{"id":457,"date":"2014-12-29T22:05:11","date_gmt":"2014-12-29T22:05:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marcnobbs.wordpress.com\/?p=72"},"modified":"2014-12-29T22:05:11","modified_gmt":"2014-12-29T22:05:11","slug":"bye-bye-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/12\/29\/bye-bye-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Bye Bye 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"images<\/a>So, as 2014 comes to an end, we find that my stated aim for this section\u00a0of the blog from October was a miserable failure. After a review of one episode of X-Factor and a single review of The Apprentice, well, that was all I managed to do.<\/p>\n

The reason (or excuse) is the same as it always is. Time. Or lack thereof. That’s the thing about having a responsible job in a sector of the economy that is suddenly thriving. The job ends up taking up all your time and sapping all your energy. The key is to find a good ‘work\/life balance’.<\/p>\n

But let’s be honest, there are entire writing careers based on teaching people to achieve said balance, so if it was an easy thing to do, we’d all be doing and the ‘life coaches’ would have to find other ways to fleece us of our hard-earned.<\/p>\n

But overall, for me and in many ways for the UK, 2014 has been a good year. Certainly, it’s been a better year than some of recent times. Oh, I know there will be people that disagree, people that lay the blame of every ill at feet of the government and maintain that because ‘those evil Tories’ are in power the country is in a worse state than its ever been.<\/p>\n

But honestly, I don’t see it that way. Perhaps it’s because I’m not on benefits – or maybe that’s just me being typically un-PC. But you know what? I don’t care.<\/p>\n

From my point of view, 2014 has been great. I’m earning more than ever before (and getting another pay rise in\u00a0January 2015). I published a couple of short stories and a novel and I’m selling more books than ever before. I’ve met some great people on Facebook and made some good friends. My personal bank account is healthier than it’s ever been. Indeed, through some careful planning, prudent changes and finally learning how to controlling my spending properly, I’ve stayed in credit all year. Not gone overdrawn once – and that’s a first for me in the twenty-odd years I’ve been looking after my own money.<\/p>\n

So, all in all, I’m in a good place. And I’m looking forward to 2015. I have a few things planned for my writing career, and I’m hoping that will include more time dedicated to the blog in general and this section of it in particular. There’s also a general election coming up in May, and that opens up all sorts of possibilities for The Grumpy Blog.<\/p>\n

So to everyone I know, thanks for a great 2014, and here’s to an even better 2015.<\/p>\n

