2016 Year in Review
Yes, I apparently am in improving mental health because I have already written two DW posts today that are not about mental health crisis, and I'm doing another meme. (I've been trawling 
st_aurafina's Friending Meme, so I figured I need to post something that is both public and approximately like what I normally talk about here.)
1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
We bought a house. I still feel a little weird that the Grown-Up Police didn't come and take us away for that.
. What goals do you have for 2017?
Ugh, see the (access-locked) Fandom Snowflake post. I am done setting goals until I am required to by Mental Health Professionals(TM) tomorrow night.
3. How did you spend New Year 2016?
With Friend R, playing Monopoly Deal at his house, and frantically trying to finish some knitting.
4. How will you spend it for 2017?
At Friends S and H's house, with Friend R and his Fiancee R...playing board games and frantically trying to finish some knitting.
5. How much traveling did you do in 2016?
Much less than 2015, which was the Year of Too Much Traveling, but less than I would have liked. We went to Seattle in May for my brother's brain surgery, Colorado in June for a conference for T's work, and the traditional 4th of July visit to T's older sister in Chicago. (I hope to make that one a yearly tradition, even with kids, because I miss living in a big city, and I both love Chicago and T's older sister.) Oh, and I road-tripped with a friend to Rhinebeck for the (very famous) New York State Sheep and Wool Festival.
6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
Enough money in the bank to not worry about small emergencies.
7. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
November 8th. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly? I didn't have my Regularly Scheduled Midterms Depressive Episode. I was on top of my (heavy) courseload and our foster parenting paperwork and classes for at least a month longer than I anticipated. That's a big deal for me.
9. What was your biggest learning experience?
Last spring, I was doing my first therapeutic internship, learning how to lead group therapy and being thrown into the deep end with my first individual client. That was an entire semester of "I can't handle this I can't handle this...oh, now I'm used to it!" over and over again.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major, except for the anxiety and depression spiral post-US election.
11. What was the best thing you got, bought or pilfered?
Hmm. A few things?
1. Super cheap play kitchen and play workbench from the local kids' consignment store. Proud of those.
2. A 6' fiberglass frame ladder, which we use everywhere in our new house.
3. The Mighty Heroines of Marvel fleece throw.
4. This semi-blazer/semi-cardigan from ModCloth.
5. MantleClips to hang stockings securely without damaging our fancy original 1882 mantels.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My brother? He had brain surgery as calmly as possible, did all the stuff for his recovery, buys me the yarn when he asks me to knit him things, finally decided to label the relationship with his girlfriend of 2 years as a relationship, and went to TX to take care of his girlfriend when she had surgery for endometriosis.
13. What's your most embarrassing moment of 2016?
Let's just not, okay?
14. Where did most of your money go?
A giant honking mortgage. We scraped and pinched for several months for the down payment, and it took a few months to get back to not living paycheck-to-paycheck after, too.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kent Parson? (The, let us say, anti-hero of OMGCP.) Baby gear? Oh, yeah, SOLAR SYSTEM THEMED GENDER NEUTRAL NURSERY. BAM!
16. What song will always remind you of 2016?
Don't Mind--Kent Jones. This was two months of driving teenagers and pre-teens to therapy 2-3 times a week. Hearing it 3-4 times a day. The girls LOVED this song, and I hate it.
17. Did you start any new hobbies?
I'm playing D&D again, and enjoying it for the first time (5th Ed is the only D&D edition of my heart!). Also, house repairs and renovations, heh. And Pokemon GO.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Knitting. Talking about politics with my (conservative) parents before the election. Walking/biking places.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Commuting. Reading "The Discourse" on Tumblr. Getting distracted on the computer when T. wants to spend time with me.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
The week before Christmas my parents were visiting here, and I was in really bad depressive land. The day of Christmas, we drove out to T's parents' house, and I was...mostly in depressive land. I had a good two hours watching The Family Stone, reading Yuletide fic, and talking to my brother and his girlfriend.
