The Dread Christmas Newsletter

Do you write one?

I just whipped out a little one-pager for family who are too old skool for facebook, and it sure puts the year into perspective when you're limiting yourself to one page. I talked about my sucky job, my awesome new apartment and taking my mom on a hot air balloon ride for her 72nd birthday.

Summarize your 2010 here, if.. you... dare.

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Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

Oof, you've made me think about it now. I haven't had the most active year by any means. But these things spring to mind...


Passed my third anniversary with my girlfriend this November

Aside from that, my life could do with a kick up the arse. I've got my job down to a fine art of subconscious-speed-completion (meaning I've spent an insane amount of time on Mofo ). My office moved to a slightly more cloistered and folded-in bit of London. I still can't be bothered to go for any management positions but lord knows I probably should


Not nearly enough, although I did enjoy drawing some movie scenes here, and making this silly vid (which I've been whoring ever since as my one arty achievement of the year )


Had a lush (if brief) holiday in a 'handmade' stone house hidden in the hills outside Vejer De La Frontera (Andalucia, Spain)


Have recently given up smoking, as I'm approaching my 35th birthday (on Xmas day no less ), and am fairly determined that I'm a smoke-free human being from now on.

(For some reason watching Eddie Izzard run over 30 consecutive marathons on TV recently, drawing on some deranged well of determination, has part inspired me to this. I like his idea that he made his body a 'running machine' by making sure that's what it did every day. I reckon my body has been a 'smoking machine' for long enough )


It's been another fun and informative year here

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

Hey, GG! Did not know that about Eddie Izzard, but that is inspirational. I may take a stab at becoming a yoga machine.

Congrats on the rest. I think we have to give ourselves some credit for having survived this year, and accomplishments are sort of extra nice on top of that. Three years in a relationship is a pretty big deal!

This year for me has been amazing. Best one of my life, I suppose. Not much happened execpt I became the mother to a beautiful little girl. Never did I think I could love someone so easily. Julia Grace, you saved me in every possible way.

Hey you . Yeah, Iz is a decidedly driven man it seems - he did do 5 weeks training, but not anything actually marathon length before hurling himself into 43 consecutive ones. There are 'iron men' that have done more, and faster, but it's good to know that someone a bit more 'everyman' can set their mind to it too

Thanks for starting this thread . It is good to look back over the year and pay attention to things we might otherwise have taken for granted. (I've been meaning to 'give thanks' more this year, thanks to some reading I've been doing. Had mainly forgotten to until I saw this tho )

Great thread.

There's no way I could fit everything that happened this year in a normal-sized family newsletter. This year I got bought a house, got a new (to me) car, got married, got my wife a kitten, celebrated the site's 10-year anniversary (and numerous traffic and post records), and my work responsibilities shifted somewhat. Probably the most eventful year of my life, and unless I have a kid and write a book in the same year sometime soon, it'll probably remain the most eventful year of my life for a fair bit.

I tried. I went to start writing and sent my head back to the beginning of the year. I then immediately decided I would much rather look forward. I'll be sure to post one next year.

#2010NotMyYear

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It has mostly been a good year, no complaints from me

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Started going out with Rebecca in late January. We both spent a lot of time traveling in between Annapolis and New Jersey, and in July we visited her mother in upstate New York and stayed in a beautiful lake house.
Movie-wise I watched a lot of Brian DePalma films and stuff from the 30s.
Started going to school for math. Did a lot of homework.
In early December I started applying for some new jobs at the university where I already work. Had one interview so far.

Reading highlights:
Anna Karenin
King Lear
The Manuscript Found in Saragossa
The Obscene Bird of Night
Alan Mendelsohn the Boy From Mars

Reading lowlights:
The Mysteries of Udolpho
The Castle of Otranto

Graduated College.
Bought A Car.
Took my relationship with the girlfriend to another level.

Those are the biggest things that happened to me this year.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Jeeze, I've had marriages didn't last that long! Should be past the girlfriend-boyfriend stage by now and either moved in or moved on.


Good move! Congratulations! I know it's a tough habit to break. Good luck!!!

Was that you advocating marriage there ruf?

(PS we've been living together for the last 2 & 1/2 years )

Cheers man . Ay, i remember reading your experiences with quitting it. I'm hoping the 'wisdom of age' is gonna help me this time (IE I'm on the road to being an old fool now - figure I might as well be a healthy one )

Yeah, I'm a strong advocate for marriage, having done it so often myself.
My wife and I lived together a little more than a year before we married. My choice, but I regret now I kept her hanging so long just because I didn't want to give up my options. But then I'd already had two divorces under my belt and swore after the last one I wasn't gonna get married again. But I knew long before I proposed to her I wasn't going to go anywhere else or find anyone better, so there was no sense stringing it out and keeping her wondering.

My first ex-wife I came home on leave from the Army to marry although the last time I saw her months earlier we were hardly speaking to each other. We went together all through high school then I come home on Christmas leave after 8 weeks in basic training and she's dating her best friend's brother. Unfortunately for him I had put on a lot of muscle and developed some attitude during basic. Later she started writing me at my post up in Kansas and I foolishly decided to take another chance on her that June. Problem was by that time I think we really didn't like each other very much. Produced a great daughter, however--the only good thing to come out of that relationship.