The more it remains the same
Two thousand and ten, a difficult year to categorise. Good? Bad? I think 'not too bad' was my most common answer to 'how are you?' this past year, an answer was probably overly cautious and slightly pessimistic, but roughly accurate as a description of the twelve months almost past. Quite a lot happened, and quite a lot I thought would happen didn't. In 2010 I tried to become truly unemployed, and failed utterly – having finally freed myself of my last foolishly-felt commitment to the job I'd left over a year previously, and finally finished in the course of an entire year the 7 and a half days of work I'd been contracted to do for a second job, I then accepted another job a whole day after sending my goodbye, I'm really leaving, this will be my last meeting, I'm out of here email to that second job. So an evening of truly unemployed freedom enjoyed there. I'm grateful that I've had work, and interesting and worthwhile work at that, in this time of recession and budgetary gloom, but I worked hard for quite a lot of years and was looking forward to not having to work for at least a short time, as well as feeling it would be of inordinate help in increasing my own happiness, and now I intend not to work for as long as it is possible and feels worth doing, starting in January. In this past year I planned to travel, and did quite a bit but not as I vaguely thought I would – twice for work, once for politics, twice for family weddings, a little bit purely for fun. I thought I'd improve my health and tried quite hard to do so but my health was worse at times during the year than at the start of it and I've unfortunately added some miscellaneous albeit temporary ailments. I stayed living where I was living, in the same apartment in the same city, which was not definitely going to be the case a year ago. I suspect as a result of not working and other changes much will be different in 2011, in and for me, and I'm quite interested to see what will happen.
So what did the year look like? Much less do I feel the photographic record illustrates what of significance happened this year, and I also realise I have many photos still to post from the year, but here are some images nonetheless.
The year started and was to end with snow. From a snow ball fight on New Year's Eve, to running across the canal and watching giant flakes flurry in the air a year ago, there was extreme snow this year, and it was fun and frustrating. Here's some of it from January:
And this one taken from underwater, below the ice in the Iveagh Gardens:
In February there was lots of Hyperbolic Crochet – I made my first piece, below:
And some were exhibited with many pieces of much more amazing work as part of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Science Gallery, later in the year:
In March I went to Loughcrew at dawn for the equinox, a good time and place, though the photos don't do it justice:
April was a sunset from a friend's house in Rathmines, to which later we had sadly to say goodbye:
And a trip to The Village in Cloughjordan, to visit some interesting eco-houses and a very inspiring attempt at creating a more sustainable community:
May was a trip to London for some political excitement, though no-one quite advanced past the finish line of Big Ben's election projection that evening:
Also some slightly sinister phone boxes:
That was followed by some wandering around France, culminating in Carcassonne, where a game was played:
June was being underwater in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo:
And also above water, camping in this tent:
It was also, significantly, returning to Glastonbury for it's 40th birthday having first gone there 15 years ago. We're all getting to be middle-aged now:
July was recreating photos taken by family members years ago in Israel, among the great strangenesses of being there:
August included a rapid trip to Berlin, and some sound recordings at Teufelsberg:
September was working, including working in New York:
And more importantly, not working in New Haven:
October there was quite a bit about graffiti, like much of the year. Not least this Maser and Damien Dempsey exhibition in Smithfield:
November was people finally getting out at the streets to protest how this financial 'crisis' is being handled by the government. It looked to me like there were about 80,000 people there, official estimates ranged from 50,000 to 120,000. Saying, in some way, there has to be a better, fairer way, or at least a different way:
And December was back to snow, ice and temperatures of minus 12 Celsius:
But there was still Christmas cheese to finish the year properly:
More and different types than last year, and already shared with many friends, who without doubt were one of the best and most important permanent features of 2010, and one I very much hope won't change.
So what did the year look like? Much less do I feel the photographic record illustrates what of significance happened this year, and I also realise I have many photos still to post from the year, but here are some images nonetheless.
The year started and was to end with snow. From a snow ball fight on New Year's Eve, to running across the canal and watching giant flakes flurry in the air a year ago, there was extreme snow this year, and it was fun and frustrating. Here's some of it from January:
And this one taken from underwater, below the ice in the Iveagh Gardens:
In February there was lots of Hyperbolic Crochet – I made my first piece, below:
And some were exhibited with many pieces of much more amazing work as part of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef at the Science Gallery, later in the year:
In March I went to Loughcrew at dawn for the equinox, a good time and place, though the photos don't do it justice:
April was a sunset from a friend's house in Rathmines, to which later we had sadly to say goodbye:
And a trip to The Village in Cloughjordan, to visit some interesting eco-houses and a very inspiring attempt at creating a more sustainable community:
May was a trip to London for some political excitement, though no-one quite advanced past the finish line of Big Ben's election projection that evening:
Also some slightly sinister phone boxes:
That was followed by some wandering around France, culminating in Carcassonne, where a game was played:
June was being underwater in Mullaghmore, Co. Sligo:
And also above water, camping in this tent:
It was also, significantly, returning to Glastonbury for it's 40th birthday having first gone there 15 years ago. We're all getting to be middle-aged now:
July was recreating photos taken by family members years ago in Israel, among the great strangenesses of being there:
August included a rapid trip to Berlin, and some sound recordings at Teufelsberg:
September was working, including working in New York:
And more importantly, not working in New Haven:
October there was quite a bit about graffiti, like much of the year. Not least this Maser and Damien Dempsey exhibition in Smithfield:
November was people finally getting out at the streets to protest how this financial 'crisis' is being handled by the government. It looked to me like there were about 80,000 people there, official estimates ranged from 50,000 to 120,000. Saying, in some way, there has to be a better, fairer way, or at least a different way:
And December was back to snow, ice and temperatures of minus 12 Celsius:
But there was still Christmas cheese to finish the year properly:
More and different types than last year, and already shared with many friends, who without doubt were one of the best and most important permanent features of 2010, and one I very much hope won't change.
posted by lusciousblopster at 20:20
2 Comments:
Here's to more cheese in 2011.
G man
Great photos - its always amazing to see the same events recorded through someone else's eyes, it gives a whole different perspective to the idea of one's place in space and time.
Funnily enough you seem to have been at more cheese-related events throughout the year than I was...
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