PigPog

So, there went 2007, and here’s 2008.

It’s been an interesting sort of a year for us. When 2007 arrived, we’d only just moved to Devon, and had sort of theoretically started new jobs, but not quite. In the space of a year, I’ve settled happily into the new job, while Sam’s been through a few of them. We’ve lost a cat, and Sam’s lost a grandmother and eight stone. Her mum had cancer, and then didn’t again.

Speaking of my work, I’ve had a couple of successful projects there – PenFinder and Pencyclopedia, along with enjoying the general day-to-day stuff.

We haven’t finished getting our old house sorted out for selling yet, but we’re getting there. It’s at the stage now where we can get other people to do things, rather than us having to drive over 200 miles each way every time to do a bit more on it. Sam has arranged for some nice house clearance people to visit on Wednesday, meeting her mum there, to quote for emptying it. Then we can have it cleaned, have some repairs done, and get it redecorated. Once all that’s done, hopefully someone will give us some money for it, and we’ll be able to stop throwing away money on rent and mortgage for a house we don’t use any more.

A year ago, I had a little Canon Ixus camera, and Sam had an old Nikon compact. Now, we both have Nikon D40 DSLRs, so we can do a whole lot more photography. I have a 55-200 VR lens, in addition to the kit lens, and a Gorillapod for even more options.

At the start of the year, we’d pretty much given up on the idea of PigPog being anything much more than our personal place on the web, but PigPog hadn’t given up on it yet. We’ve changed that in a few stages over the course of the year, so it’s admitting to being a personal home page now. More catblogging, less attempts at being the world’s number one resource for anything to do with being creative. It’s a step down in a lot of ways, but at least it’s realistic.

Thanks to my parents, we have a new car, which should make exploring Devon more fun. Our old car struggled with some of the hills. Our new Honda CR-V seems to quite enjoy them.

That was 2007 – what about 2008? I don’t really go for resolutions. I’ll probably aim to be less fat than I am at the moment, but I’ve been slowly heading in that direction for a while. Nothing like as fast as Sam is, but I’m happy as long as I keep heading in the right direction. Like almost all bloggers, I’ll plan on blogging a lot more, but I probably won’t actually keep it up. I’ll probably try to get better at actually doing things, rather than just putting them on lists and moving them around. I’d like to spend more time taking photos, and to get better at getting them processed and shared.

In the end, though, I don’t mind too much if things don’t change – I’m enjoying life as it is. My work is fun, Devon is fun, and, most importantly, Sam is fun.

Left – January 2007. Right – December 2007.

This time last year I’d given up on making resolutions to lose weight. I’d pretty much resigned myself to always being obese and figured that’s the way it would be until the inevitable health problems took over and I kicked the bucket. However, as you will no doubt have read from previous entries, that all changed back in April when I joined Slimming World. And it was business as usual tonight – although everybody else was busy with their New Year’s celebrations so I had my Consultant all to myself. The easiest Slimmer of the Week win yet! Mr Scale took some convincing that my impeccable behaviour over the festive season should be worth a weight loss, but on the second go agreed to let me have the pound, which made my total weight loss for 2007…

Eight stone or 112lbs or 50.8kg

This year I am making a New Year’s Resolution to lose weight, but in the knowledge that I am going to achieve it. In 2008 I will reach my target. It will happen. Because I believe in the plan and I believe in me. Bring it on. The journey continues!

2007′s almost over and done with. The year has been quite a ride for me, exactly as the great man once described with a full quota of ups, downs, thrills and chills. It didn’t start terribly well, though. During the last two weeks of February and the first week of March, I lost my job, our eldest cat died, and a couple of weeks later my Grandma died. Unemployment and two deaths in the space of four weeks… at that point 2007 really didn’t hold much promise. But it picked up, so let’s get on with the Awards.

Television Programme of the Year

And the nominations are…

• The Simpsons – still a classic even though I have to rely on YouTube and my DVD collection now.
• QI – Stephen Fry cannot put a foot wrong, and this show is always worth a giggle.
• Top Gear – A no-brainer here. The new Fab Four – Clarkson, Hammond, May and The Stig. Although it’s the only reason we use our TV these days, it hasn’t won.

The winner is…

Life On Mars

Good telly should pull you away from your worries and plant you firmly in another world. The comatose adventures of one DCI Sam Tyler did just that for me. We watched series one over a couple of days back in March, at the time Lucy was slowly drifting away from us, and we knew that the day we part company was approaching. John Simm’s performance as Tyler and Philip Glenister’s fantastic Gene Hunt was the escape I needed. And the soundtrack was excellent – especially the way they timed the ringing phone in the 1973 office spot on with the ringing phone at the end of the song Life on Mars.

>”They reckon you’ve got concussion – I couldn’t give a tart’s furry cup if half your brains are falling out. Don’t ever waltz into my kingdom acting king of the jungle.”

>”Who the hell are you?”

>”Gene Hunt. Your DCI. And it’s 1973. Almost dinner time. I’m ‘aving hoops.”

Music of the Year

No nominations, one outright winner. And it’s a big “No shit, Sherlock” as the Music of the Year award goes to…

Velvet Revolver – Libertad

No, not just because of that top-hatted Les Paul tickler. This is a great album. Tracks like Let It Roll and She Builds Quick Machines have been great companions in the gym and when out walking. The Last Fight has been one of my anthems of the year. A great soundtrack to the year I started my own fight for libertad.

Event of the Year

2007 certainly hasn’t been boring. Nominations for event of the year:

• Manchester Apollo, 11th June 2007 – for five minutes I was close enough to Slash to indulge in a little passive smoking. A brief moment of squeevana, but I wasn’t fit enough at the time to fully enjoy the show.

• St Andrew’s Church Hall, 23rd April 2007 – it was the scariest moment of the year, but walking into that church hall has changed my life completely. And it made the winning event happen.

• St Andrew’s Church Hall, 3rd September 2007 -

Winning Woman of the Year at my Slimming World group. After years of zero self-esteem, this spurred me on to keep going. I’ve lost about another 40lb since then.

People of the Year

• My Mum – for getting through that nasty surgery, for kicking cancer’s arse and for all her help and support this year.

• My adopted sister Annie – for being easily the most unique spirit I’ve ever met. I was fortunate enough to meet her a couple of times this year and I’ve gotta tell you, nobody shines as bright as that star. Really. Love you, you mad, mad woman!

And the winners…

Frankie Pankiewicz, Katrina Barker and every Slimming World member I’ve met this year.

Anybody remotely connected to Slimming World has helped me turn my life around and lose over 100lb in my first year. Thanks to these people I’m heading into a new year feeling more positive than ever. Thank you all. The journey continues!

So, 2007, it’s been nice knowing you. Bring on 2008!