2022 - A Year in Review

 Hello!  I'm still here.  It's just been very busy this past month or so.  It was Christmas time, so it's best to expect delays on the blog around then from now on, I think.

Today I will be briefly going over something I would normally do on my private page on Facebook - my annual review of the year we just had.  I've been doing a review of years (and decades) for some time now, but recently decided to bring it more into the public eye instead of just among my friends.

So, 2022.  What can I say about it?  Before I go into detail for each month, I will state that there was a chunk of it that was kind of a blur.  This has happened in previous reviews, and the best way to explain these blurry moments is that those particular times were most likely to be rather forgettable...because I did forget.  Whatever happened in those moments, it must've been "meh".

 Let's get into it then...

JANUARY

The only thing I recall, really, was my youngest niece turned 18 this year.  Apart from that, I don't remember much else.

FEBRUARY

Still a bit of a blur.  I know that restrictions due to the pandemic were still a thing in NZ around this time, so maybe this contributed to my "meh" days this year?

MARCH

Who knows?

APRIL

I turned 41 this year, but before that I had the most entertaining April Fool's Day online.  The pranks and fake posts on Facebook were so good, I ended up doing a blog entry for it (you can find it under my April listings for 2022 on the right side of this page).  I can tell you now, if it happens again in 2023, there will probably be another blog on this topic.

MAY

My old high school, Linwood College, was rebuilt and reopened as Te Aratai College, and I attended their Open Day to see the new facilities.  This is also a good time for me to mention that prior to this event, I had been working on a website for the school to showcase their photo archive.  You can view it here.

JUNE

It may not be the actual anniversary (I never took note of the date), but in June I celebrate (officially) the beginning of my music project, n-Somnia.  This year was special though, as it marks 20 years since that project began.  To celebrate, I released an EP called "Eliminator", named after the first song I created as n-Somnia back in 2002.  It contains all of the versions available, including remixes that were made exclusively for this release.  Two of which were by me, and a third by my friend, Tim Wood.  It was released along side of a compilation album - an extended version of an EP I released in 2011 - called "The Early Years".  This Anniversary Edition contains pretty much every digital music track I did between 1999 and 2006.

JULY

Aliesha's birthday this month, and on top of this we actually moved next door!  We're still in the same area as the flat we moved into in 2012, only over the fence.  Our old place is under renovation and the one we're in was (at the time) recently finished.  Upon moving, we decided it would be best to stay put even when the old place is completed.

As a result of this, we're (finally) in the process of going through our garage (we have to move our belongings from the old one to the new).  Considering it contains not only our stuff, but the belongings of my in-laws, it's a big task.

AUGUST

My mother's birthday this month.  Can't remember much else.

SEPTEMBER

Not much happening, is there?

OCTOBER

Yet another Halloween I didn't take part in.

NOVEMBER

This month sadly saw the passing of a close friend of my family, Margaret Clark.  I wrote about my memories of her in the blog entry that came before this one.

My n-Somnia song, "Robot Lover From Mars" was released 20 years ago this month.

DECEMBER

Finally, something I can talk about!  This year was different for Christmas.  Aliesha and I actually hosted!  We invited my sister-in-law and her husband, along with my father-in-law to join us for lunch and dinner on the 23rd, as this was the best time we could do it.

On the Sunday prior (a week before Christmas Day), we did our bit with my oldest niece and her family since they were doing things with her in-laws a week later.  Meanwhile, we went to my sister's house on the day for our present exchange.

Very busy December this year!

Also, "Robot Lover From Mars" 20 years ago this month would hit the #1 slot on one of the charts on BeSonic, so I celebrated with a Facebook post.

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And that's pretty much it.  Seems 2022 was, in most parts, a throw-away year.  However, there were some very important events that took place either way.

So, what will 2023 bring?  It's anyone's guess, the way the world is right now.  Either way, I'm treading lightly as I enter.

If I don't post in the next day or so, I hope you all have a safe and happy new year.  😁