2009: Win

...Just finished reading 2008. Why did I big that up so much? I could top 2008 with my hands tied! I laugh at 2008! Here's what happened in 2009:

2009 Travel Map:

	Swansea: Kift's birthday party!
	Bristol/Cardiff: home(s)—including my super-cool new flat!
	Longleat: Centre Parcs holiday!
	Southampton/Poole: Visit to Lucy's parents and Splashdown water park!
	Birmingham: January road trip with Speed & Hobday! Including a trip to Cadbury's World!
	London: Group of friends trip to see Brand New gig
	Tignes: Amazing ski holiday!

Gigs:

• Twin Atlantic, Flood of Red (met them), Me My Head—Amazing. I felt a world away here.
• Flood of Red (met the band)
• Feeder at the Summer Ball
• Brand New in London
• Taking Back Sunday/Twin Atlantic
• Biffy Clyro (for the 5th time!)
• Tommy & The Weeks comedy gig, did I tell you about this?! Tommy threw a manky orange into the crowed and it landed on Lucy's lap! (With a scream!)
• Monsters of Folk—Incredible 3 hour set of pure talent

Highlights:

• Finishing my degree! Hooray for no more exams!
• Getting a cool summer job
• Getting on the PhD course
• Getting a lovely flat in Cardiff Bay
• Having an amazing girlfriend for almost a year!
• A second visit from my bestest eFriend: Sarah Maree
• Great parties, including my 21st, the Summer Ball, silent discos and my graduation
• Pretty fun volunteering trips

Lowlights:

Just one: hideous, nasty anxiety/stress! I got a little crazy coming to the end of my degree, with coursework, exams, job interviews, first girlfriend, being good enough for a PhD, finding a place to live. Did I mention panic attacks and spending days ill in bed? Reading my 2009 blog posts reminds me of how horrible it was. I sound so burned-out in them all! So glad I'm all fixed now, I don't think I'll ever have that problem again.

So 2009 was a brilliant year, so much so that it's got me worried about next year! 2010 will be a total downer compared to 2009, right? Well, not if I can help it. I've got a few little plans to make sure:

2010 Aims:

• Get into a good band an actually play some gigs!
• Get back into lucid dreaming, meditation, psychology, painting—I miss that stuff!
• Step-foot out of Europe, for once. 

2009: what a good time! See you again next year!