2008 Recap!

Perhaps recap isn't the best word, but I do feel obliged to provide some sort of summary on the year that was 2008!

Number of combined work and home addresses: 5 (3 home, 2 work)
Apparently I'm a bit of a nomad. Yet I have remained faithful to the Wimbledon-Edgware Road branch of the District Line throughout!

Cultural Events: Phantom of the Opera (February), Alphabeat (October), Rainman (October), Blue Man Group (December)

Trips: Munich (February), Switzerland (March), Paris (May), Seattle (May), Edinburgh (July), Dublin (August), Portland (November), Las Vegas (December).

Is it bad that I've gone on more trips than plays/concerts? It seems I've been on a lot of trips! However, most have them have been short and I am allowed 25 days of annual leave per year. Munich gets my top personal recommendation. This could easily go to Paris, but I feel Paris is an obvious choice. Munich is comparatively under the radar and prooved to be a very good time, with a nice combo of learning culture and beer drinking culture (a balance essential on any trip).

My top London tip/find: Chelsea. I didn't really ever go to Chelsea before this year, but it has managed to become a regular weekend haunt. It's basic draw is shopping along King's Road, which is easy for me to reach (we can even walk!), as well as the fabulously delicious market on Saturdays, the Big Easy restaurant, and while I haven't been, it also has Cheney Walk nearby featuring, um, old houses or something. I'm not entirely sure. Either way, Chelsea is a nice place to go on Saturday. Just watch out for the uber-yuppies.

Best reality tv program: normally this would have to go to X Factor, but this year I'm giving the award to Strictly Come Dancing, purely because of John Seargant. Strictly is the origin of Dancing with the Stars and is a big BBC Saturday production. This year one of the participants was political correspondant John Seargant, who couldn't dance to save his life, but everyone loved him so he stayed on the show with no problems until he finally stepped down, it seems in fear of winning despite being the worst of the lot. It was a sad, sad day. Tom Chambers, who is on some sort of soap opera, eventually won. He took his professional dance partner along on his honeymoon. Oh, and Alexandra Burke won X Factor.

That's all I've got for right now! If I think of more fun thinks to recap, I'll come back with them tomorrow or the next day!