Sometimes it is better to have an experience second hand. I follow Graham Linehan on Twitter and a particular favourite is when he retweets something by Jedward. Yesterday he prefaced the tweet with 'Gaze on their works, ye Mighty and despair'. It's perfect because it combines X-Factor with Shelley; just the sort of culture clash I like.
It never seems wise to say what one will do over the coming year because we are all at the mercy of events. If I restrict myself to things that are directly within my control then I plan to read more this year. Commuting from Essex on the Central line was hellish but at least it gave me a chance to read. Once we had moved to London and my commute dropped to half an hour door to door I didn't look at a book again. I didn't even read the Metro because we were so often behind on TV series thanks to Virgin+ that I couldn't run the risk of reading something that gave the game away. So I played games on the iPhone or otherwise looked idylly out of the window as the DLR toy train trundled its way through East London.
I need of course to restart the gym. It was becoming fairly successful towards the end of last year. I decided there was nothing for it but to start doing a lot of cardio. It is absolute tedium. Perhaps I can get some audio books and combine the two goals? Or is an audio book little better than seeing the film - shall I miss too much? Anyway, I need to redouble my efforts in the gym because after all I am now living in a country not known for its restraint in portion sizes. To date I have been enjoying the Buffalo wings but that will have to stop, at least in the quantity.
I resolve to maintain old friendships. I wasn't able to see everyone before I left but of course I will be back and I am expecting some people to make the trip over pretty quickly (note to Sarah - as soon as the X-Factor US dates are announced I expect you to organise your sabatical sharpish and by the way I have already found a shop dedicated to selling macaroons). We have already been able to have a few Skype conversations and Harriet seems to be getting a bit more used to it.
Some people will need to be replaced. Not real people I know but famous people whose work I consume. There were two excellent articles in this Sunday's Observer by Victoria Coren (on Elton and David's baby) and David Mitchell. Alas, there will only be so long we can follow a lot of the British twitterati because they inevitably talk about TV that we can't get. Somehow we need to find their US equivalents and soon.
To our global network of family and friends: a Happy and Healthy 2011. If I'm not up to date with the Booker long-list, US reality TV and finally wearing my Abercrombie & Fitch shirt you can sue me. Hopefully our family will have grown again and we will have nothing you can claim in court except our best wishes for 2012.
