How good was 2013 to you

[* ORM *]

Not too shabby a year. Job up and down but on the whole up. Two short holiday breaks in Thailand. A week in Devon in the height of the great British summer in July. Plenty of work trips around Asia. Wife spent two weeks out in HK in October (with a few days in Thailand). Gold card on Starbucks ha ha.

Next year will be tougher. Son will be 18 and daughter 16 and I'm trying to juggle work to make sure I'm back for both of them but I can't guarantee it. Including this current visit back that will have been four times this year back in UK. Next year may only be twice.

 

[Mad Cyril]

Moved house and have left twelve hour a day job to go contracting with significant increases in free time and earnings.

 

[Napster]

It's been a ****** year. :sad:

 

[South Bank Hank]

I've just realised I'm having a mid-life crisis!

This year I turned 40... so went Skiing for the first time, bought my first dog, went to South America for the first time, competed in a first ever Triathlon in Barcelona (having not swum in nearly 20 years), played my first gig in 15 years (a charity gig with workmates and we're now playing the Christmas Party in London this Thursday!) and hit the studio to record a song that I'm pitching to Pinewood for the next James Bond movie.

My Dad also beat Cancer this year so it's been quite a time all in all!

:omg:

 

[Napster]

I've just realised I'm having a mid-life crisis!

This year I turned 40... so went Skiing for the first time, bought my first dog, went to South America for the first time, competed in a first ever Triathlon in Barcelona (having not swum in nearly 20 years), played my first gig in 15 years (a charity gig with workmates and we're now playing the Christmas Party in London this Thursday!) and hit the studio to record a song that I'm pitching to Pinewood for the next James Bond movie.

My Dad also beat Cancer this year so it's been quite a time all in all!

:omg:

Excellent stuff!

 

[Blue_Wes]

Been a pretty poor year despite starting well, promotion and trips to Stockholm and Rome followed by a split early in the year, that was the right thing to do relationship wise, left me in a heap of **** money wise. That situation has improved, as alongside finding somewhere new (and nicer) to live, it has been a hard lesson..

However, myself and family have endured quite a lot of illness over the year; some quite serious. However, on the plus, every one of the tough buggers have pulled through and are as strong as ever or recovering well.

A result of illness, being finanacilly stitched by the ex and moving into the new home has meant less Southend this year, but it's the first time in 20 years i've been remiss in my attendence, so I've forgiven myself that.

I've been at odds with someone I shouldn't have been lately, and that's been testing. And then as I was getting on top of everything, the tax office sent a nasty nasty surprise my way.

Then things got really bad. A couple of days ago I bought a Bounty out of the vending machine, only for it to get stuck. Went back twenty minutes later, and some bugger had nicked it and the one behind. *******.

 

[Napster]

Been a pretty poor year despite starting well, promotion and trips to Stockholm and Rome followed by a split early in the year, that was the right thing to do relationship wise, left me in a heap of **** money wise. That situation has improved, as alongside finding somewhere new (and nicer) to live, it has been a hard lesson..

However, myself and family have endured quite a lot of illness over the year; some quite serious. However, on the plus, every one of the tough buggers have pulled through and are as strong as ever or recovering well.

A result of illness, being finanacilly stitched by the ex and moving into the new home has meant less Southend this year, but it's the first time in 20 years i've been remiss in my attendence, so I've forgiven myself that.

I've been at odds with someone I shouldn't have been lately, and that's been testing. And then as I was getting on top of everything, the tax office sent a nasty nasty surprise my way.

Then things got really bad. A couple of days ago I bought a Bounty out of the vending machine, only for it to get stuck. Went back twenty minutes later, and some bugger had nicked it and the one behind. *******.

You have given me the first genuine laugh I have had for a few days. Thanks.

(Obviously in relation to the last line. x)

 

[Napster]

Highlights: Having my daughter legally adopted
Getting a payrise in June
Seeing the mighty Shrimpers at Wembley with the family

Lowlights: Getting anterior uveitis again, worse than last time
Losing job thanks to change in business direction
Car starting to pack up

There is more but I won't say on here. I hope to come to a game in the new year. :thumbsup:

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

I cant belive you got rid of your daughter,times may be hard but come on.

 

[Napster]

I cant belive you got rid of your daughter,times may be hard but come on.

ba doom tish. take my wife. no, seriously.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

ba doom tish. take my wife. no, seriously.

Oh come on you lined that one up so nicely,well done and congrats.

 

[Napster]

Oh come on you lined that one up so nicely,well done and congrats.

ha! many thanks.

:smile:

 

[MrB]

2013 was an intentionally dull year after the fun of the previous 2 years training for and then doing my big walk. Bit of an eventful end with my appendix coming out and then breaking up with the girlfriend.

Work is in transition, my company is going through a major change and a there's a lot of restructuring and redundancies going on. Ok so far and in fact I've started working from home once a week which is a very nice change (especially as my boss encourages me to just 'be available' rather than do a full day).

2014 is all about fitness and paying as much off the mortgage as possible. Both much easier without the distractions of women! Hoping to be mortgage free by 45 so 6.5 years, if things go well it could be sooner.

 

[Berrichonne shrimper]

ha! many thanks.

:smile:

Just out of interest how long has she been in your family?

 

[Napster]

Just out of interest how long has she been in your family?

since I met my wife, so 8 years or so. Just made it formal.

 

[yogi bear up the cagire]

2013, another year nearly done and dusted, which at my age starts to become an achievement in itself..........actually quite a fete to remember what happened! Couldn't be worse than the second-half of 2012, when my wife lost both her parents and had to undergo a serious operation.
Business has been crap, makes you wonder why I continue........it's certainly not for the money! There again lost two months salary because of flu in February and a return to England at the start of April and when I was in Toulouse, trying to work, it rained virtually every month (rare).
No major projects realised but did get away quite a bit. Three return trips to England (haven't managed that for quite a while) Wembley was about the ambiance of the day, the build up around the stadium and the experience of being alongside more than 30K supporters.........definitely worth a months salary! As far as football was concerned my away trips to Chesterfield (August) and Portsmouth, were both memorable and enjoyable experiences.......the magical mystery tour on SZ coach3 will live long in the memory.
Stays in a seafront hotel in storm swept Peniscola, the peacefulness of the French Basque country and a hôtel swimming pool to ourselves, as well as the foodie paradise of San Sebastian were all marked with excellent meals, as was a visit to Brighton Kemptown.
Strangely, one other remarkable event was a visit to the dentists in February and an introduction to the new incredible world of advanced dental technology. The wonder of having part of my tooth replaced, the shape left being scanned by the computer and feeding information to a machine in another room which was honing the replacement piece to the exact form and even then tinting it to match the teeth alongside it. We really are in another Century!