After New Year's....

[Ryrin]

....come here and reminisce about your past year... the good.. the bad.. the ugly....

 

[U4ea]

Ah, why wait!?! ;-)

 

 

Let's see what I can remember. Here's my 2012 wrap up! 

 

January- Eighth DM-aversary, 

 

February- 34th birthday, Sister-in-law deletes me from FB cutting off all contact with her and my nephew,

 

March- missed the St. Patty's Day parade because all of my plans fell through, Peanut takes Softball lessons

 

April- JordanCon- got to be a track director this time!, SPRING BREAK!, 

 

May- interviewed at a new school AND GOT THE JOB!, my sister gets married, 

 

June- cleaned out my lab and brought all of that stuff home, Hair Cut off, 

 

July- Eighth anniversary, moved stuff into new classroom and set it up, 

 

August- Tadpole's First MONSTER birthday, School Starts in new building

 

September- Peanut's Fifth birthday @ Monkey Joe's, DragonCon in Atlanta, 

 

October- PumpkinPalooza party @ school, Peanut is diagnosed with ADHD

 

November- Thanksgiving with my parents, NSTA Conference in Atlanta, Failed miserably at NaNo, Cold Days is released, Mother in law goes into the hospital for angioplasty (no stint!)

 

December- My nephew's first birthday, Christmas at home, week-long sickness after Christmas,  Christmas Around the World month at school, Saved nearly $3,000 using coupons this year!

 

 

 

I'll be back to update stuff as I think of it! :) It's been a busy year! 

[Ryrin]

I'll do mine ASAP!

[Ryrin]

I has spinal surgery.  Definitely one of the hardest things ever but now I am so much better.  Was off work for 5 months and able to mentally recharge.  Going back next week, both excited and have mixed feelings.  Started therapy to deal with stress better, prioritize and make goals after retirement (early) or just the next phase of my life.  I want to spend more time on my interests, my friends and enjoyment and work on fitness.  I love DM, joined Pininterest and enjoy Good Reads.  I'm going to hit the Farmer's Market weekly and cook more at home.  I'd like to listen to educational podcasts while exercising.  I have a wonderful adult relationship with my almost 23 year old son.  Younger one is coming along really well.

 

Can't wait to read AMoL and dreading that it's the last.

[U4ea]

updated a bit! 

[Wren of the Brown]

Hmm.
 
January: Turned down for a job promotion at a school that I enjoyed working at, got myself readmitted to the university out of frustration.  Started dating a gal my sisters went to high school with.
 
February: Didn't do much.  I gave a really awesome poetry reading at an SCA Arts and Sciences fair and won some fabric for it.  You can read the poem on my deviantArt account. I've only read it an audience twice and, in hindsight, it felt more like a curse.  I haven't performed it since. o_o;;

March: Broke up said gal, felt a little strung along.  I started reading Owen Barfield.  Goodness, I already look back on that chance encounter as a milestone in my life.

 

April:  Bought a kilt.  My maternal grandmother died.  My baby brother turned 21 and Sister 2 of 4 took him out to a bar and taught him how to drink responsibly.  Started reading Goethe's scientific writings through Barfield - realized something quite profound.

 

May: Finished the semester.  Started running regularly in the late spring evenings.

June: Month of massive wildfires in Colorado.  My dog died.

 

July: I celebrated my 31st birthday at knife point.  My dear mum was holding the knife.  Never a dull moment around here.

 

August: Fall semester started in earnest.  Took over marshal duties with the Shire.  Passed over again for a promotion; stopped caring about pleasing middle management.  Sister 1 of 4 had her second daughter.

 

September: I cut my hair after growing it out for three years.  Frankly relieved.  Started classroom observation and occasionally student teaching.

 

October: Madness happened and I dropped fifteen pounds - I made it a point to start eating breakfast, stop working so much and enjoy myself a little more.  Fought in our yearly Shire tournament and won as best local heavy fighter but there were only two of us so I'm not sure it counts.

November: Found out I will never be eligible for a work promotion due to budget cuts.  I show up to work everyday and leave when everything is in order but if I won't be rewarded for my efforts, I'm not going out of my way to do exceptional work.  Started dating said gal again - she initiated contact and I felt like she deserved a second chance.  Started working on a production of Machiavelli's play La Mandragola.

 

December: Finals month.  I have no idea if I want to teach but I wasn't able to get into the teacher's ed program so whatever.  My poetry lesson wasn't what my prof had in mind and I taught it too late in the month to reteach it; as such, I didn't get a high enough grade to broker entrance.  Oh well!  Broke up a few days ago with gal again - irritated but not hurt.  She's indecisive and deeply confused but I will not do this with her again.  My heart is not a punching bag.

 

So.  Thinking about last year's themes in general that don't really fit in neatly into monthly segments?  I started taking a pro-active step in constructive self-maintenance: I try not to unduly rag on myself and I especially try to take a few moments each day to start it gently and end it peacefully, that sort of thing.  I also mentioned a profound realization and it'd be hard to put into terms at this time of night and I sort of allude it elsewhere but, if I were to put it into practice, I would avoid using "just" as a descriptor.  For example; "a rainbow is just refracted light" or "red is just a waveform activity of certain reflected lights" or "he's just a man."  Reducing things down to their barest elements without accounting for intrinsic meaning seems profoundly short-sighted.  How can light, that which illumines, be just electron activity?  There are some other things I could talk about in that regard but I think I'll stop with that.  I also covered a lot of ground, I think, in clearing out a lot of destructive (or, at the least, distorted) theology that I was raised with but I'll also save that for another day.  This has been a very productive year for me in philosophical terms - the world suddenly became a lot more complex, almost by sheer accident and I'm thankful it happened.

[U4ea]

So, it sounds like you had one of those "turning point" kind of years! Those are always awesome to look back on in hindsight, though they were absolute hell at the time. I'm glad you're back and working through it, though! :) 

[Ryrin]

Yeah, it was really interesting reading that. :-)