100 Reasons To Be Cheerful

1.      Lorries that have decorative lights.

2.      Lorries without their trailer. They look emasculated. Vehicle vasectomy I call it.

3.      Listening to podcasts on the way to and from work – I find it really relaxing.

4.      With that in mind: Rule of three, Quickly Kevin, Films To Be Buried With, Blood on the Tracks and Saturday Review are all podcasts I’ve enjoyed this year.

5.      Mark Kermode on ‘Kermode and Mayo’ continues to be my oracle for all things film.

6.      My brother and the boys winning Best Supporters Podcast at the Football Supporters Award. From The Rookery End is a great listen for Watford fans.

7.      On Christmas Eve it was a perfect blue morning. I was running across the Downs, back to the person I love, whilst listening and laughing to a show about Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. It felt pretty good.

8.      I read those end of year lists and gave Idles a go. Great lyrics and an exciting racket.

9.      I’ve read some wonderful books this year: Reservoir 13, Normal People and A Natural show contemporary literature is in rude health.

10.  Princess Bride is one of the funniest things I’ve ever read.

11.  My brother was commissioned to write a book. It comes out next year. More news to follow.

12.  My mum made a good recovery from her operation.

13.  My dad is really enjoying retirement. And so he should: he really earned it.

14.  I’m lucky enough to be marrying into a lovely family.

15.  Bev and Dan building a lovely home.

16.  Sarah, along with her friend Lorna, did so well to set up their food fair. It takes courage to do something new and seeing the crowds vindicated their decision.

17.  Matt’s doing well in his new job.

18.  Zoe running her half-marathon.

19.  Clare filming her DVD.

20.  All of my mates that have had children.

21.  Beth getting promoted.

22.  I’ve assembled the best team for my stag. I think the great mates that I’ve got must be a reflection on my genius.

23.  Javi Gracia appears to a better tactician and man than Marco Silva.

24.  Gareth Southgate being England manager.

25.  Filling in my World Cup wall chart.

26.  Going to football with my dad and brother.

27.  Having wall-to-wall buffets.

28.  A glass of Baileys before bed.

29.  That bowl of cereal that breaks the nighttime fast.

30.  Shonagh in my department has a better jokes-per-minute ratio than most working stand-ups.

31.  I work with people I respect and admire.

32.  Fi for setting up the buddy system at work.

33.  Seeing Jonnie ace his teacher training. Being at his wedding was lovely too.

34.  Getting Christmas cards from students. One girl seemed absolutely mortified when she handed it over. I understand: it’s embarrassing to like me, but impossible not to.

35.  My work values its staff.

36.  We found a lovely venue to get married in.

37.  Yesterday I spent three hours composing different playlists for the wedding. It’s the closest I’ll get to curating a music festival.

38.  Re-watching Spinal Tap and Withnail & I.

39.  Going to the hockey for the first time.

40.  Seeing children enjoy Shakespeare.

41.  The structural magnificence of Stewart Lee’s Content Provider.

42.  John Finnemore is a comedy writer of the highest order.

43.  Villanelle in Killing Eve.

44.  The Bill Murray pub for comedy.

45.  Derry Girls and Young Offenders have vanquished the Irish spectre of Father Ted.

46.  Little Volcanoes was beautiful radio.

47.  There She Goes was a hidden gem on BBC 4.

48.  The Tories are all over the place.

49.  There are mechanisms in place to curb Trump’s power.

50.  Frankie Boyle’s closing monologue on New World Order. Such caustic eloquence.

51.  Friday nights in with The Girl.

52.  Leave No Trace was such a moving film.

53.  After saying I didn’t commit to pictures that require effort, I sat down and watched Roma last night. It’s easy to see why it’s tipped for Best Picture. The beauty, the tragedy, all of life is there.

54.  A lot of my family are coming over for the wedding next year. Hertfordshire is going Tamil.

55.  The Girl’s cousins are doing great in Oz. Clea in acting; Emma in art.

56.  One meeting five and a half years ago has created a ripple in a pond. I now have more friends and family because of it.

57.  I totally lose myself in writing and forget every worry and concern.

58.  Those occasions where I feel I can run and run.

59.  I knocked off eight minutes from my personal best.

60.  Our neighbours brought us round a box of chocolates yesterday.

61.  A nice e-mail from a parent.

62.  Getting work done at school and leaving the evening free.

63.  A free bar at a wedding. (Sorry we can’t offer this. We’ve had a word with the venue though and we’ve managed to secure a drinks deal on tap water.)

64.  Dina Asher-Smith and KJT winning gold.

65.  Holding The Girl’s hand and thinking ‘this is the right fit.’

66.  Waking up early and getting shit done.

67.  I’m a lot more disciplined with my time than I used to be.

68.  Jim and Jen moving in together.

69.  I went into my library and there in front of me was the new John Boyne book, the new Sally Rooney and the new Sarah Perry.

70.  A freshly laundered bed.

71.  Frances McDormand’s kick-ass performance in Three Billboards.

72.  Getting a question right in Only Connect.

73.  Getting a question right in University Challenge.

74.  Seeing Oxford or Cambridge lose in University Challenge.

75.  Having time to have a read.

76.  The Christmas Radio Times.

77.  Listening to Shaun Keaveny.

78.  Those snow days.

79.  Becoming a Staff Governor. I find it really interesting. However, I am disappointed with the refreshments on offer. I thought being a member of the Inner Circle would have its culinary perks, i.e. a cheese board with complimentary wine – as it is, you have to bring your own water to meetings.

80.  Ireland’s referendum result.

81.  Margaret Atwood is writing a follow-up to The Handmaid’s Tale.

82.  The video to ‘This Is America.’

83.  I watched Johnny Cash’s video to ‘Hurt’ yesterday. Wow! People talk about Bowie writing his own obituary, but Cash did too.

84.  When you get to the last day of term and think, ‘I deserve this.’

85.  I finally found the right readings for the wedding.

86.  Those Neymar videos.

87.  Our school is the first in the county to have a mental health nurse – this seems like an important step towards looking after children who’ve experienced loss, homelessness, stress and trauma.

88.  Steve Arnott and the Beats Bus.

89.  How neither Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi got to the World Cup final. Football is a team game – with constant Ballon d’Or ‘who’s the best in the world?’ ‘how do the stats compare?’ it’s easy to forget that.

90.  Most people are quite nice once you get to know them.

91.  I really liked the ‘Lunar Rhapsody’ tune in First Man.

92.  I got a great Secret Santa present this year. I’ve had some disappointing ones over the years. I know people say, ‘you should be grateful whatever you get,’ but I don’t know if this is true. A good present shows you’ve thought about someone; a bad present shows the opposite. If you really aren’t happy with your present, then moan away as far as I’m concerned.

93.  Brexit might teach British people to be humbler in the future and realise that countries are interconnected, that isolationism isn’t power.

94.  I’m pretty pleased with my new laptop.

95.  I found that memory stick.

96.  We currently have enough chocolates to get us through to next Christmas.

97.  If I know something is wrong, I’ll speak up. I’m proud of this.

98.  Watching James Acaster ‘go electric’ and ditch his schtick for something more personal. He is the future of British stand up.

99.  Being with someone I love.

100.                      Tomorrow we’re going to look at wedding rings. My future is confirmed. I couldn’t be happier.