Having recently passed 40, I thought I was done with firsts. I was wrong; this year has been a year of many firsts. You won't find my highlights on Facebook (I gave up Facebook for Lent, and all social media for September), so I've compiled some firsts here.
2018 saw the first time I played with my church's music group at a funeral. I've played at a number of weddings and christenings, which were joyful occasions. It was a challenge and an honour to be asked to play at a funeral - I had to "put my feelings in my pockets" for the duration of the service, and let them out afterwards. Not only was 2018 the first time I played at a funeral; it included the second time too.
I owned a BigTrak for the first time ever in 2018. It was a very short association; the new 21st century BigTrak is actually underpowered compared to its 1980s predecessor (it runs off one less battery) and thus means it doesn't turn with the same level of accuracy or reliability. An instruction to turn 90 degrees ends up somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees, so there's no way to accurately program a square path. I sent it back barely 30 minutes after opening it. They say you should never revisit your childhood heroes; perhaps they were right.
A major highlight for me was seeing Michael W Smith live for the first time, at the Festival of Hope in Blackpool in September.
I've enjoyed his music and bought his albums (on cassette, even) for over 20 years, but never previously seen him live, since he doesn't cross the Atlantic all that often and I've never seen the dates in advance. Seeing him live was well worth the wait; they say you should never meet your heroes - they are totally wrong.
Earlier in the year, spring 2018 saw the first time taking the family to see the Red Arrows. I've seen them dozens of times before, but the Armed Forces Day in Llandudno was the first occasion where the Leese family en masse attended an air display.
The trip was very successful, even if it didn't go entirely as planned: one of our children got bored partway through the the Red Arrows' display and opted to walk down to the waterline and throw stones into the sea instead, while another fell asleep in the lull between the Red Arrows and the Typhoon display, and had to be provided with ear defenders to help shut out the noise and stay asleep.
I created an account on Soundcloud for the first time this year. It isn't getting much attention, but I am uploading a few miscellaneous tracks to it (all my own work). It's 20 years since I bought my first keyboards, and I've finally decided it's time to upload some of the music I've produced for the wider world. I've included some additional voice talent in my most recent recordings, which means there's a whole list of firsts: first shout-out to find voice actors; first online auditions; first recordings; and so on.
Unfortunately, 2018 has seen me start taking immuno suppressant drugs, as I have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (a form of rheumatoid arthritis). Back in January, I had severe pain in my left foot, at the base of my toes. After an initial diagnosis of tendonitis that didn't improve, I was eventually referred for blood tests and now attend the Rheumatology department of my local hospital every month for progress checks. The drug I'm on - methatraxate - seems to be working very well, with very few side effects (except occasional bouts of can't-be-bothered, and sometimes one day a week where I have almost no energy). I've also had the chance to see ultrasounds on my hands and feet, which were fascinating.
Summer 2018 was the first time I've volunteered to help at my church's summer club. In fact, it's the first time I've volunteered to help at any summer club ever. It was an exhausting three-day club, and somehow I managed to fit my normal work around it as well! It was a great opportunity to 'give more than I receive' - I was completely drained by the end of it. It was a great experience, volunteering alongside a team of amazing people and sharing the good news of Jesus with dozens of children, and I'm already looking forward to next year's club!
I am not as 'technical' as people think, and I really don't know how to fix your computer. Truth be told, I'm not sure how to fix my own. But when our laptop started beeping incessantly, it fell to me as the most technical member of our household, to fix it. Short answer: I had to dismantle most of the laptop to get to the CMOS battery (roughly the size of a 10p) and replace it. Successfully. On the second attempt. First time performing laptop surgery - check!
All in all, 2018 has been an interesting year. I've done many new things; some new things have happened to me, and it's been a surprising year of firsts. I intend to keep on growing and doing more firsts next year.
2018 saw the first time I played with my church's music group at a funeral. I've played at a number of weddings and christenings, which were joyful occasions. It was a challenge and an honour to be asked to play at a funeral - I had to "put my feelings in my pockets" for the duration of the service, and let them out afterwards. Not only was 2018 the first time I played at a funeral; it included the second time too.
I owned a BigTrak for the first time ever in 2018. It was a very short association; the new 21st century BigTrak is actually underpowered compared to its 1980s predecessor (it runs off one less battery) and thus means it doesn't turn with the same level of accuracy or reliability. An instruction to turn 90 degrees ends up somewhere between 65 and 75 degrees, so there's no way to accurately program a square path. I sent it back barely 30 minutes after opening it. They say you should never revisit your childhood heroes; perhaps they were right.
A major highlight for me was seeing Michael W Smith live for the first time, at the Festival of Hope in Blackpool in September.
Earlier in the year, spring 2018 saw the first time taking the family to see the Red Arrows. I've seen them dozens of times before, but the Armed Forces Day in Llandudno was the first occasion where the Leese family en masse attended an air display.
I created an account on Soundcloud for the first time this year. It isn't getting much attention, but I am uploading a few miscellaneous tracks to it (all my own work). It's 20 years since I bought my first keyboards, and I've finally decided it's time to upload some of the music I've produced for the wider world. I've included some additional voice talent in my most recent recordings, which means there's a whole list of firsts: first shout-out to find voice actors; first online auditions; first recordings; and so on.
Unfortunately, 2018 has seen me start taking immuno suppressant drugs, as I have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (a form of rheumatoid arthritis). Back in January, I had severe pain in my left foot, at the base of my toes. After an initial diagnosis of tendonitis that didn't improve, I was eventually referred for blood tests and now attend the Rheumatology department of my local hospital every month for progress checks. The drug I'm on - methatraxate - seems to be working very well, with very few side effects (except occasional bouts of can't-be-bothered, and sometimes one day a week where I have almost no energy). I've also had the chance to see ultrasounds on my hands and feet, which were fascinating.
Summer 2018 was the first time I've volunteered to help at my church's summer club. In fact, it's the first time I've volunteered to help at any summer club ever. It was an exhausting three-day club, and somehow I managed to fit my normal work around it as well! It was a great opportunity to 'give more than I receive' - I was completely drained by the end of it. It was a great experience, volunteering alongside a team of amazing people and sharing the good news of Jesus with dozens of children, and I'm already looking forward to next year's club!
I am not as 'technical' as people think, and I really don't know how to fix your computer. Truth be told, I'm not sure how to fix my own. But when our laptop started beeping incessantly, it fell to me as the most technical member of our household, to fix it. Short answer: I had to dismantle most of the laptop to get to the CMOS battery (roughly the size of a 10p) and replace it. Successfully. On the second attempt. First time performing laptop surgery - check!
All in all, 2018 has been an interesting year. I've done many new things; some new things have happened to me, and it's been a surprising year of firsts. I intend to keep on growing and doing more firsts next year.
