5 Best Things from 2015

Holy crap, guys, is it seriously 2016? Oh God, I typed 2015 there originally. It’s already too much for me. But don’t get me wrong, 2015 was kind of crazy. Here are the big five awesome things that happened to yours truly this year. My Five Favorites of 2015 (in no specific order) are…

2015 copy

The Travel Weekend, in which I went to Bard to see Neil Gaiman and then drove to DC to see Amanda Palmer the following night. She signed my hippo. It was magical.
My First Book Event, in which I read from my poetry chapbook, Pickled Miracles, at Rickert & Beagle in Pittsburgh. I also sold custom poetry.
Our First House, in which my husband and I bought a house in Pittsburgh. It was one of the most stressful processes I’ve ever gone through, but now…we own a freaking house.
Ask Me Another, in which I was a participant on the NPR quiz show. Such fun. I didn’t win, but it was totally worth it.
Crafts, in which my visual art game became stronger. I did monthly doodles, photography, felting, papercrafts…it’s been fun to have something more tactile to balance my writing.

Honorable mentions: The Chuck Palahniuk and Rainbow Rowell events, Picklesburgh, Welcome to Night Vale, Mudderella, the Priory Hotel, the Pittsburgh Botanical Garden, NaNoWriMo

Has this year been a journey? Absolutely. But even though that was my word of the year, it’s not over yet. Is it ever?

Tomorrow: the word for this year and what I have planned.

Monday 9/8/14: What Am I Doing?

Watching: The Office – I got into a mood to rewatch parts of one of my favorite sitcoms. A friend of mine recently called The Office a “safe” comedy, and I think that is in some ways very true and somewhat not. Because it’s like…yes, there really isn’t much depth to the show itself, but the characters take on a complexity that makes them very different as the years progress. Anyway, I still like it. Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.

Loving: Fall/Pumpkin-flavored Stuff/All of that – I know it’s the popular thing to be loving right now but I just don’t care. I have pumpkin spice almonds in my cabinet and multiple Starbucks within a 5 mile radius of my house. I have super comfy socks and lots of sweaters. I am so ready.

Reading: Landline by Rainbow Rowell – Actually, I’m re-reading/re-listening to this. There is so much to love about this book: the backward love story, how everything you think will become a cliche doesn’t, and the fact that there is a magical phone. The heroine even makes Dr. Who jokes. Come on.

Hearing: Novö Piano by Maxence Cyrin – If you have a single Pandora music station that is even remotely associated with mellow piano music, you’ve probably at least heard Cyrin’s cover of “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies. The whole thing is like that. Melodic, soothing, chill. My other favorite is his cover of “No Cars Go” by Arcade Fire. Sometimes, at night, I’ll turn it on repeat with my headphones on and pass in and out of consciousness.

Doing: Papercrafts! – My mom turned me onto papercrafting and making cards and little things out of cardstock and design sheets. And now I’m like…I want to make all the cards! All the fancy things! Out of paper! And I realize I really need a studio/craftroom/something.

It’s Monday. What are you doing?

Five Favorites: January

With 2014 starting up, I thought I’d try something new. Every month, I’ll touch on five awesome things from the previous month. Ready? Let’s go.

Wow. Such agenda. Very organize.

1. Starting a schedule. For Christmas, my sister gave me Vera Bradley 2014 agenda book. It’s gorgeous — vibrant colors, plenty of space, stickers. Since the start of the year, I have been using it not only to keep track of my busy work, but also to track my accomplishments. Given the ups and downs of my mood, this has been very helpful in keeping me motivated through January.

Made from real paraphernalia at the park

2. Finishing my physical scrapbook and online photo album from my cross-country trip during the summer of 2013. The project had been making its way from To Do List to To Do List for nearly six months, and finally having it all done and accessible was a joyful feeling.

3. Getting my new Glass. It’s tangerine. Despite how sad it was to send back the one I went all the way to New York to get in July, I can’t complain about the new features and fit. I’m looking forward to creating some new videos with it.

It was as epic as it looks.

4. Going out with the husband to see this little flick in the historic Hollywood Theater in Dormont, a neighborhood south of Pittsburgh. It is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. It was Shaun of the Dead, Cabin in the Woods and every Youtube video you’ve ever seen about LARP. I loved it.

Squeak squeak!

5. Celebrating the One Year Anniversary of owning my two mice, Sylvia and Virginia. They are awesome little girls, and they brighten my life every day. Yay.

What did you do during the month of January?