21. Did you fall in love or stay in love in 2016?
Stayed in love. Also had a crush on my school roommate? We discussed it once, because she's poly and it was sort of possibility, and I think just decided we didn't have time/energy to step up our emotional commitment in any way.
22. Discover any new restaurants?
There is a good burger place in Dayton, OH, hallelujah! Also found the one good BBQ place, the brewpub two blocks from our new house, and two Italian places (one super fancy, one medium).
23. What were you watching on TV in 2016?
Brooklyn 99, any of the Marvel Netflix series, Flashpoint, Leverage, occasionally My Name is Earl
24. Any TV you've given up on?
Everything else? T. still watches Elementary and the DC shows on the CW (so Arrow, Supergirl, and The Flash), but I didn't have the time/energy/inclination.
25. Movie experiences of 2016 you'd like to remember?
Arrival, Deadpool (we actually saw it on Valentine's Day! best Valentine's Day movie ever!), Zootopia, Ghostbusters, Star Trek: Beyond, Don't Think Twice (if you were ever in the improv comedy scene like T. and I were, this movie will make you cry a lot)
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Dessa. Like, you know? I knew of Dessa, but finally caving and buying her albums? Also Taylor Swift's 1989 album, two years late, heh.
27. Any books to talk about?
I already talked about Broken Homes from Rivers of London in Fandom Snowflake.
28. New games?
Yes! I almost finished Mass Effect (the first one) for the first time, and I started Dragon Age: Origins. I just really like Bioware's storytelling, and all other video games don't do it for me. Also, Pokemon GO and Plants vs. Zombie Heroes.
In board games, Machi Koro and Blueprints.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Oh geez. Elsewhere I said Arrival, but in terms of sheer enjoyment, probably Deadpool.
30. Which celebrity/public figure did you appreciate the most?
Terry Crews--he's honest, he's not perfect, he's hilarious, and he's an ardent feminist
31. What did you want and not get?
The US Election not to go to shit?
32. Any new fashion items for you?
Covered earlier--I'm trying the blazer thing to up my More Formal Adult Clothing Over T-Shirts Game.
33. Food memories of 2016?
The day before July 4th, T, T's sister M, and I went to a Chicago BBQ festival, and then went to The Violet Hour. I tried LOTS of cocktails, and got drunk for the only time since...2010, when I first started psychotropic meds. I really like the taste of hard liquor, so even though I knew I was going to be fucked in the head for several days because of the meds + alcohol combo, I decided it would be worth it for yummy fancy cocktails. It totally was. (Also T. was finally able to have a Really Important Conversation about his own mental health with M., due to the fancy cocktails and the hanging out in a dark fancy bar place, so it was extra worth it.)
Also having my birthday/baby shower cake with meals for days and days and days afterwards.
34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29, and my mom was in town originally for my birthday but then it turned into for a baby shower for us the day before my birthday. So mostly I recovered from the shower and did homework, and we tried a new restaurant because all of our favorites were closed because it was Sunday (it was terrible, alas).
35. Who did you miss?
All my Atlanta (hoooooooome) friends.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
New D&D friends, I think.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
Even people and organizations you respect and love will catastrophize and spread fear.
Also, liberal social-justice people do not care anywhere close to as much as they should about intersectionality when it comes to disability or class/socioeconomic status.
38. Where do you want to be next year at this time?
I'd like to feel comfortable about where I am in the job-finding process.
I want to feel like I've done my best to promote justice and freedom and be active in the political process.
I want to be happy and calm on the whole.
I want to feel more physically fit and have better stamina.
I want to feel like I'm still me, and that I have time and energy to enjoy my interests, even with life changes due to parenting, putting more effort into politics, and being in my Advanced Internship for school.
I also want to feel like I'm learning a lot from my Advanced Internship and not getting jaded or burnt out by it.
39. Did you enjoy this year?
Politics wise (and subsequent mental health meltdown wise): no. And it was a 100% complete garbage fire year for so many people close to me that I have to say not really? It was a year of a lot of change for us, with the buying a house and moving and starting the process of becoming foster parents and me starting my first year of my second masters, so there was a lot of uncomfortable growth and a lot of stress.
