In walks 2017. Out walks something else.
2017 was shitty for the world but great for me. Let's talk about it, shall we. Year number 14. Who would have guessed livejournal would get to be over 14 years old?
1. What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
2017 was the year of working. When we last touched base, Amanda and I had just started living together, and that continued. I'm happy to say that our living together has been overwhelmingly happy and positive and we've managed to create a lovely and comfortable home.
Acting wise 2017 was pretty decent: I booked a few commercials, had a few good auditions that I didn't land and managed to book a ton of theatre work. Film/TV work was not good this year, so I hope to make moves in that direction in 2018. That said, theatre was most good to me: Not only did I embark on a crazy mostly-cross-country with Hamelin, but I also got to do tons of work on Japanese Problem, which was a massive success working with a great creative team, capped off with booking Sleeping Beauty Dreams which marks back to back shows kicking off the new year. This, I very much like.
2017 was the year of getting my finances in order. I did my taxes with a proper accountant, and went about filling up my time with Taste Vancouver (with whom I created a whole new brewery tour), teaching with Young Actors Project, and riding with Foodora, all of which were new things for me. I started listening to podcasts on a whole new level as well.
There are some other things in the hopper for 2018 that started in 2017: A trip to Vietnam is very exciting, and of course anything would be when I get to spend it in such lovely company. Who knows what I'll post here next year?
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
From last year:
"1. Pay off your debt, ass hat.
2. Finish doing your taxes.
3. Do one trip out of Canada, if possible.
4. Book another TV role & audition for Bard and Arts Club.
5. Get your climbing up to 3 hexes.
6. Write a new play."
How did it go?
My debt is almost gone: It would have been completely gone by now if not for Christmas and various associated largess, but that should soon be finished off, especially since I'm working non-stop the next two months. Taxes also got done, and professionally, catching me up and taking another large financial albatross from around my neck and tossing it into the sea. Is that what you do with one of those? I really don't know.
I did manage a few sojurns into the US this year, plus traveled to Ontario and back, but nothing major in that regard. The biggest planned trip was a drop down into Seattle that was aborted when we realized that we had neglected to book an Air BNB and couldn't afford the increased prices. Boo-urns.
I booked a few commercials, and didn't audition for either Bard or Arts Club, however I did do some good work that should have increased my visibility on those radars, or so one would hope.
I did manage to get my climbing up to 3 hexes, although not across the board and it's probably worse now. That said, I nailed an 5.8 that Amanda was a bit scared of outdoor climbing in Squamish, so that's not too shabby.
No new play. I am batting around ideas for this year's Push festival, hopefully I can get back on that pony and ride again.
For next year:
1. Put away some monrey
2. Book another TV role & audition for Bard and Arts Club.
3. Do more short films.
4. Create the Final Fantasy Improv show.
5. Side splits, and fix your hip flexors while you're at it. This is the year.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Another year of babies filling up the Facebook. None immediately come to mind off the top of my head, which means those friends are far away and I haven't seen their kids in person, or that I'm a bad friend
4. Did anyone close to you die?
I can't think of anyone.
5. What countries did you visit?
Canada and the US. This will change next year.
6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017?
More auditions again, but I'm really not lacking for that. I would love to see Instant stabilize, and will do what I can to make that happen. I love the company and we do good work.
7. What date from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
No particular date comes to mind, other than the election of Trump making the news so fucking weird, and the #metoo movement exploding. We live in times of great turmoil, I hope that this will breed fertile ground for better days in the future.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my financial house of cards in order. At one point, I didn't know if I would ever be able to get it under controll. Then, I did some math and set myself to get it all done in two years. I did it in a little more than one.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Being able to commit to Instant as much as I can. Being a part of the community that I love. General career networking. Basically, #firstworldproblems
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Starting working with kids put me on the constant train of losing my voice. Thankfully that has stopped, but we'll see what happens when I return to teaching (FULL FREAKING TIME) in Feb.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
I bought a bunch of good stuff for the apartment. I didn't buy it, (although I did buy a bunch of cables for it) but I'm super jazzed about the loop pedal Amanda got me for Christmas. It's the best toy and is being used to great effect in Hype!
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My little sister is getting married! I'll give it to her as an early present.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Trump takes this again, but the masses of people being outed by #metoo have a lot of other candidates. Louis C.K. was tough, as was Kevin Spacey. It's hard to see your heroes fail.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Games, probably. It's an investment in my sanity!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Future plans.
16. What song will always remind you of 2017?
Gunship- Tech Noir. It's just a cool song.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Even happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? Thinner. But I'll get more so, because Christmas makes monsters of us all.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer. Yay! This may be the first time I can definitvely say that!
18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
General time management? I worked a lot, but didn't really get to see that much of my friends, and I owe them more of my attention because they really do mean a ton to me.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eh, don't feel like time was terribly wasted. I did a lot of what had to get done.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
Christmas was very low-key, although we did get a (massive) real tree, and got tons of great gifts: Sodastream! A loop pedal! Tons of fun games!
21. How will you be spending New Years?
We ended up going to Yoshie and Rafel's place, which was a nice easy New Years jaunt.
22. Did you fall in love in 2017?
Stayed in it. Grew deeper. Maybe I decided that I love Poot Cat.
23. How many one-night stands?
None.
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Stranger Things. Mr. Robot. Bojack Horseman.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate is a strong word, and there's a bit too much of it going around right nwo.
26. What was the best book you read?
Finally got around to reading Lolita, and, as Amanda said so many times, it's great!
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Didn't really discover any music this year, but I was too busy mainlining podcasts. I really continued to love Reply All, but Start Up was also unexpectedly facinating.
28. What did you want and get?
An increasingly better relationship.
29. What did you want and not get?
Film career advancement.
30. What was your favourite film of this year?
Mother! would be a good answer if just to stir shit up. I genuinely loved a lot of the Marvel movies this year: Spiderman, Thor, Guardiens of the Galaxy were all solid.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was on tour! I got to eat some food at a weird restauraunt in the middle of nowhere.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
MORE of what I got. Again, no complaints. Political wins would have been great.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017?
Brent, but with more button ups, because teachers don't wear t-shirts.
34. What kept you sane?
Amanda. Poot. Vidja Games.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No celeb crush comes to mind. Most of my media was audio this year!
36. What political issue stirred you the most?'
#metoo
37. Who did you miss?
My many friends, both here in Vancovuer and elsewhere.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Nobody comes to mind, but I've met tons of great folks at work: Foodora, acting, random gigs. Yeah for solid folks.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017:
Goals are easier to acheive when you have good motivation to get them. Simple enough, but it makes so much sense when you feel it.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
With stamps.com you can save off what you'd pay at the post office.
... I did say I spent a lot of time listening to podcasts.
C'mon 2018. Let's do this thing.