How's Your Year Been? (2024)

Buckley

Well-Known Member
How's it been? Indulge me again, as per last year:


I'll add to my review of my year and edit as when I have time, but highlights/lowlights are:

Highs:

Hiking with @stivi in Ibiza :cool:
Cliff jumping with my kids in Jamaica
Finally taking the kids to Ireland, if only Dublin, not my folks origins of Galway and Limerick
Rugby - my youngest is a demon in the tackle, he does not care how big the opponent is, they are going down. And our first ever rugby tour!
Running - half marathon completed in my Mum's birthplace, Connemara. My first ever organised run and a weekend I'll remember forever.

Tories out. Of course, the new Government us far from perfect, and whether anyone can repair the level of damage inflicted over 14 years, remains to be seen. But at least there's a chance now.

Lows:

Youngest getting thrown out of 'decent' private school. We're pretty privileged in a number of ways, but seeing a change of headmaster resulting in 100% discrimination against my very bright boy, with only a tick-box allowance for his ADHD, makes me realise just how hard others might have it.

Dad's Parkinson's is getting worse, the meds have held if off for the best part of 7 years. We continue the fight, appears his excruciating knee pain is all referred from hip so replacement op due next year.

Need to offload my other house, and the tenants left it in right state. Entirely the wrong time of year to be selling, but once they were willing to go early, I needed to move on it. Gutted to lose it, the plan was it would be a passive income for my eldest if he can't work and/or live independently, and there's a lot of memories bound up in there. From my wild 20s, to the kids first home, that is really where it all began.
 
Last edited:
How's it been? Indulge me again, as per last year:


I'll add to my review of my year and edit as when I have time, but highlights/lowlights are:

Highs:

Hiking with @stivi in Ibiza :cool:
Cliff jumping with my kids in Jamaica
Finally taking the kids to Ireland, if only Dublin, not my folks origins of Galway and Limerick
Rugby - my youngest is a demon in the tackle, he does not care how big the opponent is, they are going down. And our first ever rugby tour!
Running - half marathon completed in my Mum's birthplace, Connemara. My first ever organised run and a weekend I'll remember forever.

Lows:

Youngest getting thrown out of 'decent' private school. We're pretty privileged in a number of ways, but seeing a change of headmaster resulting in 100% discrimination against my very bright boy, with only a tick-box allowance for his ADHD, makes me realise just how hard others might have it.

Dad's Parkinson's is getting worse, the meds have held if off for the best part of 7 years. We continue the fight, appears his excruciating knee pain is all referred from hip so replacement op due next year.

Need to offload my other house, and the tenants left it in right state. Entirely the wrong time of year to be selling, but once they were willing to go early, I needed to move on it. Gutted to lose it, the plan was it would be a passive income for my eldest if he can't work and/or live independently, and there's a lot of memories bound up in there. From my wild 20s, to the kids first home, that is really where it all began.
It's a journey reading about your life Buckley, can feel weekly how much the family put into being a supportive unit. A number of barrier but lots of love and fun 💙
 
it's always hard to know how to approach these threads. How serious to be? How to strike the right tone? How to read the room? But here goes:

2024: the good stuff

ok so 2024 was the year I got my head out my arse, got back to work, tried different positive mindsets (no easy feat when you're a natural cynic), got into cycling, improved my Spanish and Catalan, appeared on radio and in interviews, immersed myself into local life more than ever, restaurants, exhibitions, gigs, excursions... How we laughed at the woman upstairs and her creaky bed, or the Dia supermarket opposite getting some of the worst ratings on google, or the surreal BBQs we went to out of town with mariachi singers and wild boar. I really enjoyed writing and did it for the love not money or kudos. I guess that is my attitude to life too. Appreciated some fantastic music and went on some brilliant trips to the Pyrenees, Andalucia, Valencia, Costa Brava and of course Ibiza (where Mercury Rising surely ranks amongst the best nights I've ever had).

I read loads of wonderful essays on Substack (and other sites like Test Pressing and BanBanTonTon) and occasionally people made me smile on this forum too. You read something like Amigo's food review or Stivi's hiking endeavours or Jimmiz's weather reports and it reaffirms your belief in humanity, that despite all the encroaching soullessness there are still passionate people around. I felt that this side of the water too. Some of my friends here are brilliant people with good hearts who have helped us so much. My missus finally got her residency and we both finished the year in good health (despite the dark annual cholesterol warnings). Enjoyed reconnecting with old pals and making new ones. Spain as a whole is still a fantastic country to live in, with great food, friendly people and endless moments that really lift each week. It can get you down at times, but much like the weather it's never bleak for long.

2024: the not so good stuff

No matter how hard you try it is hard to disconnect from reality, bureaucracy, news.... My missus is not much of a news junkie and she stresses about more immediate things and probably has a better overall attitude but I struggle. If you're somebody prone to anxiety you can't help it. It just feels like the world is going to shit and will get worse. Idiots winning and the greedy cuntocracy that drives climate change and migration displacement seemingly immune to reason, knowledge or an actual conscience. And the real-world consequences are being felt in Africa, the Middle East, Antarctica and yes Europe too. And then you read the braindead apologists (yes even on this very website, yes SOME OF YOU) and want to headbang a wall.

It goes beyond politics though. Maybe there's a certain melancholy on the cusp of your fifties. It's different for everyone I guess. We all face different pressures. Stress is a very personal thing and I've not yet worked out how to deal with it. The old solution: Anaesthetising yourself with gear every week isn't an option any more. Being around people who have depression is a tough gig for everyone. You don't feel equipped or trained to deal with it. You can only be empathetic. And be loving. My approach to this forum has changed a lot. It's less and less about music and more about middle-aged travel. The reality of it all. We're not young anymore. I can't get impaled jumping railings or passing out on trains or returning to bed on January 3rd. It ain't gonna happen. I do think the forum and middle-aged internet in general still serve a purpose though. There are always new things going on but I guess the world has changed - for better or worse.
 
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