End of Year Wrap Up

The life update no one asked for:

I’ve had a HELL of a year. How about you guys? Tell me about your years, good, bad, all in between. Anything you want to happen in 2020 or anything you want to change for yourself?

My year:
- said goodbye to my best companion, my pupper, in January (I’m still not over it)
- went to New York for the first time and loved every second. I only got on the wrong subway once.
- did a Pirate photoshoot on an actual pirate ship
- got hit in the face with a metal pole and had to get nine stitches between my eyebrows. I now sport a cute scar along there.
- went on a trip to Minnesota to visit a dear friend (it’s gorgeous there) and did a witch themed photoshoot
- said goodbye to my Grandmother
- became closer to my Mum
- was fired from my job (the shittiest)
- was picked to be in a jury and got elected jury foreman (I actually liked it and found the whole process/trial interesting. I took it very seriously)
- moved
- got my first painting commission (I’m still over the moon about this one)
- fell in love
- picked up hula hooping
- will turn 31 in two weeks
- gained a bunch of weight and yet, I find myself to be the happiest I’ve been..potentially ever?

I don’t have a ton of wants or wishes for 2020 - maybe get back into running, I miss it so much. But yeah! What about you guys? How was your year? And how’s next year looking? :)
 
2019: Moved in with my girlfriend of now four years around Easter, built a garage, tore down a deck, installed a hot tub, saw a ton of shows, had several scares with our now-14 years old dog (he's fine, for the record, I mean, he's old, but he's happy and in pretty good health). Also turned 40. That's about it.

2020: Will finish the new deck, repair the damage caused to the flowers and the lawn over construction, will see MORE shows and get to the half-decade mark.

Solid couple of years!
 
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My last couple of years:
- Got the diabeetus
- Became a step-grandpa (still counts!)
- Son moved out to go to college
- wife's girlfriend moved in.
- the company I work for was bought by another company. Still no word on whether or not we keep our jobs.
- Got a few more whistles
- Found a couple new places to play Irish music at. Which means I...
- Made some new friends, and...
- Learned some new tunes
- Passed the interviews to work at Goddard Space Center writing software for spacecraft instrumentation
- Got the offer rescinded when they realized they had over-spent on hiring for those positions.
- Killed a red-shouldered hawk with my car the week I got my dash cam. Only the second animal I've ever hit, and I felt terrible. But the video evidence proves I couldn't have avoided it.
- Visited friends in Phoenix (2nd attempt. First attempt ended in failure due to weather and flu)
- Visited Universal Studios Orlando and did all the Harry Potter stuff. Drank butterbeer, even though I'm not supposed to.
- Had to school a thousand friends and relatives as to why I wasn't gonna get the black lung from vaping.
- Played the flute in public for the first time
 
I have had quite a year!

I have survived being back at work after my gradual return and have been back full time all year. Work is going well overall and I’ve maintained my French. I acted for my boss early in the year which got interrupted by me falling face first on a work trip. I don’t even remember falling, just a random dude picking me up off the ground. I refused medical treatment like an idiot, but got help the next day after I got home and spent the next month off recovering from a concussion, black eye, messed up face and two sprained knees.

My new boss both left (why I was acting for her) and returned. I got to meet her finally and travel with her. She seems nice and doesn’t treat me like I’m broken and has scheduled me for as much travel next year as anyone else, which I appreciate. Being sick and having mobility issues doesn’t make me broken. It makes me ill. There’s a difference.

Remember my screaming, hideous boss’ boss a few years ago? I channeled her rudeness to fight my daughter’s school and help her through a terrible time. I wasn’t as rude, but like 90% as rude and scary. I learned from the best hahaha. The problem was resolved as best as it could be and the two offenders go to different schools now.

My father is finally doing well health wise.

We’ve had some crappy luck around the house recently with dryer fires and car crap that is spending my retro for me. No new camera lenses for me :(
 
Eat, sleep, work, play sims, rinse, repeat.

Have a heart attack.

Eat, sleep, work, play sims, rinse, repeat.

But I am anywhere from 5-15lbs down from September, depending on the hour, day, or which scale you want to believe.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I realized my job had no future, and that the company I was working for would go under within 2 years. That kind of sucked.
Found a new job. It's been pretty cool.
Finally moved into a new house. It's pretty cool.
Got Emrys to be my girlfriend in July. That was pretty cool. Working on getting her to Texas. That's really involved.
All in all, I'd say 2019 has been way better than the 5 or so years previous to it.
 
