What was The Worst Year Of Your Life?

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I guess for some people it's going to be 1997. What's up with that year?

For me, 2003 has soiled its slippers consistently so far.

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:00 (twenty-three years ago)

1973/74 was thoroughly unmemorable.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:04 (twenty-three years ago)

But Abba won the Eurovision in 74 with Waterloo. And I was born.

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:04 (twenty-three years ago)

2001.

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 24 January 2003 12:05 (twenty-three years ago)

1991 was the year of strife: 1993 war; 1995 [Iran!] I have developed worst years into a high art form: my worst year is currently today.

― Gordon (Gordon), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:06 (twenty-three years ago)

2002

― toraneko (toraneko), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:08 (twenty-three years ago)

1995 gets that prize, with options on 1991.

― Anna (Anna), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:09 (twenty-three years ago)

1996 was crap, 1998 sucked pretty bad, 1999 sucked just as bad, 2001 was awful for about 6 months in the middle, 2000 (as detailed on the sister thread) was psychotic but the good outweighed the bad. The last six month of 1998 were absolutely fucking dreadful, and I think that period is gonna tip 1998 into the winner. I'd had an unintentional year off before university, crap job, no money, trying to write a fanzine, mates disappearing, got chickenpox in June (I was 19, it fucking hurt), and then when I went to university I was about this far | | from killing myself and setting fire to the people I lived with for the first three months. It was absolute hell on earth. I threatened to kill people (self included), I hated msyelf and the world, I was utterly, utterly alone and without hope. The nadir came in late November when I foudn myself picking broken glass out of the torn-up hand of a guy I hated who was standing in my kitchen, who'd just punched through the double-glazed window in an effort to start a fight with the guy on the other side. The first 9 months had been pretty rubbish, and the last three just made it almost unbearable. To top it all I came home at Christmas to find the girl I was 'in love with' had started seeing someone else. Urgh.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:09 (twenty-three years ago)

2000 I think, though I didn't notice at the time, because I wasn't doing anything.

2002 was worst but also best.

― Graham (graham), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:11 (twenty-three years ago)

Last year I have kinda mixed feelings on, coz although it was like totally horrific and horrible and all that, it's also the year I fell head over heels in love and got engaged.
1995 was my worst before last year, coz I was homeless, pennyless and pretty much friendless and I had fallen out with my family.
1997 gets a meniton too coz the first 3 months were horrible, what with the abusive boyf going into maniac overdrive but the rest of the year was pretty damn terrific!

― smee (smee), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:11 (twenty-three years ago)

1997 hands down. Serious All About Eve situation with former friend that I could've avoided altogether by acting differently in 1995, plus death by cancer of aunt who raised me when mum was too ill to do so.

Oddly, though, it was my most high-profile work year.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:13 (twenty-three years ago)

1991 - end of childhood (not that that was a picnic....apart from that time i actually did go on a picnic) and hormonal apocalypse

'92 to '95 also sucked generally - '97 was a real mixed bag

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:15 (twenty-three years ago)

I have come to the conclusion that 1997 was a totaly fucked up, life changing year for EVERYONE!

― smee (smee), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:21 (twenty-three years ago)

2002. the first 3 months were fine, and the last 3 months were GREAT, but inbetween really sucked, having nowhere to live, feeling lonely, eventual collapse of very close friendship that had been coming for the previous 2 years etc etc

1998 was poor, but only in that it was a year in that nothing happened whatsoever. i graduated. i looked for a job. that was it!

― gareth (gareth), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:22 (twenty-three years ago)

1996 and 1998 were both pretty fucking bleak.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:26 (twenty-three years ago)

2001, without a doubt. Friends' relationhsips imploding, companies imploding, everything conspiring to drive me under. And then a ray of light, as two friends announced their engagement. On September 10th.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:28 (twenty-three years ago)

1989 -- 'cause it was payback for the shit i pulled in 1988 (and payback was a motherfucker).

2002 wasn't a blast, either.

― Tad (llamasfur), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:29 (twenty-three years ago)

1997 was vile - I had my 18th birthday, moved into a poky council flat with a fella, who promtly had a breakdown, then left me. I was unemployed and doing absolutely nothing with my life.
A;so, 1993 to 1998 were pretty terrible too.

