1.
The school ball in Stranger Things.
2.
Emma Stone winning Best
Actress.
3.
The end of Lion.
4.
Dec’s audio-visual
extravaganza.
5.
Disney club in Life Animated.
6.
Deaf actors featuring in Inside Number Nine and Master of None.
7.
Lads on tour in Seville.
8.
Clare dancing her way to glory
in 42nd Street.
9.
Zoe running the London
Marathon.
10. Dan and Bev getting their house.
11. Rosie and Seamus being happy and healthy.
12. Jim doesn’t have to
flat-share anymore.
13. Phil living abroad like a
legend.
14. All my mates who’ve had a
bairn.
15. My brother for gaining more
and more recognition for his work in female sport.
16. My pa on truly earning his
retirement.
17. Sharing in my dad’s joy when
he showed us Jaffna.
18. Meeting family that I’d never
seen before.
19. Having cream soda under the
Colombo sun.
20. Moving in with The Girl.
21. The Jon Spencer Blue’s
Explosion in Baby Driver.
22. The handmaids dropping their rocks to the ground. (This is not a euphemism.)
23. Kitson’s observations.
24. Throwing basketballs with The
Girl.
25. Shooting pool with The Girl.
26. High-fiving The Girl during
the missing vowels round.
27. Watching The Ferryman for my birthday.
28. Having the rug pulled out
from under me during The Good Place.
29. The quick-fire repartee of Gilmore Girls.
30. Discovering The League of Gentlemen. (I don’t mean I
‘discovered’ them, like Alan McGee did Oasis.)
31. The happy ending of Benji’s
stand up show.
32. My mates who are expecting.
33. Labour’s vote was a pleasant
surprise.
34. The Conservatives imploding.
35. Watford’s early season form.
36. Clare and Rich getting married.
37. Jason Isaac’s Yorkshire
accent.
38. Everything about Paddington 2.
39. Learning about Billie Jean
King.
40. Daniel Blake’s raised fist.
41. A thank you card.
42. The people I work with are
brilliant.
43. Charades between The Girl’s
family and mine.
44. My mum holding the Peace
Hospice banner at Vicarage Road.
45. Being in the pub, watching
the Manchester derby, when that snow day was announced. (“Bartender: Same again,
please.”)
46. The smart banter of Football Ramble.
47. The bickering of Mayo and
Kermode.
48. The voice of John B.
McLemore.
49. A Christmas gift from Stuart
Goldsmith.
50. Watching Watford win on
Boxing Day.
51. Breaking up for any holiday.
52. Fixing the oven.
53. Going to the Olympic Stadium
to watch athletics. (Because West Ham fans that’s what your stadium will always
be known for.)
54. That fellar who went round
and round in The Crystal Maze.
55. Crying with laughter. (See
above)
56. Through the support of The
Girl and my line-manager, I got my evidence together and got a pay rise. Makin’
paper!
57. Drinking Bailey’s.
58. Finding out about Flat
Whites.
59. Alcohol and crazy golf.
60. Isle of Wight pubs.
61. Reading in the holidays.
62. Continuing to write.
63. Running a half-marathon in a
personal best. (If you’ve only done it once, it’s still a PB.)
64. The Girl coming in from work.
65. Marking that last book in the
pile.
66. The dark humour of ‘This Will Hurt.’
67. Being happy with our home.
68. The kindness of neighbours.
(They brought me dinner when The Girl was away. I doubt Lou Carpenter would do
that for Karl Kennedy.)
69. Catching the sports news in
the morning.
70. Feeling like I’ve got a bit
more energy.
71. Achieving things that I didn't think I could do.
72. Going to the ballet for the
first time.
73. Juan Mata giving 1% of his
salary to charity.
74. The relay teams shocking the
world.
75. Watching Match of the Day in bed.
76. When I get home on a Friday
night, knowing the weekend is stretching out before me.
77. I feel ok about work on a
Sunday evening.
78. How Of Mice and Men still moves young people.
79. Hearing children say
intelligent things.
80. Hearing children say
ridiculous things.
81. The fact I feel valued at
work.
82. Beth and her team getting
recognition.
83. My library that seems to
operate a jumble sale approach to book organization.
84. Seeing the hang-gliders on
The Downs.
85. Finding a good pub.
86. Feeling content at work, but
not complacent.
87. Those odd times when you run
and you feel you could Forest Gump the thing and keep on running.
88. The 9/11 joke in The Big Sick. An audacious line
delivered with perfect timing.
89. Reading Dickens for my job.
90. The Girl doing great in her
half-marathon.
91. Being moved by the little
kindnesses people show to strangers at Christmas.
92. Jeremy Corbyn’s rhetoric of
compassion.
93. My cup of tea when I get in
from work.
94. Making The Girl laugh. (It’s
a gift, what can I say.)
95. The seaside postcards in our
downstairs loo.
96. Winning pub quizzes.
97. Last minute winners scored by
Watford.
98. The lie-in on the first day
of the holiday when you feel like work exists in a galaxy far, far away.
99. Mackenzie Crook quietly
writing this year's best show.
100.
She said, “yes.” And if that’s
not a reason to be cheerful, then what my friends is.
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