New Year's Meme 2016/2017
Happy New Year, Belated Merry Christmas! I'm dead haha. I spent all my limited energy last November on NaNoWriMo, and then paid the price all Decembery by feeling yucky and suuuper tired. Only now am I finally feeling more alive!
☆ What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
Visited Ireland, come out of the closet.
☆ Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Ugh, no. I didn't stick with Paleo, and I didn't self-pub anything again. I'm trying to do actionable goals this year instead of resolutions.
☆ Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my old highschool friends did, but nobody beside that.
☆ Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandmother; my last grandparent. :(
☆ What countries did you visit?
Ireland!
☆ What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
A sold book, and/or a self-published book!
☆ What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Feburary 14th, the day I came out to my parents. Then did my taxes to make the day super bizarre.
☆ What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Being honest with the people in my life about who I am.
☆ What was your biggest failure?
Not claiming my health.
☆ Did you suffer illness or injury?
Started the year with my terrible case of vertigo.
☆ What was the best thing you bought?
Maybe my pre-order for a Kinsman doll? Or perhaps the Jewel Riders concept boards for the toys.
☆ Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My family and friends. I had deep fear of rejection for being gay, but even though some don't agree, everyone who I've told has assured me of their love.
☆ Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The management at my hospital. They left us undestaffed for over two years, and their other bad decisions keep digging us into a shallow grave. Seriously, it's appalling.
☆ Where did most of your money go?
I'm going to say figures and other toys, but also a couple of nice trips like Ireland and Anime Expo.
☆ What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Embracing my "gay lifestyle" haha. Whatever that means. Also, I went through a Harry Potter bonanza this year between reading Cursed Child (Albus/Scorpius, plz) and seeing Fantastic Beasts.
☆ What song will always remind you of 2016?
Not sure if one song in particular, but I listened to the UK Queer as Folk soundtrack over and over again.
☆ Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?: happier personally (coming out yay, writing critique group yay), sadder professionally (my job is destroying me)
ii. thinner or fatter?: fatter - too much holiday indulgence, and not enough time spent on Paleo in 2016
iii. richer or poorer?: poorer (way too many toys and books)
☆ What do you wish you'd done more of?
Write more often. Start drawing again. Get to the gym more regularly. Get on a regular sleep pattern.
☆ What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the internet. Buying toys.
☆ How did you spend Christmas?
I had off December 23rd-26th. It's the first time I've had Christmas Eve off in years, so it was nice to finally be able to go to family dinner.
☆ Did you fall in love in 2016?
A little bit? I dated a guy for about six months before schedules kind of made it impossible.
☆ How many one-night stands?
Um...two?
☆ What was your favorite TV programme?
Probably Queer as Folk. I watched the first three seasons over the course of the year. Looking forward to finishing it in 2017.
☆ Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Donald Trump. Mike Pence.
☆ What was the best book you read?
Probably a three-way tie between How to Repair a Mechanical Heart (JC Lillis), Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Becky Abertalli), and Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell).
☆ What was your greatest musical discovery?
I loved, loved, loved seeing Postmodern Jukebox live. Also, the Hunchback of Notre Dame stage show is amazing.
☆ What did you want and get?
More lovely Harry Potter stuff! My first kiss from a boy!
☆ What did you want and not get?
To finally publish something on Amazon.
☆ What was your favorite film of this year?
Probably Fantastic Beasts, Moana, or Rogue One.
☆ What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Worked, then went to a Halloween costume party that night dressed as Harry Potter. XD
☆ What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Actually publishing something and/or sticking to my Paleo diet.
☆ How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Business casual + jeans?
☆ What kept you sane?
My writing critique group. It's amazing being reminded how great have IRL, supportive, creative people around you can be.
☆ Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Carrie Fisher's passing made me cry for the first time at a celebrity death. I loved her so much. But I got a bit obsessed with Sam Clemmett, who plays Albus in the Cursed Child.
☆ What political issue stirred you the most?
Election, obvs. Made me really dislike some family and church members for supporting Trump.
☆ Who did you miss?
The family and friends. Being far away from all of them still sucks.
☆ Who was the best new person you met?
Clinton, my not-quite-boyfriend.
☆ Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:
Be true, be you.
☆ Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"We've been broken down
To the lowest turn
Bein' on the bottom line
Sure ain't no fun
But if we should be evicted
Huh, from our homes
We'll just move somewhere else
And still carry on
Oh
(Hold on) hold on
(Hold on) hold on
Ooh, aah, baby
hold on
(Hold on) ooh ooh aah
The only way is up, baby
For you and me now
The only way is up, baby
For you and me now
Aah
Now we may not know, huh
Where our next meal is coming from
But with you by my side
I'll face what is to come
Aah, boy I want to thank you
Yeah, for loving me this way
Things may be a little hard now
But we'll find a brighter day"
From "The Only Way is Up" from the Queer as Folk Soundtrack.
In 2017...
☆ Will you be looking for a new job?
Yes. I'm actually send out apps right now!
☆ Will you be looking for a new relationship?
Probably when I move.
☆ New house?
Whenever I move.