― Madeleine (Madeleine), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:33 (twenty-three years ago)

1997 Rox0red

― Chupa-Cabras (vicc13), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:34 (twenty-three years ago)

All of 1997 to 2001 had an ongoing horrible down situation and some bad decisions on my part, but they all had great things to recommend them too, including of course the complete transformation that running a website had worked on my life. I think 1997 - me on medication, her getting more and more ill and not having a clue what it was, the strongest sense I've had that the stuff that was wrong in my life was completely my fault. But that's thinking rationally - the memories that come back of 97 are all the good ones.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:35 (twenty-three years ago)

... 74 ... I was born.

This can't be true, you look nowhere near that old.

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:36 (twenty-three years ago)

I *love* you.

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:37 (twenty-three years ago)

1997 = year of my first big crush (awww... didn't go anywhere, obviously), yes, completely life changing.

― Graham (graham), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:38 (twenty-three years ago)

1997 it is, it was agonizing and so goddamned awful for so many, as was 1998, and let me explain why:

Jupiter entered Capricorn in early '97, its sign of debilitation. The worst, most uncomfortable sign for Him to inhabit, opposite His point of exaltation. On TOP of that, the *other* major planet that rules karmic destinies en masse and indicates collective/generational life cycles (as it takes 29& 1/2 years to completely transit 'round the Zodiac), Mr Saturn, aka Old Father Time, entered Aries in April of 1998 - HIS sign of debilitation. This has affected everyone, but note that for whom these planets are temporal malefics in the natal horoscope, their transitory weakness caused the opposite effect - good times. When the planets that indicate misery for you are weak, you benefit. But on a collective level, humanity always suffers when the two giants are in their unhappiest positions.

The chart of the USA, regardless of its ascendant, was doubtless affected by Saturn's soujourn in Aries, as it led to national scandal, impeachment and all, just as the last time (late 60s - '68) resulted in societal havoc as well (riots, assassinations, etc.) I wish I could locate the link that talks about the 60-year transit cycle that offers a composite view of the Jupiterian/Saturniuan transits, and how they have affected history.

― Vic (Vic), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:39 (twenty-three years ago)

It's mutual (Lara, obv)

― Mooro (Mooro), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:40 (twenty-three years ago)

I vote we scratch 1997 from the record? There was too much pain.

*whispers* Even though some lovely things happened for me.

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:41 (twenty-three years ago)

1994 was not a good year. but it still had some great moments, yeah.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:43 (twenty-three years ago)

The worst year thread is now 4 posts longer than the best year thread and in a shorter time. What a gloomy lot we are.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:45 (twenty-three years ago)

Hurrah!!

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:45 (twenty-three years ago)

1998 without a doubt; or rather the academic year 1997-98.

after that prob 2001-2002 (academic years make much more sense to me), though that was infinitely better than 97/8.

strangely these are the two years that seem most "important" to me in terms of who i am now; "no pain, no gain", maybe?

― toby (tsg20), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:49 (twenty-three years ago)

Just thinking about what Tom said. It's not so surprising is it? I mean it's so much easier to remember things that hurt you that it is things that made you happy. Does this mean that we learn more from hurt and sadness? And that in a way it is *good for us*?

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:51 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm the opposite myself though - I tend to remember something good about any time. I've been quite lucky though in that the worst things that have happened to me have happened gradually - there's been no terrible life-destroying thunderbolts yet.

― Tom (Groke), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:53 (twenty-three years ago)

What few horrors I've encountered, I remember vividly.

― Lara (Lara), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:54 (twenty-three years ago)

2002 hands down. I had a job which drove me insane, I had sex the grand total of 3 times, I lived in a town where tumbleweeds feared to go, I lived alone, and I found ILX. It doesnt get any worse.

― Kiwi, Friday, 24 January 2003 12:57 (twenty-three years ago)

I've had enough thunderbolts come down to strike me.

I can't even answer this question in a personal matter, that's why I abstractly responded with my explanation regarding my choice for '97-'98.

