Rate your year (2009), Erm... rate your year... what more need be said Options

[Smiler]

So, in a potential precurser to an inevitable Rate your Decade thread how about you try rating your year?

I thought this would be easier than the decade seeing as a whole hell of a lot has changed for me in ten years and my memory's aweful so a shorter time span is probably better.

Just give a figure from 1-5 (1=poo, 5=big smileys) on your year overall, perhaps giving a little summary if ya feel like it.

To begin:

Smiler's Year: 4 overall

It'd been shaping out to have been a really crap one this year what with me being made redundant and not having solid work for 7/8 months but overall the positives have outweighed the negative. I got news late last week that one of my interviews hit the right buttons and I'll be starting my new job on the 4th January, so that's nice for Christmas; and of course the lovely FaerieRyn and I got married which was awesome!!!!!

Bit of an up and down one due to the no job finances but overall I think a 4 is good for the optimism aspect into 2010.

Also, How I Met Your Mother has been an odd and uniting highlight

What about you?

[Phyllis]

Hmm, I think mine was about a 3. It was a medium year.

The good:
-Got indefinite leave to remain in the UK. I also became an official resident as of the 1st of November (meaning I've lived here for 3 years), which means that if I decide to go back to school for any reason, I no longer have to pay overseas tuition rates.
-Absolutely tons of writing. I kicked the crap out of NaNoWriMo.

The bad:
-My grandpa was diagnosed with cancer.
-I've kind of fallen back into my old habit of being an anti-social hermit recently. Bad Cand.

The indifferent:
-I don't have to ask what things are quite so often over here (no thanks to the ridiculous Life in the UK exam, which was just crap), but I feel much more disconnected from my own country. Being an immigrant is weird.

[Mata]

The bad:
I ended a nearly-decade long relationship
Very, very expensive year
I spent a lot of money on a car I didn't really want

The intermediate:
I ended a nearly-decade long relationship
I spent a lot of money on a very cool holiday with a partner who wasn't very adventurous
I started learning to drive

The good:
I ended a nearly-decade long relationship
I spent a lot of money on keeping my hair... And it worked. Yay!
I did have a very cool holiday!
I started writing short stories and discovered that this is a new hobby that I really enjoy, so that's another one for the 'until I die or lose my marbles' list
I've finished working on my second big game project at work, which now gives my CV a very healthy glow
I'm probably fitter now than I was back in January
A new wing chun kung fu club started up in town, so I can train with other people again
... And probably lots of other cool stuff.

Yes, it's a mixed bag, and the end of such a long relationship does cast a long shadow in many spectrums, but overall I think this year has been pretty cool.

[Yannick]

Maybe a 3.5. Roses and Thorns style...?

Rose: New Year's was in Germany, which was fun.
Thorn: Came back to live in my step-dad's house, because my mom moved over the break. I had to go to a new school, which suuuucked, halfway through 8th grade year. All my friends are about an hour away.
Rose: I got the nice room, and Isaac and Sarah were actually alright/fun in the beginning.
Thorn: Then they wouldn't stop stealing my stuff. $300 at first, which their dad paid back. (Sorry, but this dude is an idiot. Your son randomly comes home from school with $300 that he says his friend gave him and you don't make the connection? Wtf bro?) Then my iTouch. Which was returned, quite a time later because again, the dad is a total idiot. Then about $50 and 200 Euro which I never got back. This was after locks were installed on the doors.
Rose: With a combination of things, and the last thing, I finally convinced my mom to move out.
Rose: Everything since then has been great.
Rose: Started HS and it's awesome. Made great friends.
Rose: Get to see my Orlando friends more than I expected I would.
Thorn: Oh, Eli's (best friend's) mom still hates me for various pranks we pulled when we were together and AIM conversations that were intercepted. So refuses to let him hang out with me.
Rose: Which made Sunday's mall trip all the more interesting. We didn't know she was in the mall while we were, so when she called him, we went out of the mall and into the parking lot to avoid her, but saw her leave. We weren't sure it was her, so continued our adventure army style.

[LoLo]

I gave mine a 2 though it is probably more of a 3.

The good:
I quit my job.
I'm in a master's program at a university I've always wanted to go to.
I finally got to see NIN in concert and I didn't even have to pay for the tickets.

The bad:
I quit my job and now my only source of income is student loans.
This master's program has me questioning the integrity of the university I'm going to.
I haven't been able to get a job in my field.
I haven't been able to move out of my mom's house yet and I'm nearly 31.
While I was still working, my boss felt the need to torture me, so the first 6 months of the year were highly stress filled.

[Cath Sparrow]

Definate 2.

Good: My driving Instrutor trainnings going well and it's definatly something I will enjoy doing. Got to go to a couple of good friends weddings and have an awsome time catching up them and other friends. My brother moved out to China.


