Swings and roundabout, that's the definition of playgrounds, I suppose, as opposed to gypsies and roustabouts, which is the definition of fairgrounds. However, I think we also use the expression swings and roundabouts to refer to some abstract quantity or other. Now I come to think about the expression, I've no idea what it means. Still, it's swings and roundabout isn't it... knowing what an expression means... not knowing... using it anyway... it's all swings and roundabouts. Yeah. Swings. And roundabouts.

In a roundabout way, I'm swinging towards some sort of reflection on today. I had work to go to. Of that there's no doubt. I attended and was in a working sort of a state for the whole day, with the bonus of getting to stay late so that I could attend a thank you dinner. I didn't have to stay late, but the dinner was at 7.30, so there was little point in going home only to come back out again. So I worked later than average - I've worked later than that, but I'm not going into that again.

I'm sure that arranging an evening dinner was not an excuse to get me to work late in anticipation of a few quid's worth of food, exchanged for the free overtime. I'm just messing about with this apparent cynicism. I had stuff to do and I was glad of the time to do it in. Having reserved the evening for work anyway, I had little to distract me, and I managed to pull together the last of the documents I'd been working on from the day. Hoorah for me and my typing.

The work day itself had been full of moments where I ponder what's actually going to happen. How is the year going to turn out? What are my responsibilities going to be? Will I indeed be able to rise to the occasion and meet these expectations? I guess 2008 is going to be a year in its own right, rather than a continuation of all the crap from the year before.

My process of sorting stuff out was in full swing. I feel like I'm getting about on top of things which are urgent and uber-urgent, with just the long-term stuff that's been off the rails for ages that's still sitting patiently off the rails. I'll have to work on that, eh?

If I compare where I am now to where I was last year, I guess January is a month of change. Last year I had just moved into this house, just broken up with my girlfriend, and was taking the challenges as they came. Two years ago in January, I was in the first month of my, then, new job. That was fun. Three years ago in January I was preparing for Guys and Dolls, unaware that I would find myself in a relationship within only a few weeks.

Life is swings and roundabouts, in that just when you're having fun, some bigger boys come along and give you a kicking. Nah. Life is just a lot of moving around and oscillating. And why not. It would be dull if it were static.

Dinner was fun last night. We didn't just talk about work and I stayed sober and cracked a handful of jokes. That's a good night for me.