h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My resolution was to prolong my technophobia for another year by not owning or using these 13 devices:

1) Microwave oven
2) Dishwasher
3) Blu-Ray DVD
4) Flat-screen TV
5) Games console
6) Wii
7) iPhone
8) Tablet PC
9) Kindle
10) Remote-control toy helicopter
11) Blackberry
12) Navigation device
13) Satellite TV

So far, pretty good. I've only used the iPhone, and that's because I was given one by my employer to use when I'm on call.

Oh, the iPhone's the start. Before you know it you'll break number 12. Those fancy new astrolabe shops are masters at the hard sell, you know...

They were sensible enough not to give me an iTunes account, so I can't actually do anything with it apart from phone and sms

You're doing much better than me, MMF

GB

Well done MMF
Actually those elephants aren't going anywhere near me

Still, for lovers of large, fibreglass animal parades, there are Rhinos around Southampton until September. See: http://gorhinos.co.uk

<BB<

My sole resolution was to 'To finish a first draft of my alleged novel 'Dreaming in Stone' '.

Well, I've got to the end of the story, so I could claim to have finished. It's not novel length (in the region of 46,000 words) but there are things I know I've missed out and can usefully be added.

I shall read it and decide whether to scrap it of have a go at improving it.

Smashed my Personal Best time for a 5k yesterday (27:25, utilising the technology available on my iPhone and the GPS)

And as I corssed the finish line, reached 366 miles run this year, so fulfilling one of my 13 challenges.

Thanks for the reminder, Beatrice.

So how've my 13 progressed?

So how have I done?

1) Get a job. One I actually want and enjoy.
Fail.

2) Start going to the Gym. Initially I'm hoping this will be by Dr's referral then continue.
Started attending, but then cancelled due to bad reflux.

3) Plan my charity tour of Olympic phone boxes for 2014, concluding at the start of the XXth Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Quite a number of sent, but not one reply. Car semi-secured, and may have a co-driver for 50% of the journey. Sark leg appears sorted, except flight, with a powerboat taking me from Guernsey to Sark, and back, tides permitting, and possibly accommodation.

4) Complete at least on of my neglected entries. Ideally 2.
One is nearing completion, but needs major tweaks and then splitting into bite-size portions.

5) Learn how to use Photoshop.
Still a fail...

6) Label and tag all 30,000 of my photographs.
Progressing on the laptop. But Catastrophy on the desktop. Deleted my iCloud photos by accident. reinstalled via flash drive, but all in wrong place with wrong dates!

7) Attend at least one h2g2 Meet, with Reims being top of the list.
Reims was done, and a couple of London mini-meets too.

8) Go on at least one fibre-glass animal parade, be it Elephants in Luxembourg, Gorillas in Norwich or Gromits in Bristol.
Managed the Big Easter-Egg Hunt, and visited the elephants in Watford. Future trips are planned, including Dolphins in Aberdeen in 2014.

9) Shift stuff on e-bay
No progress, but now have a good reason to. Finance!


10) Whilst unemployed get out more, not happened since the miserable weather set in.
Major improvement. Been out every weekend for the last two months Feels really good. And visiting Bristol this weekend. Yay.

11) Whilst unemployed, take up a part-time volunteer post.
Volunteered for my local AgeUK, but not really progressing the way I'd like. Not really fulfilling my needs.

12) Be bolder with my camera.
Taking more photos on the manual setting is slowly progressing. Just need a mentor now.

13) Accept help when it is offered, rather than being so independent.
Still ongoing, but getting better.

So, ten out of thirteen-ish?

Still leaves three to go, and eight to improve on...



MMF

I've been eating home-made soup this week, which reminded me of the challenge. And it's got to that stage of the year where the challenges I haven't done are likely to stay undone: I would have to eat soup every day until the end of the year to reach the 52 bowl target I set myself. But, on the plus side, I have now sussed *organising* home-made soup. The trick is to have lots of chicken stock in the freezer (which I usually do have), *and* to cook extra veg with the Sunday roast. I then just have to mix up the leftover veg with the chicken stock and heat it up. This is lots simpler than preparing and cooking veg during the week.

Didn't keep a list of books read. I read too quickly. But I've just signed up to Goodreads, so updating that will sort this one.

Have sort of kept up to date with the accounts but frankly it's so depressing that I've not wanted to spend time on it every week. Every month though.

Singing away in choir most weeks

Ooh, completely forgot about the embroidery. Yes, well, Christmas is coming.

Mirror ... yeah. Maybe not.

Um, painted *some* woodwork. Not *all* of it. But more of the woodwork is newly-painted that than this time last year, so I think that counts as a result.

Birthday cards instead of Christmas cards. I didn't think this one through. There were only about a dozen people that I could do this substitution for. So I'll be starting on writing my Christmas cards this weekend.

Works of art. Well, I had one lovely summer afternoon of drawing and painting ... but not 52.

Write 52 blogs. Can't write when I'm depressed. Deferred to next year.

2" off the waist. Need to go measure.

Kitchen sink. Yup. Although it hasn't had the effect I'd hoped for - the rest of the family are still just as happy to live with scuz.

12 walks. No. Now, if only I'd put 'clock up 1,200 miles taxi-ing my children to sporting and social events', I'd have been well in.

So ... not an unbridled success. I think next year's reading challenge will be much easier. But I have done lots of *other* things that weren't on this list. And it's been a year of obstacles for lots of reasons. All in all I shall be glad to move on.

Mol

I'm off to do one of mine this weekend - cross the Peace Bridge in Derry!

Crossed the Peace Bridge, along with thousands of others during the Lumiere festival.

And it was just stunning - one of my stand out moments of the whole year. The bridge is amazing, a sinuous triumph of art and architecture symbolising the winding road to peace, connecting the two increasingly seprated parts of the city, and affording superb views up and down river.

My home town was looking drop dead gorgeous, the lights of various installations, including a quote from Teenage Kicks, reflected in the calm waters of the Foyle.

I think I'm pretty content with my performance agaisnt the 13 tasks. Not sure I'll do 14 for 14, but I'm already thinking about what achievements and adventures I'd like to plan for next year.

One of mine was to 'Actually sort out the vast number of boxes of bits and bobs in the roof - and THROW SOME THINGS AWAY.'
Yesterday I went into the loft with an extension lead and got the record player working. So although I didn't really sort anything out, I can now listen to music when I'm up there. This, I feel, is a massive step forward.

<BB<

It's all in the planning and preparation ...

Mol

On that note perhaps I can encourage someone to begin setting up
a new thread for 2014. While I did not participate this year - and
would be hard pressed to list 14 things I need to do for 2014 - I
became a devoted lurker all year and been both amused and
impressed by the efforts I've seen reported.

It's never to early to start the new thread and get people thinking
ahead of the curve.


~jwf~