.

Firstly:

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Secondly:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, scifinutter

Thirdly:

yesterday I had a New Year's Eve party with Lorna, Naomi and Sarra.  Well, I say "party".  I think Lorna was right.  "There's food and classical music and none of us are drunk or throwing up - this isn't a New Year's Eve party!"  I planned enough food for three people and there was too much for four, but I'm proud of myself for managing to get it all presented and on the table in time for people arriving.  Including the little labels so people knew what everything was.  Mainly so I could label what was vegetarian-safe and what wasn't, though I then became really anal about it and labelled everything.  When I get the photos developed you can see the impressive spread.

The cheesy potato tubes seemed to go down quite well... :)

After food and present-giving (Naomi drew me another rendition of Mila... on a larger scale and with "less anime-hair".  I don't know which one I like better, because the original looked exactly like it did in my head, but the new one's preeeetty and she's all angsty and stuff.  When I have a functional scanner I'll post it.) we all migrated upstairs to the living room, where everyone marvelled at my wonderful tree and we watched Pirate of the Caribbean, and devised a drinking game as we were doing so.  Any time a category was spotted we shrieked "AVAST!" and had a drink.  This resulted in us getting slightly drunk.  But considering that these were the categories, it's hardly surprising:

1) "Pirates" said in a silly voice.
2) Any mention of the Black Pearl in a silly voice.
3) Close-up or obvious focus on Gold Piratical Coin.
4) Tragic Gormlessness (specifically Norrington)
5) Orlando Bloom nearly having an expression.  (The best was probably during the bar scene in Tortuga when he's leaning against the post, trying so hard to make an expression and failing horribly, and knowing it. :D)
6) Phallic symbols, including: swords, guns, big ships, large towers, etc.  Accompanied with a cry of "Phallus!".
7) Jack Sparrow (or anyone else) mincing.  (Jack Sparrow can mince while sitting down.  It's disturbing.)
8) Over-concern for large hat.
9) Wenches/bodice-ripping/heaving bosoms.
10) Slash. (*ahem*  Yes.  Much drunkenness.)
11) Innocent Piratic Puzzlement.
12) Anything even remotely orgasmic (specifically Barbossa and his apple fetish.)
13) Silly pirate noises.
14) Double acts (Murtog/Mulroy, Pintel/Ragetti, Jack/Will, etc.)
15) Occult Mists
16) "Parlez."
17) Any mention of eunuchs.
18) The goat.
19) "Savvy?"
20) Gibbs' flask.

So, naturally, by the time we'd finished Pirates and set about watching Naomi's copy of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, we were in no fit state to be objective, and spend the entire film squeeing over the slashy not-at-all-subtext and general gayness of the entire film.  It's like Billy Wilder looked into Naomi's pre-embryonic brain and designed a movie just to satisfy her whims, I swear.  Somehow, it also led into a conversation that comprised entirely of pronouncing countries/cities in their accents (such as "Noo Yoowak" and "Lahndan") and explaining to Sarra what "H/C" meant.

Best line probably had to be "Watson is always putting words into my mouth..." (with a smirk that suggests that's not the only thing he's... you get the idea.)

So, yeah.  Random drunken debauchery, woo!

Photos coming at some point, as well as some well thought-out hastily figured out New Year's Resolutions.  Which this year I will keep.  Yes, I will.

New Year's Resolutions.

(Typed in the dark, because I miss being in the lava-lamp-and-fairy-light-lit room of uni - this'll be a challenge for my apparent touch-typing skills...)

I failed at keeping most of my resolutions last year, especially on the writing front, and given my current lifestyle I think I'll just try to aim lower this year.  So, here we go.

Resolution the First
No matter how slowly, I will endeavour to re-live and revisit all of my old addictions/obsessions and get through my entire video/DVD collection, as well as ploughing through my eternal reading/viewing list.  Even if it's just a couple of episodes or a film per night (new television addictions and going out being the accepted disruptions) and reading when I go to bed.  I'll take a book into work, read on the bus.  No more constant internet slobbing.

Resolution the Second
A writing-related one.  Regain my creativity.  I've been managing to keep vaguely on top of Come Forward when I'm at work (slowly), but only because the thing that inspired it is in the forefront of my mind.  Hence the first Resolution - if I can get back on track with old obsessions I might be able to update/finish old pieces of writing.  I am always at my most inspired very late at night/early in the morning, and that's impossible, but if I can write things down when they come to me at random intervals (as I was trying to do with my post-its) it might help.  Either that or I get job that'll let me work from 2pm to midnight... ;)

Resolution the Third
In that vein, get back into the fanfiction circuit.  It feels like centuries since I read a piece of fic, and the Spuffy fic I was rhapsodising about, at last check, was up to 43 chapters... I last read chapter 12.  Really, really far behind.  And in reading, get back into writing and regain the old joy I had of fanfiction, that joy that inspired my entire dissertation.

Resolution the Fourth
Update LiveJournal more often.

Resolution the Fifth
Meet more online people, both those I've already met (Eve, Sweet, Eni) and those I haven't.  This might have to be on a strictly same-country basis for the moment, though one day, I will meet Katie.

Resolution the Sixth
Invest in one of those UGC annual cinema passes and see lots of films.  On my own, if I have to.

Resolution the Seventh
Remember people's birthdays.

Resolution the Eighth
Honestly endeavour to organise a Most Haunted geeks live show meetup, which piggy-backs off no. 5.  After that, we'll see about doing our own ghost hunt. :)

Resolution the Ninth
When all my gallivanting around the country ends for a bit after Derek Acorah in February, start actually saving money, in the event of either visiting American online people, or moving into my own place, or things of that nature...

Resolution the Tenth
Join something.  Specifically, phone the City of Birmingham Choir woman and ask about auditioning, etc. If that's successful and settles down, look for amateur operatics, etc.

Resolution the Eleventh
Continue to expand musical tastes however possible.

Resolution the Twelfth
Update my bloody website.

Resolution the Thirteenth
Take camera with me wherever I go, within reason.

And I think that'll do for now.  Likely to be edited several times as I think of more.

For the record, this is what I resolved last year (on the day that rachel2205 friended me - hello!)... ( Let's see how well I did... )

What about everyone else?

I might do a sort of 2004-reflective post either later tonight or tomorrow...