Things I looked forward to in 2012

About a year ago I posted a list of things I was looking forward to in 2012.  All but one of these have now happened, and the last, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will probably get a review post of its own.

Here is what I thought of these things.

Continuing reading The Malazan Book of the Fallen - I'm half-way through book six of this ten-book epic, having taken an extended break from August to October after book five.  I like it a lot, though it's one of the hardest things I've read.  A full review might come next year.

Returning to Monday night football - it has been so good to play semi-regular sport again.  I missed it a lot.  The injury is still there and is still limiting, but I'm coping with it.

Game of Thrones series 2 - brilliant.  Lived up to expectations following series 1.  Bring on series 3 in the Spring.

Kingdom by Bluetree - a disappointment, compared to their first album.  Not completely hopeless, but much weaker than I'd expected.  Review here.

June Project - in half term! - It was great to be involved again.  I co-led team sport, as I'd done on the first JP back in 2007.  Great times.

The Dark Knight Rises - at the time of writing, my joint top film of the year.  Almost guaranteed to stay in the top three by the end of the year.  Well done Chris Nolan and co.  Review here.

Lord of the Rings Lego - I haven't bought any of it, but the models look pretty good.  Lego just looks less impressive than it used to though, which is sad.  I'm still waiting for a model of Minas Tirith.

Weddings (including one of my oldest friends and my sister (not to each other)) - really fun.  Steve's seems a very long time ago now, but it was a great day.  Jenny's was wonderful, of course.  I ushered and MCed which was a lot of work but even more fun.

London 2012 - it was amazing, wasn't it?  Though it didn't exceed my expectations.  My expectations were very high, and the Olympics just about delivered.  More here.

Red Dwarf series 10 - variable, to be honest.  Some outstanding moments, and generally entertaining, but overall not as good as the older stuff.  Most episodes tended to focus on cheap gags rather than actual situational comedy and character comedy.

Honour Spotlight: Chris Juby

Chris Juby is a friend of mine from church.  I've known him for about 6 years.  In that time I've come to realise we are quite similar in some ways.  We're both geeks.  We're both into music.  We've had the same phone as each other for the last 5 years.  Talking to Chris is something I find easy to do, but is always an 'experience'.  The guy has all sorts of bizarre and interesting knowledge.  I remember having lunch together once and covering topics such as number plates, phone numbers and postcodes.  You wouldn't think these would be interesting, but Chris has a way of making them interesting.
Chris is a really deep thinker.  I like this, because it make me feel less strange for being one too.  But while my thinking is very analytical, Chris' is...visionary.  He sees stuff I had no idea could be seen.  He even has a theology of Mary Poppins, which sounds bizarre but actually makes a lot of sense when you hear it.  Chris has so many ideas and plans and thoughts in his head that he's been thinking about and praying about and investing in - it's really quite staggering.  I don't think I know anyone else who has as much vision for things as Chris.

He is also hilarious.  He'll do or say something completely off the wall, and then laugh to himself for a few seconds while everyone else takes a while to get it.  Then you'll realise it's funny, but by that time he'll be making another joke.  When he gets on a roll he can keep me entertained for hours, just talking and giggling away to himself.

Chris leads worship at our church.  I remember talking to him a few years ago about Matt Redman, and he said 'when Matt Redman leads worship, you get the feeling he's been praying about it for, literally, years'.  I get the same feeling when Chris leads worship.  He is so good at understanding what's going on in the room and in the congregation, and leading them on.
I've always thought that Chris exudes a kind of quiet self-confidence.  He knows his strengths and weaknesses but doesn't become defined by them.  I like that.
Chris is a bit of a role model for me.  But don't tell him that, he'll be embarrassed...