[Jim Bon Jovi]

Oi oi I usually pop one of these up near the close of business for the year and since I've got some down town combined with lovely free venue internet at tonight's gig I thought I'd get it done

2014's been pretty sweet.

The good stuff:

This time last year I'd just moved into my new house so everything was up in the air - didn't have a spot of tinsel in the house never mind a tree or anything.

The DJ business has gone from strength to strength and next year is looking just as good if not better.

Teaching wise I've been all over the place doing all sorts of jobs (thank you SNP education policies) but int he past couple of weeks I've just started a new job teaching a handful of autistic kids in one of the best state schools int he country. It's going to be a big challenge and at this point in time its only contracted up to the Summer but there's a good scope for it being extended or dare I say made permanent as the unit grows.

Had some really nice holidays and I recently booked up to go to Iceland next October which has been on my bucket list for years

My nephew is nearly 3 so he's at that cool little point where he can have little conversations with you and as he's the first kid we've had in the family since I was small it's really cool to watch him grow - he's a total dude. Got the potential to be almost as cool as his uncle Jim in years to come.

Been to plenty of good gigs too.

We're still part of the Union. I got pretty heavily involved in campaigning for the Better Together team in the run up to the referendum and although it cost me a few friendships, I endured a lot of abuse, physical and even a thinly veiled death threat I did what I felt was right and if nothing else, I used my voice which is more than can be said for a lot of people that were involved in the debate. I just hope this is the end of it and people accept and respect that we are stronger as a unified state rather than separate but time will tell.

Oh yeah and I turned 30

The not so good:

I ended up in a horrible job at the start of term. Can't say too much about it but I basically got shafted into a position I shouldn't have been in and it was making me ill so I had to quit. Worrying couple of weeks with no dough coming in but the good will out and I was back on my feet in no time - I have no clue what sort of state I'd have been in mentally just now if I'd stayed there.

A senior pupil at the last school I was in hit my car and then drove off as I came out of work one day. I was more than happy to keep it civil and let us deal with it on our own (despite the fact she'd committed a crime by dong a runner and me having to chase after to get her details) but she's got absoltely no inclination to take any interest in what's going on with it and as her parents who the buck has been passed on to were starting to be unreasonable and belligerent about the matter I just unleashed the insurance hounds on her. I still don't think she realises the enormity of what this means for her but needless to say it will sink in when her insurance is too expensive to drive her fancy little car next year.



Hopes for next year:

That I manage to find something a bit more stable teaching wise. Before this new job I'd started looking abroad again and been offered a few interviews but it's doing it more out of necessity rather than desire and given my past expat experiences I'd rather just stay put and eck out a living here.

Aside from that the usual health, happiness and serenity for me and my nearest and dearest.

I hope it's been good for you all too.

[rocknation]

Like a dog who's been kicked in the head.

[Captain Walrus]

Well, I got married on Halloween, which was one of the best days of my life, and had a fantastic honeymoon in Barcelona and Madrid for 12 nights, so the end of the year was great!

Prior to that was pretty good too, lots of it was taken up with wedding planning of course, but I did find time to go to a number of gigs and shows (Frank Turner, Circus Of Horrors, Jeff Dunham, Nine Inch Nails, and my new favourite gig of all time: Pearl Jam at Milton Keynes Bowl), and three seperate stag nights in Canterbury (where I went to Uni), Brighton and London.

Nothing massively negative has happened either, the endless rain at the beginning of the year was a bit of a downer (local flooding and transport disruption wasn't much fun), and only getting to see my wife for ten or so hours in an average week (she's a chef and works most evenings and all weekend) is a bit rubbish too. But I suppose that the bad weather and missing my wife makes the times of sunshine and spending time with my wife that much better.

So overall, I'm pretty happy! Hopefully over the next year my wife and I will both learn to drive, and I will finish the novel I have been writing for the last 18 months. Then I'll be trying to get it published, and we'll see how everything goes from there!

[faith1985]

My year was really great and quite exciting. I moved from the north to the south for a job and settled in pretty well. I like my job and love my colleagues. The work was quite challenging but interesting.
I also did a bit of volunteer work and do some private teaching for children.
I had a wonderful vacation in September and I am in love.

Highlights:

- My new job
- My best friends' wedding
- My vacation to the US
- My volunteer work
- Living in Leipzig for 3 months
- Finding new friends and keeping in touch with old friends
- My parents retiring and finding a nice place to stay
- Working with young children
- Realising that somebody remembered something (Someone who is not my close friend) and asked about it.

Lowlights:

- My cat ran away from her 'foster' home
- Two of my closest friends lost their dads.

I can say that I have never been happier in my life and I am very grateful for that.