☆ What will you do different in 2017?
Hopefully stick with Paleo!
☆ New Years resolution?
To continue my writing. I want to sell my novel and self-pub something by year's end.
☆ What will you not be doing in 2017?
Hopefully not buying as many toys. I'm feeling cose to total burnout in that corner.
☆ Any trips planned?
Going to try and take a friendscation to Hawaii in the spring, and hopefully back to Europe with the fam in the fall.
☆ Wedding plans?
Not as of yet.
☆ What's on your calendar?
San Francisco Writer's Conference in mid-February.
☆ What can't you wait for?
To take a few weeks off! XD
☆ What would you like to see happen different?
Leave Redding finally, haha. Publishing.
☆ What about yourself will you be changing?
Hopefully my weight. (Restarting Paleo this month!)
☆ What happened in '16 that you didn't think would ever happen?
Me actually coming out.
☆ Will you be nicer to the people you care about?
Hopefully. I never try to be mean. :]
☆ Will you dress differently this year than you did in '16?
Hopefully I'll dress better. Losing more weight = new clothing racks opening up.
☆ Will you start or quit drinking?
My drinking is very limited social drinking.
☆ Will you better your relationship with your family?
I hope so. I hope for continued honesty between us.
☆ Will you do charity work?
That would be nice.
☆ Will you go to bars?
Probably a few here or there. Gay bars preferably. XD
☆ Will you be nice to people you don't know?
I'm pretty much ridiculously friendly to people at work. Killing em with kindness.
☆ Do you expect '17 to be a good year for you?
I definitely have high hopes!
☆ How much did you change from this time last year til now?
Is it possible for a life to do something like close to a 180? Last January I never believed I would come out, then my trip to San Francisco in February changed everything.
☆ Do you plan on having a child?
No, I just plan on spoiling my friends' kids.
☆ Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now?
I had better be. If we aren't then I'm epic fail at friendships.
☆ Major lifestyle changes?
Moving out of Redding is my biggest desired lifestyle change this year.
☆ Will you be moving?
Let's hope so! (For my sanity and dating options, lol!)
☆ What will you make sure doesn't happen in '17 that happened in '16?
Allowing my hard-won dietary changes to slip away again.
☆ What are your New Years Eve plans?
I slept haha, and watched Harry Potter.
☆ Will you have someone to kiss at midnight?
Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
☆ One wish for '17?
That I can channel some of the energy that I have put into consumptive hobbies into more productive/creative endeavors. I took some good steps toward that in '16, but it needs to ramp up. :)
☆ What did you do in 2016 that you'd never done before?
Visited Ireland, come out of the closet.
☆ Did you keep your new years resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Ugh, no. I didn't stick with Paleo, and I didn't self-pub anything again. I'm trying to do actionable goals this year instead of resolutions.
☆ Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my old highschool friends did, but nobody beside that.
☆ Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandmother; my last grandparent. :(
☆ What countries did you visit?
Ireland!
☆ What would you like to have in 2017 that you lacked in 2016?
A sold book, and/or a self-published book!
☆ What date from 2016 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Feburary 14th, the day I came out to my parents. Then did my taxes to make the day super bizarre.
☆ What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Being honest with the people in my life about who I am.
☆ What was your biggest failure?
Not claiming my health.
☆ Did you suffer illness or injury?
Started the year with my terrible case of vertigo.
☆ What was the best thing you bought?
Maybe my pre-order for a Kinsman doll? Or perhaps the Jewel Riders concept boards for the toys.
☆ Whose behaviour merited celebration?
My family and friends. I had deep fear of rejection for being gay, but even though some don't agree, everyone who I've told has assured me of their love.
☆ Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The management at my hospital. They left us undestaffed for over two years, and their other bad decisions keep digging us into a shallow grave. Seriously, it's appalling.
☆ Where did most of your money go?
I'm going to say figures and other toys, but also a couple of nice trips like Ireland and Anime Expo.
☆ What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Embracing my "gay lifestyle" haha. Whatever that means. Also, I went through a Harry Potter bonanza this year between reading Cursed Child (Albus/Scorpius, plz) and seeing Fantastic Beasts.
☆ What song will always remind you of 2016?
Not sure if one song in particular, but I listened to the UK Queer as Folk soundtrack over and over again.
☆ Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?: happier personally (coming out yay, writing critique group yay), sadder professionally (my job is destroying me)
ii. thinner or fatter?: fatter - too much holiday indulgence, and not enough time spent on Paleo in 2016
iii. richer or poorer?: poorer (way too many toys and books)
☆ What do you wish you'd done more of?
Write more often. Start drawing again. Get to the gym more regularly. Get on a regular sleep pattern.
☆ What do you wish you'd done less of?
Wasting time on the internet. Buying toys.
☆ How did you spend Christmas?
I had off December 23rd-26th. It's the first time I've had Christmas Eve off in years, so it was nice to finally be able to go to family dinner.
☆ Did you fall in love in 2016?
A little bit? I dated a guy for about six months before schedules kind of made it impossible.
☆ How many one-night stands?
