on turning 28

My sister-in-law, Lisa, has a tradition that's not entirely without merit: Every new year's eve, she catalogues her year for whoever she's with, and then encourages them to do the same. I think I got about 30 seconds into this exercise before I was overtaken with a wave of misery, and had to go running into the darkness below Primose Hill, weeping.

But Lisa noted, and I think she's right, that when you tally up your list of achievements and setbacks over the year, they usually balance up, more or less. I think life's like that. We reset our happiness bar constantly so that things remain about half-and-half.

So, I turned 28 today (New Zealand, I might add, turned 165 today, so I'm not that old, considering), and on the whole, my 27th year was very much a case in point of the ying matching the yang. For all bad things, there was a good thing- and vice versa.

• I was suddenly and unexpectedly fired from my job in November ... but as a result of that I have a much more interesting job, for better pay, in a better location.
• I left a large room in a fairly nice flat in Brixton ... and now have a smaller room, for more rent, in a much cooler flat on the Thames.
• I didn't do as much travelling as I'd originally planned to ... but I did go to Barcelona (twice!) and spent ten days skiing in France.
• I fell very much in love with an intelligent, sexy, beautiful and funny woman, and had an incredible time with her ... and I would have done anything to hold on to her ... and I think she wanted to love me, and tried to ... but didn't, in the end, and we ended, and it ended ugly, and I lost my closest friend with neck-breaking speed, and it still concusses me to think about.
• My dad left my mum, and ah....well, there hasn't been a 'good side' to that one just yet, but I'm alive, I'm healthy, I have a roof and food and friends and complete and utter freedom to do anything I want to (even if I don't have the faintest idea about what I actually want to do), so it all balances out, somehow.

• Get out of London at least once a month.


• Update this blog thing once a day.


• Spend at least part of my summer in Croatia (this has been a resolution three years running, so it's about due)


• Go roller-blading in Barcelona.


• Go to the gym at least four times a week (blading counts as one).


• Never, ever watch TV by myself.


• Never, ever drink on school nights. Except maybe Thursdays. No, not even Thursdays. Oh, okay maybe sometimes on Thursdays.


• Create a short film and submit it to the UpOverDownUnder film festival.


• Finish at least one chapter of The Trusted Professions every month.


• Play a live gig, with an audience.

Happy birthday.

d