(
comments at Dreamwidth. Comment there.)
st_aurafina's Friending Meme, so I figured I need to post something that is both public and approximately like what I normally talk about here.)
1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
We bought a house. I still feel a little weird that the Grown-Up Police didn't come and take us away for that.
. What goals do you have for 2017?
Ugh, see the (access-locked) Fandom Snowflake post. I am done setting goals until I am required to by Mental Health Professionals(TM) tomorrow night.
3. How did you spend New Year 2016?
With Friend R, playing Monopoly Deal at his house, and frantically trying to finish some knitting.
4. How will you spend it for 2017?
At Friends S and H's house, with Friend R and his Fiancee R...playing board games and frantically trying to finish some knitting.
5. How much traveling did you do in 2016?
Much less than 2015, which was the Year of Too Much Traveling, but less than I would have liked. We went to Seattle in May for my brother's brain surgery, Colorado in June for a conference for T's work, and the traditional 4th of July visit to T's older sister in Chicago. (I hope to make that one a yearly tradition, even with kids, because I miss living in a big city, and I both love Chicago and T's older sister.) Oh, and I road-tripped with a friend to Rhinebeck for the (very famous) New York State Sheep and Wool Festival.
6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
Enough money in the bank to not worry about small emergencies.
7. What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory and why?
November 8th. Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly? I didn't have my Regularly Scheduled Midterms Depressive Episode. I was on top of my (heavy) courseload and our foster parenting paperwork and classes for at least a month longer than I anticipated. That's a big deal for me.
9. What was your biggest learning experience?
Last spring, I was doing my first therapeutic internship, learning how to lead group therapy and being thrown into the deep end with my first individual client. That was an entire semester of "I can't handle this I can't handle this...oh, now I'm used to it!" over and over again.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing major, except for the anxiety and depression spiral post-US election.
11. What was the best thing you got, bought or pilfered?
Hmm. A few things?
1. Super cheap play kitchen and play workbench from the local kids' consignment store. Proud of those.
2. A 6' fiberglass frame ladder, which we use everywhere in our new house.
3. The Mighty Heroines of Marvel fleece throw.
4. This semi-blazer/semi-cardigan from ModCloth.
5. MantleClips to hang stockings securely without damaging our fancy original 1882 mantels.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My brother? He had brain surgery as calmly as possible, did all the stuff for his recovery, buys me the yarn when he asks me to knit him things, finally decided to label the relationship with his girlfriend of 2 years as a relationship, and went to TX to take care of his girlfriend when she had surgery for endometriosis.
13. What's your most embarrassing moment of 2016?
Let's just not, okay?
14. Where did most of your money go?
A giant honking mortgage. We scraped and pinched for several months for the down payment, and it took a few months to get back to not living paycheck-to-paycheck after, too.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kent Parson? (The, let us say, anti-hero of OMGCP.) Baby gear? Oh, yeah, SOLAR SYSTEM THEMED GENDER NEUTRAL NURSERY. BAM!
16. What song will always remind you of 2016?
Don't Mind--Kent Jones. This was two months of driving teenagers and pre-teens to therapy 2-3 times a week. Hearing it 3-4 times a day. The girls LOVED this song, and I hate it.
17. Did you start any new hobbies?
I'm playing D&D again, and enjoying it for the first time (5th Ed is the only D&D edition of my heart!). Also, house repairs and renovations, heh. And Pokemon GO.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Knitting. Talking about politics with my (conservative) parents before the election. Walking/biking places.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Commuting. Reading "The Discourse" on Tumblr. Getting distracted on the computer when T. wants to spend time with me.
20. How did you spend Christmas?
The week before Christmas my parents were visiting here, and I was in really bad depressive land. The day of Christmas, we drove out to T's parents' house, and I was...mostly in depressive land. I had a good two hours watching The Family Stone, reading Yuletide fic, and talking to my brother and his girlfriend.
21. Did you fall in love or stay in love in 2016?
Stayed in love. Also had a crush on my school roommate? We discussed it once, because she's poly and it was sort of possibility, and I think just decided we didn't have time/energy to step up our emotional commitment in any way.