It's just too awful. I might start crying. It was just too much!!

― Vic (Vic), Friday, 24 January 2003 12:59 (twenty-three years ago)

More like - December 24th to 25th January which has shown me the death of everyone. From my best friend casually chatting and then dropping into a coma from a brain aneurysism whilst we were walking to school mid-winter, to my mother who had a similar brain aneurysism whilst driving home from work on her birthday, to countless friends overdosing on drugs, to my father who decided there was not a better life on Christmas Eve, to my step father who hallucinated from blood poisoning of the kidney who passed away recently. If I survive this particularly block of time; I will be happy.

― robotman, Friday, 24 January 2003 12:59 (twenty-three years ago)

I guess my last thread offers the proof of what i said on that Life: S & D thread about unresolved issues...unresolvedness, dud, dud, dud

I guess it forces me to confront the fact that I still have to heal.

― Vic (Vic), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Life's scars and wounds are the most beautiful to look at and the most dangerous to touch. I hope I never heal.

― robotman, Friday, 24 January 2003 13:01 (twenty-three years ago)

1994 was my worst year cos my brother killed himself and also the girl I adored disappeared from my life.

1994 was also my best year.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:02 (twenty-three years ago)

1996. Dropped out of school and broke up with fiancee-of-three-years in the same week. Deliberately let all mutual friends think I was the bad guy (neither of us was, it was just one of those things), because I thought she needed the support system more. Spent my apartment deposit buying groceries for her kids. Kited checks to pay rent and utilities. Spent most of the rest of the year unconscious from alcohol.

― Tep (ktepi), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:04 (twenty-three years ago)

I think that it's unusual to have time to consider things if thing are going really well. It's only looking back that I can say "that was brilliant!", whereas when things are going poorly it's often related to you having a lot of time to think about things.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:04 (twenty-three years ago)

Jesus, robotman - that's horrible. My thoughts are with you.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:06 (twenty-three years ago)

I can't think of a worst year, I hated school, not cos I had a hard time or for any particular reason other than hating the place the uniform the teachers etc.

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:08 (twenty-three years ago)

2002

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:13 (twenty-three years ago)

97 and 98 were pretty crap years for me too. I think that's because 4 people I know died.
2002 was a kinda boring year for me, but not bad.

― marianna, Friday, 24 January 2003 13:14 (twenty-three years ago)

all of junior high(98, 99, 00, 01) because well there wasnt bad things but there werent good things either, completely wasted years. 2002 + 2003 havent been that xciting but comparing to those they were/are fux0ring rollercoasters

― Chupa-Cabras (vicc13), Friday, 24 January 2003 13:50 (twenty-three years ago)

14, boarding school.
rape. abuse.
still terrifies me

― anthony easton (anthony), Friday, 24 January 2003 14:03 (twenty-three years ago)

Maybe 1981 or 1982. Third year at school seemed to consist mainly of cruelty and embarrassment. The only good thing I remember from then is taking refuge in music.

― James Ball (James Ball), Friday, 24 January 2003 14:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Jesus, robotman - that's horrible. My thoughts are with you.

Thanks, Andrew. 'Tis a horrible month. Sub-consciously I am always expecting tradegy from 24th of December to the 25th of January but each year it does get better. I shut myself down and brace myself against the month's tidings every year.

― robotman, Friday, 24 January 2003 14:38 (twenty-three years ago)

1988.
1988.
1988.
It was the end of the world as I knew it..and I was not fine...
Every time I think something in my life is utter crap, I just think back to 1988 and celebrate the fact that nothing could be as bad as that and that it is over.

― Kirsty A, Friday, 24 January 2003 14:48 (twenty-three years ago)

1994 sucked ass.

― Bryan (Bryan), Friday, 24 January 2003 15:14 (twenty-three years ago)

Okay, Robotman, it's the 25th tomorrow. Please tell me you will be going out to CELEBRATE the end of the evil period; that's the only way to cope sometimes.

― suzy (suzy), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:12 (twenty-three years ago)

also paul i was born on the 25th, so that might be unintentionally symbolic of something or other.