Um...two?
☆ What was your favorite TV programme?
Probably Queer as Folk. I watched the first three seasons over the course of the year. Looking forward to finishing it in 2017.
☆ Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Donald Trump. Mike Pence.
☆ What was the best book you read?
Probably a three-way tie between How to Repair a Mechanical Heart (JC Lillis), Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Becky Abertalli), and Fangirl (Rainbow Rowell).
☆ What was your greatest musical discovery?
I loved, loved, loved seeing Postmodern Jukebox live. Also, the Hunchback of Notre Dame stage show is amazing.
☆ What did you want and get?
More lovely Harry Potter stuff! My first kiss from a boy!
☆ What did you want and not get?
To finally publish something on Amazon.
☆ What was your favorite film of this year?
Probably Fantastic Beasts, Moana, or Rogue One.
☆ What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Worked, then went to a Halloween costume party that night dressed as Harry Potter. XD
☆ What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Actually publishing something and/or sticking to my Paleo diet.
☆ How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
Business casual + jeans?
☆ What kept you sane?
My writing critique group. It's amazing being reminded how great have IRL, supportive, creative people around you can be.
☆ Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Carrie Fisher's passing made me cry for the first time at a celebrity death. I loved her so much. But I got a bit obsessed with Sam Clemmett, who plays Albus in the Cursed Child.
☆ What political issue stirred you the most?
Election, obvs. Made me really dislike some family and church members for supporting Trump.
☆ Who did you miss?
The family and friends. Being far away from all of them still sucks.
☆ Who was the best new person you met?
Clinton, my not-quite-boyfriend.
☆ Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016:
Be true, be you.
☆ Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"We've been broken down
To the lowest turn
Bein' on the bottom line
Sure ain't no fun
But if we should be evicted
Huh, from our homes
We'll just move somewhere else
And still carry on
Oh
(Hold on) hold on
(Hold on) hold on
Ooh, aah, baby
hold on
(Hold on) ooh ooh aah
The only way is up, baby
For you and me now
The only way is up, baby
For you and me now
Aah
Now we may not know, huh
Where our next meal is coming from
But with you by my side
I'll face what is to come
Aah, boy I want to thank you
Yeah, for loving me this way
Things may be a little hard now
But we'll find a brighter day"
From "The Only Way is Up" from the Queer as Folk Soundtrack.
In 2017...
☆ Will you be looking for a new job?
Yes. I'm actually send out apps right now!
☆ Will you be looking for a new relationship?
Probably when I move.
☆ New house?
Whenever I move.
☆ What will you do different in 2017?
Hopefully stick with Paleo!
☆ New Years resolution?
To continue my writing. I want to sell my novel and self-pub something by year's end.
☆ What will you not be doing in 2017?
Hopefully not buying as many toys. I'm feeling cose to total burnout in that corner.
☆ Any trips planned?
Going to try and take a friendscation to Hawaii in the spring, and hopefully back to Europe with the fam in the fall.
☆ Wedding plans?
Not as of yet.
☆ What's on your calendar?
San Francisco Writer's Conference in mid-February.
☆ What can't you wait for?
To take a few weeks off! XD
☆ What would you like to see happen different?
Leave Redding finally, haha. Publishing.
☆ What about yourself will you be changing?
Hopefully my weight. (Restarting Paleo this month!)
☆ What happened in '16 that you didn't think would ever happen?
Me actually coming out.
☆ Will you be nicer to the people you care about?
Hopefully. I never try to be mean. :]
☆ Will you dress differently this year than you did in '16?
Hopefully I'll dress better. Losing more weight = new clothing racks opening up.
☆ Will you start or quit drinking?
My drinking is very limited social drinking.
☆ Will you better your relationship with your family?
I hope so. I hope for continued honesty between us.
☆ Will you do charity work?
That would be nice.
☆ Will you go to bars?
Probably a few here or there. Gay bars preferably. XD
☆ Will you be nice to people you don't know?
I'm pretty much ridiculously friendly to people at work. Killing em with kindness.
☆ Do you expect '17 to be a good year for you?
I definitely have high hopes!
☆ How much did you change from this time last year til now?
Is it possible for a life to do something like close to a 180? Last January I never believed I would come out, then my trip to San Francisco in February changed everything.
☆ Do you plan on having a child?
No, I just plan on spoiling my friends' kids.
☆ Will you still be friends with the same people you are friends with now?
I had better be. If we aren't then I'm epic fail at friendships.
☆ Major lifestyle changes?
Moving out of Redding is my biggest desired lifestyle change this year.
☆ Will you be moving?
Let's hope so! (For my sanity and dating options, lol!)
☆ What will you make sure doesn't happen in '17 that happened in '16?
Allowing my hard-won dietary changes to slip away again.
☆ What are your New Years Eve plans?
I slept haha, and watched Harry Potter.
☆ Will you have someone to kiss at midnight?
Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
☆ One wish for '17?
That I can channel some of the energy that I have put into consumptive hobbies into more productive/creative endeavors. I took some good steps toward that in '16, but it needs to ramp up. :)