God, it really has been a while

I guess, like new year's resolutions and the dodgy cappuccinos in the new deli at work, blogs are better started and not finished. This notwithstanding, it's time to get this road back on the show with a brief run through the highlights of 2008. And yes, despite the earlier concerns, there have been some...

Main amonst which is fitness / weight. A year of pretty intensive gym and running has left me leaving 2008 over a stone lighter than I entered it, and running 4-5 miles at 7.10 to 7.30 pace. Which for a man of my age is respectable. My gym, at Cameron House hotel on Loch Lomondside, has just reopened and is looking good value for the pile of money spent on the refit.

Work has been surprisingly OK; periods of underutilisation interspersed with some interesting and challenging new stuff. As always the best thing is the people. Some good ones left, some good ones joined, but they're what makes it tolerable. Special vote of thanks as ever at this time of year to the customers who think it's big and clever to issue tenders with submission dates in early January. It's not big OR clever to feck up the Christmas of the people who work for your potential supplies, you wankers.

Sporting highlight was taking in Barcelona v Valencia at the Camp Nou - 4-0 and a Henri hat-trick. On my wife's 40th birthday. I know how to show a girl a good time, and no mistake...

Some good musical stuff as well; albums by The Music, Headway, Kings of Leon and OneRepublic deserve mention, but Day & Age by The Killers stands out miles above anything else. Derivative, yes, but clever, lively, challenging and occasionally beautiful. The Glasvegas album was a delight (if that's the right word) too - difficult themes set against an amazing sound; I remain to be convinced how much is them and how much is manufactured, but the basic songwriting seems sound enough to make you hope it's mainly them. 

The Music in Edinburgh was an awesome gig, full of energy and quality, and would have been gig of the year any other year - but seeing Springsteen from 8 rows back at the Emirates, with all the enthusiasm, craft and setlist opportunites that he still brings was awesome. And with the full E-Street set-up (less, sadly, Danny Federici who passed away this year) it was a highlight of the decade. Until The Killers in March, of course...

The real highlight of the year, of course was team General Ignorance's Sucata Run extravaganza, three men in an aging Volvo having a hoot raising a decent pile of dosh for a deserving charity. Read all about it on the blog, and prepare for next year's multi-media extravaganza on Sucata Split. Note the Justgiving widget on this page - you know what you need to do...

There have been some downsides, but I won't dwell, because who knows what's around the corner. I hereby resolve to blog more next year, even if this year's blank has probably made more sense and been a more entertaining read...