A year lived

So that was 2010. So it's worth having a look back.

Relationships

Amy and I have now been together for seven years and the itch hasn't set in. We niggle and bitch more than we used to, but we're no less happy together and we can't imagine ever not being together. Besides, I niggle and bitch with everyone more than I used to. I'm a grumpy old man at 37.

As far as friends go, some have come and some have gone. We had to say goodbye to our old childminder as our kids were moving schools and unfortunately it was too hard for her to remain friends with us. Friends that were previously just Amy's came into our life and thankfully, some of them stayed and have become people we couldn't do without.

Being analytical, I'd say it's been a net gain in the relationship stakes ;)

Entertainment

It's been a great year for media. We got to see a couple of fantastic bands (Green Day and Biffy Clyro) and there have been some lovely albums released, Jónsi's Go being a standout.

TV has been pretty good. Some shows that had some real promise have been cancelled (SGU and Caprica) and some look like they might stay around (Walking Dead being a particular highlight). Can't help wondering if we're reaching a tipping point with the way that the popularity of shows is gauged, with Sci-fi shows suffering more than most from downloads not reflecting in the ratings.

Movie-wise, we've seen some good blu-rays thanks to Lovefilm - Moon being a surprise highlight. We also got to see Inception, which I'd honestly put down as one of the films of the decade.

It's been a good year for games, too - especially if you're an RPG fan like myself. We started the year with Dragonage Origins and Mass Effect 2. Two RPGs that contrasted the old style with the new and were both fantastic in their own way. Mass Effect 2 took RPGs to a cinematic level that I hadn't seen before. We ended with Fallout New Vegas, which managed to make subtle changes to the mechanics of Fallout 3 that had a significant effect on the game. Despite it's detractors (some people seemed to be playing a much more buggy game than I was), I still think it's pretty brilliant. The gaming year for me was topped off with Gran Turismo 5, which is the RPG version of a racing game. It's everything I hoped it could be in a racer. There are few gaming feelings better than slotting a couple of corners together properly.

Technology

Given our new sensible approach to spending, it's been a year of saving up for toys and it's been very satisfying. I've become increasing dependent on my iPod and have found a love for all that comes out of Smodcastle. My iPod has been a bit glitchy, which seems to be more to do with my library than the hardware itself and it still has a habit of crashing immediately after being synced and ejected.

The PS3 in March was a great buy, despite only buying my first game for it in December. It's simply a great media player and has finally got me buying movies again.

My new Amp is now nicely settled in, thanks in part to yamaha support who were very helpful. There are still a couple of improvements to make, but things are looking and sounding great right now.

All in all it was a lovely year.

We ended the year in a better position than we started. We're financially a little more comfortable and we're a bit more competent at most of the things that we do. I think this has required a bit of an adjustment from people as we were struggling a lot not so long ago. Perhaps our lack of dependence on others and our increased self-reliance is part of the reason that some of our relationships with others have been a little turbulent.

I hope that those who are still in our lives realise that if you're here now, it's because we want you to be.