White rabbits (aka very belated 2010 year in review post)

[liv]

I feel really silly doing this in February, but I've looked back on the year every year since 2004, and I don't want to break my run now! 2010 was a year of settling in my new, fantastic job. I'm really learning my craft as a university teacher, and have had a lot of intense experiences, many of them positive. The research part of my job hasn't been as stellar; I'm still really chasing funding, which is a bit depressing. Also settling in the area, and settling in my new house, and settling in (not to say taking over) the local Jewish community. And enjoying being permanently in the UK, taking advantage of the chance to spend a lot more weekends with friends and receive visitors. I actually didn't manage any official 'big' holiday this year (and used up only 2/3 of my alloted leave), as I kept just taking long weekends to see people during the summer.

Significant events:

• I led a seder in Stockholm
• robhu and Gerv got married (not to eachother, pedants!).
• I attended a college reunion
• I gave my first ever talk at a scientific conference, when speaking as a researcher in my own right. It was only 10 minutes, but it went really well, and put me in touch with potentially valuable peers.
• I got engaged to jack.

Books:

• Anne Michaels: The winter vault
• Sean Stewart: Firecracker
• Daniel Abraham: An autumn war
• Alison Bechdel: Fun home
• Michael Chabon: The amazing adventures of Kavalier & Clay

I read only 34 books in 2010, fewer than any year since I started keeping track (I usually average about 50). I think that's largely because I'm spending my commute catching up with DW and LJ on my smartphone rather than reading these days, but also because my commute has become blissfully short! I also don't think I've read anything that absolutely stands out, nothing that ranks with my favourite books ever.

Music:

• Qntal: Dulcis Amor
• VNV Nation: Procession
• Joglaresa: Simeni
• Vienna Teng: Whatever you want
• Levellers: Hope St

Notable posts:

• shreena: Where are you really from?
• skibbley: Bi visibility
• shweta_narayan: Dissimilation
• elusis: TSA screening
• smhwpf: Wikileaks and the Assange rape case

Creative writing:

• americanbeetles: Iridescence (science / humour)
• tallguy: The Facts In The Case Of Dr. Andrew Wakefield ("A fifteen page illustrated story about the MMR vaccination controversy")
• damned_colonial: Fic: Hypothesis (H/W, obedience kink) (Sherlock Holmes slash)
• papersky: Come if you like (poetry)
• rho: One of the reasons I'm a scientist (prose)

My posts:

• Defend to the death your right to say it
• On beauty
• Are you religious?
• [pro-immigration]
• Porn

Wonderful friends

• hatam_soferet
• khalinche
• lethargic_man
• mathcathy
• jack

People I love and wish I'd seen more of:

• hadassah
• rysmiel
• pseudomonas
• doseybat
• darcydodo

People I'm really glad I got to know better:

• simont
• angelofthenorth
• nanaya
• aviva_m
• naath

New to the d-roll:

There are quite a few of these, thanks to the Giant friending meme! I'll list the ones whose posts I most consistently enjoy, anyway.

• holyschist
• oursin
• ajnabieh
• marina
• sassbandit

As ever, please do feel free to reopen discussions from old posts.

Comments

[nanaya]

*blush* Aww, thank you :-)

Likewise, of course.