Bad: My p/t job which was surposed to be keeping me financed whilst I was doing my trainning cut my hours in half back in May. My trainning isn't going as fast as I would like.
Those events mention in my good list, along with a trip to Oxford are the highlights of my year, I've been so lacking cash flow I not been able to afford to do anything else.
No relationship for yet another year. 34 still living at home.
Oh yeh and this years (well probably the last few) has left me with a rather negative thought pattern which I dont particularly like about myself.

Yeh this isn't a happy list for me o I'm going to stop before I completely depress myself.

[CrazyFooIAintGet...]

3/5


- Finished my degree
- Got a job in the area I'm interested in
- Financially independent


- Oh god oh god what do I do now

[Daria]

Where to start...
Negatives: Two hospital stays in different hospitals in January; exams (including some missed); painkillers; depression, anxiety and panic attacks; informed that my chances of having children are little to none; got arrested for something we didn't do (trial to be in February 2010); more exams; hospital stay in July for 4 nights (discharged with a sizeable baggie of opiate derivatives... maybe that's a positive); long distance relationship; short on money the whole way through; still overweight; yet more exams; started to get destructive in relationships thanks to trying to be in control of everything; got fired for the aforementioned arrest...

Positives: My doctor thinks my problems aren't ovarian but instead are gastrointestinal and therefore babbymakin' should be fine; Monty has stuck by me, put up with me, and we are probably closest evs; since getting a flat with a friend instead of living by myself, the amount of anxiety attacks I've had has gone from once or twice a month to once since September; got a new job where I bake and ice cupcakes; made a huge amount of new friends at uni; became the Women And Gender Officer for the student association; met another Matazonian for the first time and had an awesome time; managed to let go and relax about life for a bit and stuff turned out well!; went to Santacon for the first time; finished my first year of uni with 90% in all my biology modules and can now speak a bit of Scottish Gaelic ('s toil leam); started my second year and am really interested by it all; saw a whale!; made a tree and some birds; am happy.

I gave this year a 3. A bit sh*t, could have done better, and yet there is a lot of good in there too. Silver lining, closing doors and opening windows: however you want to put it, it all seems to have worked out. For that, I am very grateful (to what, I've no idea) and only hope that the new year eases up on the hard parts.

[I_am_the_best]

(What a fun idea)

2
Good:
-I have made some very good friends.
-I have become closer with other friends.
-I've been in a better mood on average this year I think.
-A lovely boy!

Bad
-My dad messed up in a big way
-My sister got meningitis. Scary.. oohh!
-My dad needed an operation in his throat, and may well need another
-My sister now needs an operation in her ankle
-My sister and I are being harassed/stalked (anonymous letters, emails, phone calls.. spooky!). I find it quite exciting honestly... but saddening nonetheless, and it would upset my mum a lot/break up the family if she found out.
-I got rejected by both my first and second choice music colleges. Bahhhhhh.
-The one I was accepted to is 2 hours away and I can't afford accommodation next year.
-Failing in school. Damn it...
-Silly teacher at school being very rude to me. Hmph.
-Still have a stammer. How irritating...

So evidently the negatives outweigh the positives. Still, it could have been a lot worse, and I've been very lucky (particularly with my sister making a total recovery). So maybe it should have actually been a 3? Hmmm, I'm unsure.

[ilikecheesepie11]

All in all, in the middle.
Good:
- The girl I like asked me out, and we've been together since june.
- I came out to my parents
- I passed my end of KS3 exams, YES

The Bad:

-I got diagnosed with clinical depression, fun
- Some idiot outed me at school. Meh. :|
- I'm failing my gcses atm. Yay.

all in all, perfectly balanced.

[Sir Psycho Sexy]

Hmmz... Lets see. I'm going to have to do this with Roses and Thorns I think.

Rose: Pretty sweet holiday in Dominican Republic at the start of the year.
Thorn: Would have had more fun being single.
Rose: Ended a relationship that was going pretty stale.
Thorn: Still single.
Rose: I'm okay with that.
Rose: My sister got married.
Rose: Starting training to become and electrician.
Rose: Huge earning potential on the horizon, excitement!
Thorn: It costs £400 a month which has left me with not much disposable income
Thorn: Work has been crap, cutting pay and money on me.
Thorn: Not had much luck looking for work elsewhere. (I'm starting to suspect the hair may have a part to play...)
Rose: Been promoted to Assistant Manager, with extra money!
Rose: I've apparently made a damn good impression with my area manager.
Thorn: It's only temporary.
Rose: I can have fun at work.
Rose: My best friend got out of a bad relationship.
Thorn: And went straight into another one...then lost his job...
Rose: His ex is much nicer now.
Rose: The old man (my Dad) moved back to England, for the time being at least.
Thorn: He's living with my Mum...
Thorn: ...so am I...
Thorn: ...there is friction.
Rose: Bought a new PC.
Thorn: Only just finished paying for it.
Rose: Gonna have a new nephew to play with soon, but that's technically next year.
Thorn: Still single.