This year I completed a truncated tenure as the chair of my department. I had gotten the ball rolling on some good things, one of which derailed dramatically after I left to go on my sabbatical.

Was promoted to full professor.

Sold my house and a car and bought an empty lot on which a new house will be built while we are traveling.

Traveled to Belize for a month.

Visited Disney World in a mostly empty park, since many of the tourists were afraid of a hurricane that never hit Florida (Dorian).

Lived in Barbados for 3 months.

My uncle passed away.

Turned 43.

Got 90%+ of an app written for my first sabbatical project.
 
2019
Started a new job and no one has yelled at me real loud yet, so must be doing ok.

Lost my pet bunny, Panda in July. That still hurts.

Grandmother passed away in September. This had been expected ever since my Grandfather passed away last year and I am frankly surprised she lasted as long as she did. I had done my grieving already, so this does not hurt as bad.

2020
Going to Disney twice next year.

As of yesterday, it appears we are going to be adopting two new bunnies in February. They are coming from a good home, the previous owner found out their daughter is allergic to rabbits so they can't keep them.
 
2019

Got a fixed contract at my new job, which was fun but has recently lost a lot of pleasure for me
Got engaged to my girlfriend, who has since seriously started slipping into depression/anxiety, rendering our home life almost impossible
Got new tenants for my apartment, who have so far been slightly more of a pain in the ass than a rectally inserted cactus
Got more in touch with my emotions, but all the emotions I feel are rage or frustration, so that's not especially helpful
Got more depressed again, without any way to get it together.

I dunno, it's been very mixed.
 
2019: "Soon I will be dead, then I can finally be happy..."

P.S. not suicidal, just exhausted beyond the ability to cope, physical collapse is imminent in the coming weeks as no one in my life will give me time to breath.
 
Only really big thing that happened in 2019 is I guess I found out I was asexual? I already knew my own complicated weird sexuality (I even made a thread here about it) I just never knew that title applied to it.
 
My knee still hurts. Trying to eat more vegetarian. I also bought a killer hoody. Damn, do you know how expensive merino wool is though? Sheesh.
 
My knee still hurts. Trying to eat more vegetarian. I also bought a killer hoody. Damn, do you know how expensive merino wool is though? Sheesh.
It’s expensive, but it’s awesome and the only wool that doesn’t give me hives. Although everything gives me hives :D
 

Zappit

Staff member
I passed my comprehensive exams, so now I’m just one class away from my Master’s Degree.

I ended my webcomic after over six years of publishing it. I’m developing my next one, but I’m also signed on to an anthology that will be published.

I had a very difficult couple of months at work, and it caused so much stress my health was negatively affected. Things are getting better.

I discovered powe metal was something missing in my life that I didn’t know I needed.

I got a couple of holy grail figures for my Transformers collection.

Tore down a deck and rebuilt it.

Tore apart a bathroom and remodeled it.

I’m still single. I doubt that will ever change.

I guess I’m glad this year’s over. It wasn’t anything special.
 

Zappit

Staff member
Yeah, power metal is one of the super fun things in this universe. What are you listening to at the moment?
I’m working through Battle Beast, Gloryhammer, Nanowar of Steel (Valhalleluja is one of the wildest, most ridiculously entertaining songs/music videos I’ve ever heard.) etc... I’m kinda working my way through the Napalm records lineup.
 
Highlight of the year is that we finally got to go on our honeymoon around the time of our first year anniversary. It was really fun and hopefully we can get out and relax again sometime.

Lowlight would be that we have some bad debt that we're having a hard time paying down. My T-shots are like a hundred bucks a week and Mel doesn't want me going every other week or trying to do them from home again. I need to try and bring it up again because she's also put her therapy on hold too which I don't want her to do.
 
I’m working through Battle Beast, Gloryhammer, Nanowar of Steel (Valhalleluja is one of the wildest, most ridiculously entertaining songs/music videos I’ve ever heard.) etc... I’m kinda working my way through the Napalm records lineup.
Good choices, Gloryhammer is a fave of mine, and Battle Beast's first three albums are fantastic. Check out Beast in Black, Sabaton and HammerFall as well if you're into that kind of bombastic cheese. Great albums and great live acts.

And Blind Guardian are essential listening.
 
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