The state of Andy for June 2012

Please do excuse this slightly self-indulgent progress update but we are now roughly halfway through the year, and I had a birthday this week, so I thought it would be useful for me to think through how I’m getting on.

Back when I said good riddance to 2011 I also said that I was looking forward to 2012 with the expectation that it will be a far more positive year. I’m glad to say in general this has been true.

For most of the first four months of 2012 I was lucky to have a period of solid contract work, and it was interesting work too. As a result, although they are far from being healthy, my finances are in a better state. I have managed to clear some outstanding debts.

Work has been a little slower for May and June but that has meant that I’ve been able to catch up with a number of tasks for outstanding projects. Now, ideally, I’d like to find some more people willing to pay me money to build websites with WordPress. I’m working on ways to promote myself with this in mind, but failing that I’ll need to find the next tranche of contract work. So while a long way from being comfortable, I feel that good progress has been made.

Outside of that I have been able to be a bit more sociable. I’ve had some pleasurable day trips and evenings out with friends – although I’ve hardly been living a hedonistic lifestyle.

Political activity has been mostly non-existent. I’ve not been writing as much as I had intended – witness the extended blogging gap here. But I do find myself more in the mood for political stuff now, particularly compared with my severe disenchantment at the end of last year. Although, if I do start doing more now, I’m determined to be very selective about what I choose to do and only do those things that I find enjoyable.

One thing to note though is that I think my year of being “a poster boy for LibDem misery” has probably come to an end. While that stock footage of me looking at my phone was, I think, used on election night this May I’ve not heard anything of it being used since. With luck it has been replaced for the next electoral period by some stock footage of some Tories looking miserable!

So to sum up where I think I feel I am now, in the language of a school report; Andy has made some solid progress this term but needs to continue to work hard and focus on his priorities in order to properly fulfil his potential.

This content was originally posted on my old Strange Thoughts blog.