Okay, that's getting silly now. Over all, it's been a pretty mediocre year it's had a few nice moments, only a few though. That said, it's also been a year of laying foundations, I'd have to say things are on the up and I'm looking forward to next year and finally bursting out of my little rut. I give 2009 a solid 3. Must try harder.

[gothictheysay]

Oh man I don't know, maybe a 3? Most of the other things in my life this year were overshadowed by the fact I started a great relationship, lived with the person, and then things ended rather sadly after 8 months. On the good side I've been coping with it better than I usually would and did have a lot of fun times with him - went to WorldCon in Canada! and this semester at school has been very stressful and busy but there were lots of fun times too, including a couple new friends who I am already very close to. Still trying to move past my relationship and feel better about things but it's kind of difficult. Oh, and I have a job and some spending money now, which is nice. And we'll have to see what grades are when they are finalized to really judge school

[michael1384]

A two. All the great things that happened this year, my coming out to my friends, going to a great sixth-form college (so much more freedom!) and me meeting some great new people and keeping in touch with old ones were all overshadowed by my grandads' death. My sister was in hospital twice, with two completely seperate issues and finances aren't fantastic right now.

More pettily, I haven't had much luck with finding a partner this year.

Overall, 2009 was bad. It feels like the year was out to get me and I can't wait to bid it good riddance. 2010. Hopefully the next year and the next decade will be better.

EDIT: That two is out of 10 by the way.

[craziness]

I guess a 3.25
I wish I could give it a better rating since nothing horrible happened to me this year, no deaths or major crises happened in my life, but really it wasn't that great.

The bad:
I've barely enjoyed my past 2 semesters in school. During the first one, I mostly hated all of my classes. During the second, I was extremely overloaded with schoolwork and became obscenely stressed out.

I've been dating my boyfriend for a year and a half now, and although we are very close, I think the spark may be dieing, at least for me. Heavy strains on our relationship make me wonder if it's still worth it.

All of the combined emotional stress from my relationship and school together have taken a huge toll on my happiness and mental health.

As a result of overworking myself in school, I gave myself tendonitis in my right wrist. I've had it for 2 months now and it's still far from healed.

The good:
I've finally reached my (physical) fitness goal and I'm very pleased with my appearance and weight. However, I resent the fact that while I have been working so hard to stay in shape, my boyfriend does not exercise or eat right.

I've managed to keep my GPA very high throughout these hellish past 2 semesters.

I really like my on campus job. I get satisfaction from my work (I'm a Spanish tutor) and I have met a lot of new people working there.

I'm lucky enough to have a supportive family and supportive friends who have helped me get through this.

[froggle-rock]

5/5

Why? Because I'm still around to rate it

[Mata]

It's nice to see someone rating their year highly! Thinking about it, I might have changed my mind to a 5/5. I'm leaving the year in a very good place and feel very optimistic about the future.

Come 2010! Bring it on!

[gothictheysay]

Good news! All As and Bs from school

[froggle-rock]

Woot Woot!


TBH when I first read though this thread I though it was absolute non sensible to grade a year of my life. To quantify it. I can't recall everything that happened and my felling about those things, so basing a grade on what I can recollect would just be silly. There was some really good stuff and some really poop stuff, but they stand alone in my life, they don't inherently negate each other or 'balance' each-other out. +1 floating in a tropical see at night counting stars -1 for having to wait for my shaven head to go through the awkward growing out period? It just doesn't make any sense to simplify a year of my life that way.

Though I guess I am- I could think really simply which is what I have done: Dead = 0, Alive = 1.

[Mata]

After a very cool date last night, I'm happy to quantify my year as a 5/5

I know what you mean Froggie, it does seem odd to try and balance out the pros and cons of a year. For me it comes down to how I feel leaving the year compared to how I felt entering it. I had concerns about the future of my relationship, and a few worries about work. The relationship ended and there are new things on the horizon, and work has turned out pretty well. The future is still a place with difficulties and some struggles in it, but it's looking full of possibilities too.

Maybe the year's rating comes down more to how optimistic you feel?

I heard a good strategy for life a while ago: at the end of the day you think over the events and decide what went well and what you could have done better, and you think about how you're going to improve things the next day. You keep on doing this, trying to take responsibility for things that you were responsible for, understanding how you contributed to both your failings and your successes, and in the end you work out ways of living better and getting better results. Maybe rating your year could work a bit like that? It gives a chance for reflection at the end and to think about what you're going to do differently in future.