22. Discover any new restaurants?
There is a good burger place in Dayton, OH, hallelujah! Also found the one good BBQ place, the brewpub two blocks from our new house, and two Italian places (one super fancy, one medium).
23. What were you watching on TV in 2016?
Brooklyn 99, any of the Marvel Netflix series, Flashpoint, Leverage, occasionally My Name is Earl
24. Any TV you've given up on?
Everything else? T. still watches Elementary and the DC shows on the CW (so Arrow, Supergirl, and The Flash), but I didn't have the time/energy/inclination.
25. Movie experiences of 2016 you'd like to remember?
Arrival, Deadpool (we actually saw it on Valentine's Day! best Valentine's Day movie ever!), Zootopia, Ghostbusters, Star Trek: Beyond, Don't Think Twice (if you were ever in the improv comedy scene like T. and I were, this movie will make you cry a lot)
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Dessa. Like, you know? I knew of Dessa, but finally caving and buying her albums? Also Taylor Swift's 1989 album, two years late, heh.
27. Any books to talk about?
I already talked about Broken Homes from Rivers of London in Fandom Snowflake.
28. New games?
Yes! I almost finished Mass Effect (the first one) for the first time, and I started Dragon Age: Origins. I just really like Bioware's storytelling, and all other video games don't do it for me. Also, Pokemon GO and Plants vs. Zombie Heroes.
In board games, Machi Koro and Blueprints.
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Oh geez. Elsewhere I said Arrival, but in terms of sheer enjoyment, probably Deadpool.
30. Which celebrity/public figure did you appreciate the most?
Terry Crews--he's honest, he's not perfect, he's hilarious, and he's an ardent feminist
31. What did you want and not get?
The US Election not to go to shit?
32. Any new fashion items for you?
Covered earlier--I'm trying the blazer thing to up my More Formal Adult Clothing Over T-Shirts Game.
33. Food memories of 2016?
The day before July 4th, T, T's sister M, and I went to a Chicago BBQ festival, and then went to The Violet Hour. I tried LOTS of cocktails, and got drunk for the only time since...2010, when I first started psychotropic meds. I really like the taste of hard liquor, so even though I knew I was going to be fucked in the head for several days because of the meds + alcohol combo, I decided it would be worth it for yummy fancy cocktails. It totally was. (Also T. was finally able to have a Really Important Conversation about his own mental health with M., due to the fancy cocktails and the hanging out in a dark fancy bar place, so it was extra worth it.)
Also having my birthday/baby shower cake with meals for days and days and days afterwards.
34. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29, and my mom was in town originally for my birthday but then it turned into for a baby shower for us the day before my birthday. So mostly I recovered from the shower and did homework, and we tried a new restaurant because all of our favorites were closed because it was Sunday (it was terrible, alas).
35. Who did you miss?
All my Atlanta (hoooooooome) friends.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
New D&D friends, I think.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.
Even people and organizations you respect and love will catastrophize and spread fear.
Also, liberal social-justice people do not care anywhere close to as much as they should about intersectionality when it comes to disability or class/socioeconomic status.
38. Where do you want to be next year at this time?
I'd like to feel comfortable about where I am in the job-finding process.
I want to feel like I've done my best to promote justice and freedom and be active in the political process.
I want to be happy and calm on the whole.
I want to feel more physically fit and have better stamina.
I want to feel like I'm still me, and that I have time and energy to enjoy my interests, even with life changes due to parenting, putting more effort into politics, and being in my Advanced Internship for school.
I also want to feel like I'm learning a lot from my Advanced Internship and not getting jaded or burnt out by it.
39. Did you enjoy this year?
Politics wise (and subsequent mental health meltdown wise): no. And it was a 100% complete garbage fire year for so many people close to me that I have to say not really? It was a year of a lot of change for us, with the buying a house and moving and starting the process of becoming foster parents and me starting my first year of my second masters, so there was a lot of uncomfortable growth and a lot of stress.
(
comments at Dreamwidth. Comment there.)