\"download\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So, as 2014 comes to an end, we find that my stated aim for this section\u00a0of the blog from October was a miserable failure. After a review of one episode of X-Factor and a single review of The Apprentice, well, that was all I managed to do. The reason (or excuse) is the same as it always is. Time. Or lack thereof. That’s the thing about having a responsible job in a sector of the economy that is suddenly thriving. The job ends up taking up all your time and sapping all your energy. The key is to find a good ‘work\/life balance’. But let’s be honest, there are entire writing careers based on teaching people to achieve said balance, so if it was an easy thing to do, we’d all be doing and the ‘life coaches’ would have to find other ways to fleece us of our hard-earned. But overall, for me and in many ways for the UK, 2014 has been a good year. Certainly, it’s been a better year than some of recent times. Oh, I know there will be people that disagree, people that lay the blame of every ill at feet of the government and maintain that because ‘those evil Tories’ are in power the country is in a worse state than its ever been. But honestly, I don’t see it that way. Perhaps it’s because I’m not on benefits – or maybe that’s just me being typically un-PC. But you know what? I don’t care. From my point of view, 2014 has been great. I’m earning more than ever before (and getting another pay rise in\u00a0January 2015). I published a couple of short stories and a novel and I’m selling more books than ever before. I’ve met some great people on Facebook and made some good friends. My personal bank account is healthier than it’s ever been. Indeed, through some careful planning, prudent changes and finally learning how to controlling my spending properly, I’ve stayed in credit all year. Not gone overdrawn once – and that’s a first for me in the twenty-odd years I’ve been looking after my own money. So, all in all, I’m in a good place. And I’m looking forward to 2015. I have a few things planned for my writing career, and I’m hoping that will include more time dedicated to the blog in general and this section of it in particular. There’s also a general election coming up in May, and that opens up all sorts of possibilities for The Grumpy Blog. So to everyone I know, thanks for a great 2014, and here’s to an even better 2015.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[54,135],"tags":[140,141,204,205,209],"class_list":["post-457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-54","category-personal","tag-140","tag-141","tag-looking-back","tag-looking-forward","tag-new-year"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-4.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":456,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/10\/20\/x-factor-2014-week-2-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":0},"title":"X-Factor 2014 – Week 2 review","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"20 October 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Okay, Okay, I watch the X-factor. Don't hate me for it. Mind you, sometimes I hate myself for it. This week for example. I hated myself for watching it this week. Why? Well, it was 80s night, and boy did it make me feel old. This was partly because most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-8.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-8.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-8.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-8.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/10\/14\/the-apprentice-uk-series-10-episode-1-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":1},"title":"The Apprentice UK Series 10, Episode 1 – Review","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"14 October 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Cards on the table. I'm a big fan of The Apprentice. I find it compelling viewing. And it looks like this new season - the show's tenth here in the UK - will be just as compelling. This first episode was just what you've come to expect from the early\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/07\/07\/silverstone-2014-an-almost-perfect-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":2},"title":"Silverstone 2014 \u2013 An Almost Perfect Day","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"7 July 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This past weekend saw the 50th British Grand Prix to take place just down the road from where I work at the Silverstone Circuit. The track where the Formula 1 World Championship began. There were three Brits on the grid, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Max Chilton, with Lewis being\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sport-onthebox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/F1-British-Grand-Prix-2014-BBC-Sky.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":454,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/07\/08\/the-power-of-proper-tags\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":3},"title":"The Power of Proper Tags","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"8 July 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Over on a different blog, I posted a piece on Ms Debbie Delamar, who claims to be the proud owner of Britain's Biggest Fake Boobs. She's been all over the media (or the gutter press, if you prefer) this past weekend. It wasn't a particularly unusual post, in the sense\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Sterling-cash.jpg?fit=1000%2C664&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Sterling-cash.jpg?fit=1000%2C664&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Sterling-cash.jpg?fit=1000%2C664&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Sterling-cash.jpg?fit=1000%2C664&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/07\/18\/facebook-idiocy-strikes-again\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":4},"title":"Facebook idiocy strikes again","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"18 July 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I have no words. Really, I don't. This article in the Daily Mail (again - sorry), is about Facebook removing the page for Warwick University Rowing Club because they were using it to promote their charity calender, because they thought it was pornographic. Well, that's how the Mail put it,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20241031_113504-fotor-ai-art-effects-20241112123558.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20241031_113504-fotor-ai-art-effects-20241112123558.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20241031_113504-fotor-ai-art-effects-20241112123558.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20241031_113504-fotor-ai-art-effects-20241112123558.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20241031_113504-fotor-ai-art-effects-20241112123558.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":83,"url":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/2014\/10\/20\/a-sign-of-things-to-come-its-going-to-be-a-long-7-months\/","url_meta":{"origin":457,"position":5},"title":"A Sign of Things to Come – It’s going to be a Long 7 Months","author":"Mark Everitt","date":"20 October 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, The Labour Party released a secretly recorded tape of a Government Minister, Lord Freud, making ill-advised comments about disabled people and the minimum wage. Now, it's clear this was a cynical attempt by Labour to make the minister and the Government look bad - part of Labour's election\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "#ge2015"","block_context":{"text":"#ge2015","link":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/category\/ge2015\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-1.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-1.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-1.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Post-1.jpg?fit=800%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0ijP-7n","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markgeveritt.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}