[Hobbes]

After a very cool date last night, I'm happy to quantify my year as a 5/5

Glad to hear it


Although a terrible cliche, I feel the need to say that 2009 has "flown by". It has been one of my most static years in recent times, for I haven't changed address in over twelve months now (although I'd like to)! I think the year has been one for stabilising myself a little bit. I still have more than a little bit of resentment regarding a previous relationship, financially I am having to keep things a little tight, and I am feeling more and more dissatisfied with my "career".

BUT... this has also been a year for a little bit of self-discovery (with some professional help, admittedly), and for giving myself a chance to regroup somewhat. I've broken my own mould by doing things that are, or were, "out of character", and have set up a few little treats and events for the new year. There is still a great deal to sort out, and quite likely there will be a few hiccups on the horizon, but I think 2010 might well be a good year for me. It is my intention, anyway

As far as rating it? I'm not sure...

I can say for certain that the end of '08 sucked, and dragged its suckiness into the first few months of '09. But it has been getting progressively better. But I can't quantify it yet

[Yannick]

I sort of hate how, even though I've been warned about it for as long as I can remember, the years seem to become shorter and shorter as I age. It's really hard to look forward to things, as awesome as they may be, the way I did when I was little. It also makes events blend together more than I'd like them to, causing my recollection of specific dates to be nearly impossible. =/ One of my biggest fears is not living life fully, so I'm hoping I can learn to avoid this somehow. On the plus side, crappy days fly by too. Doesn't really affect my rating, though.

I'm trying to be excited about 2010, but at the moment it's just meh.

[Hobbes]

I sort of hate how, even though I've been warned about it for as long as I can remember, the years seem to become shorter and shorter as I age.

I have a theory...

*cough*

As a newborn, at the end of your very first day, that day is 100% of your life. It is a massive amount! Your second day on the planet accounts for 50% of your life so far, already halving just how "big" a day is.

By the time you are about five and a half you have lived around 2000 days - so that most recent day is now only 0.05% of your life.

Reach the dizzy age of 26, like me, and you'll have experienced almost 9500 days. The 9500th day will be somewhere in the region of 0.0105% of your life.

So therefore, as you get older, each single day becomes less and less of a "big deal" in regards to your total life so far. So by the time we are hobbling around with walking frames, a day is barely anything in the "grand scheme of things".

...so the years go by quicker.

Get it?

[Yannick]

Yeah. But that doesn't make short days any more appealing.

By your theory, days will seem like minutes soon enough. Eek.

[CrazyFooIAintGet...]

I sort of hate how, even though I've been warned about it for as long as I can remember, the years seem to become shorter and shorter as I age.

I have a theory...

*cough*

As a newborn, at the end of your very first day, that day is 100% of your life. It is a massive amount! Your second day on the planet accounts for 50% of your life so far, already halving just how "big" a day is.

By the time you are about five and a half you have lived around 2000 days - so that most recent day is now only 0.05% of your life.

Reach the dizzy age of 26, like me, and you'll have experienced almost 9500 days. The 9500th day will be somewhere in the region of 0.0105% of your life.

So therefore, as you get older, each single day becomes less and less of a "big deal" in regards to your total life so far. So by the time we are hobbling around with walking frames, a day is barely anything in the "grand scheme of things".

...so the years go by quicker.

Get it?

On the bright side, each day becomes more important than the last if you look at it as a percentage of your remaining life

[Pixelgoth]

5/5

Why? Because I'm still around to rate it

Ya know despite everything I actually thought 5/5 for the same reason but as I'm still not sure what's wrong with me healthwise so I picked 4/5.

Despite a sh*t start to the year after losing my bro, getting dumped, smashing up my car and also my body, moving to a place I didn't like or know anyone, not having a stable job and suffering from depression I decided that ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH! I'm not sure HOW I managed to do it but I have achieved SO much this year. And it took Facebook for me to realise that oddly enough! Their photo collage of my year really made me realise I have so many wonderful friends and have acheived so much with them and by myself.



Rose: my trip round the world, being single and liking (not loving but getting there!) it, making lots of new friends, overcoming fears (of being single and drowning by trying scuba), meeting more new people , playing my violin lots, ending the year with a new job and shrugging off what I thought I needed for a while, enjoying Xmas for the 1st time in a long time and while being single (as you can see it's still a bit of an issue for me ), and generally doing so much with my life in one year

Thorns: the beginning (see above) and my health but I'm trying to be positive about that and enjoying my life. Being miserable about being poorly really doesn't help me enjoy my life and also if it's serious (god forbid!) I want to be enjoying my life however much I have of it...maybe miserable I know but let's face it it we don't know how long we've got so let's enjoy what we have and NOW