End of year review

Thanks to Prof. Dr. Molly Steenson for initiating this habit back in 2005.

1. What did you do in 2025 that you’d never done before?
   Acted instead of waiting for things to improve.
2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
   I didn’t make any.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
   A friend in NYC.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
   Yes.
5. What countries/cities did you visit?
   By train: Netherlands (this week)
   By airplane: Montréal (twice), Athens, Venice and Nice (for Betwixmas)
6. What would you like to have in 2026 that you lacked in 2025?
   Less grief, more joy.
7. What date from 2025 will remain etched upon your memory?
   February 13^th.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
   Sticking to yoga weekly and re-introducing jive classes. Also getting prescribed HRT.
9. What was your biggest failure?
   I don’t think it’s a me thing alone, but not being able to find a job hasn’t felt great.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
    I had a short lived breast cancer scare. I’m fine.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
    A lot of Michel Houellebecq.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
    Anyone holding on and advocating for their DEI program at work.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
    The UK Supreme Court and their ridiculous ruling on gender back in April.
14. Where did most of your money go?
    Flights back home for obvious reasons.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
    The end of the year.
16. What song/album will always remind you of 2025?
    They gave me a lamp by Public Service Broadcasting.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
    Much, much sadder.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
    Cycling, saving money.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
    Crying.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
    With my friend J. and his mum.
21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
    J.
22. Did you fall in love in 2025?
    No.
23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
    No, but there are people I don’t count as friends anymore.
24. What was the best book(s) you read?
    The Price of Life and Sérotonine.
25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
    The playlists of Peter Adjaye.
26. What did you want and get?
    To organise the 4^th edition of Papercamp.
27. What did you want and not get?
    A full time job.
28. What were your favourite films of this year?
    Being a Human Person (which I just discovered this year) and Shifty by Adam Curtis
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
    It’s in a couple of weeks and no real plans this year, just going to hang out with J.
30. What’s one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
    For the NHS to get it together and stop fiddling with software.
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2025?
    Trying to lean into the CEO vibe (dress for the job you want, etc).
32. What kept you sane?
    Conversations with friends and hosting.
33. What political issue stirred you the most?
    The way Reform convinced Labour that immigrants were a problem worth leaning into.
34. Who did you miss?
    Dad who died 10 years ago this month.
    M. who died 4 years ago.
    Mum, who died this year.
35. Who was the best new person you met?
    I really enjoyed building deeper connections with recent friends like C. and M. and S. and J. who just graduated and are finding themselves slowly.
36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2025.
    When in doubt, walk it off.
37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

We need to make new symbols
Make new signs
Make a new language
With these we’ll define the world

And start all over

– Tracy Chapman, New Beginning