New Year’s resolutions 2014: end of year review

Let’s review how I did on my 2014 New Year’s resolutions.

1. Read and see six Shakespeare plays.

Status: passed.

The six were:

Overall, it’s been an incredibly enjoyable and rewarding experience. I’ve learned a lot, not just about these particular plays, but all kinds of interconnections between them and other drama and narratives, about Shakespeare in general, and the English language itself. The verb ‘to hent’ (to grasp something, especially a fence in the act of jumping over it) has instantly found a place on my shortlist of favourite words. It was my first experience of every theatre I went to, and of the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival. I especially love Shakespeare’s Globe, and the atmosphere in the crowd. At an excellent performance of Much Ado About Nothing (which is now probably my favourite Shakespeare play), the audience was completely rapt, and their reaction both to the comedy and the romance was wonderful.

I enjoyed this resolution so much, I’m going to repeat it in 2015.

2. Avoid using Amazon, and support independent book and music shops.

Status: passed.

In 2014, I ordered a total of five things from Amazon. Three of those were through the Marketplace, plus the two I mentioned in the mid-period review, which weren’t available any other way.

On the other hand, I’ve supported independent and secondhand bookshops, and proselytised on their behalf, through word of mouth and online reviews. Here are some of my favourites:

I haven’t bought much music this year, but when I have, it’s been from:

For 2015, this resolution will have its status updated to habit.

3. Repair my ZX Spectrum and complete The Lords of Midnight.

Status: failed.

I never got around to this at all. I will repeat it as a resolution and try to complete it in 2015.

4. Avoid InCaps.

Status: passed and updated to habit.

4 thoughts on “New Year’s resolutions 2014: end of year review

  1. This is awesome. It’s like you’re living in Ultimate IV (or probably any of the other Ultimas, I don’t know them though) and you’ve just found a shrine and meditated a load. You’ve levelled up in a few, become and avatar in a few and in some you have to go off and get a few more Compassion points or something before it’ll work.

  2. *Ultima IV

    Now I have to write an extra line because the comment bit thought a single word was too short to be worthwhile.

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