(rebirth an absolute necessity at the moment)

― Marcello Carlin, Friday, 24 January 2003 16:13 (twenty-three years ago)

happy birthday Marcello! (for tomorrow)

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:14 (twenty-three years ago)

For me it was a "worst week," sorta thing, but the rest of the year sucked, too. It was June 1991. On Monday little sister, who is to graduate from HIgh School on Friday as Valedictorian, is in car accident and ends-up with a concussion and cool bruises - she has trouble composing valedictory speech. On Tuesday her best friend comes to visit and helps her with speech. That completed, they lie back on the floor, throwing M & Ms into each other's mouths, and talking about the future. Her best friend goes home that night and committs suicide following fight (according to suicide note) with father. Wednesday is spent searching for his body - found Wednesday night. Thursday we purchase "memorial tree" to sit in his chair at graduation, then will be planted at local park in his name. Friday morning discover that raccoons have, for unknown reason, dug-up and consumed tree-roots. (Tree later dies.) Friday afternoon - Mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. Friday night, my then-boyfriend, a then-recovering alcoholic, is arrested for drunk driving. I break-up with him following the graduation ceremony when he calls asing for me to bail him out. Yeah, the year went down-hill from there.

― LCD (Ms Laura), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:20 (twenty-three years ago)

1988, without doubt. In fact, January 1988 (specifically Jan 5 through Jan 18) was the worst month of my life.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:26 (twenty-three years ago)

Worst year = 1987

― rosemary (rosemary), Friday, 24 January 2003 16:33 (twenty-three years ago)

Every summer between 1996 and 1998.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Friday, 24 January 2003 17:54 (twenty-three years ago)

Worst, hmmm, probably June '91 to June '92. I went a little weird back then. Summer holiday after my GCSE's and off to do my a-levels, led to a couple of quite good years!

For sheer misery, it has to be June'94 to Apr'95. Dropped out of uni, and everything was just wrong, just bored and depressed, but I did start recording songs during this time. Period of misery ended with getting a job for the summer and buying my electric guitar, and then going back to uni. Yay!

Everythin' been basically okay since then, the curve is generally upward.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 24 January 2003 18:08 (twenty-three years ago)

weirding out and hitting the wall, is part of the reason I dislike summer.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 24 January 2003 18:09 (twenty-three years ago)

1996-1997 was great!

late 2000 to mid 2001.

1994 to early 1996 was no picnic either.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Friday, 24 January 2003 18:17 (twenty-three years ago)

1998 and 1999 kinda sucked ass

― luna (luna.c), Friday, 24 January 2003 18:18 (twenty-three years ago)

Certainly 2001 for me, no contest: deteriorating 23-year relationship, my wife behaving badly in a way and to a degree that I genuinely found inconceivable. The worst of the clinical depression that I had been suffering for a while. A 100% serious and almost successful suicide attempt. My wife leaving me.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 24 January 2003 20:52 (twenty-three years ago)

1996 onwards has been pretty rum, esp. 2000/1.

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Friday, 24 January 2003 21:15 (twenty-three years ago)

1997 and 2001 were particuarly difficult years for me and i know for a fact if i had made some different decisions i'd have a different life today...oh well...

― jack, Friday, 24 January 2003 22:27 (twenty-three years ago)

I would not wish my academic year 97-98 on anyone.

― sundar subramanian (sundar), Friday, 24 January 2003 22:29 (twenty-three years ago)

u only remember the sublimity (even if it dun't exist!), so retrospectively choosin the worst yr ain't gonna b accurate.

― naked as sin (naked as sin), Saturday, 25 January 2003 00:55 (twenty-three years ago)

2002 and 1988 were both awful.

― Chris Barrus (xibalba), Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:24 (twenty-three years ago)

2000 and 2001 were sorta bad. I'm happier now.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:29 (twenty-three years ago)

1999 and 2000, most definitely.

― Curtis Stephens, Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:31 (twenty-three years ago)

1999, boarding school. I don't like to remember it much. It did turn really good near the end though.

― Elisabeth (Elisabeth), Saturday, 25 January 2003 01:34 (twenty-three years ago)

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