2014 in Retrospect

Super late on this post!  So without further ado...

January—I began the month without a computer, my laptop having crashed over the holidays.  The purchase of my very first desktop followed, which was all very exciting.  My new possession was promptly dubbed George III, affectionately called Saint George, as it is all very fancy and important.  It did take some getting used to, of course, not being able to pick up my computer and take it elsewhere.  But in no time I was enjoying my new tool immensely.

February—a huge snowstorm rolled through in the middle of the month, dumping a foot of snow over us and teaching me what most adults have to go through when there is snow.  It was quite an education, driving on snowy streets (terrifying!) and digging out the parking lot (quite a slog, especially without a shovel; we got creative with house cleaning tools instead).  The bad weather made for a quiet Valentine’s, despite my working in a restaurant.  Afterward, however, I had something of a social life, having friends over to supper and going over to visit with them.

March—during this time I was working on a piece of music for the Hollins choir, which was a great opportunity.  I had a chance to work with all stages of a piece of performance music, from the lyrics, which were provided by an admired professor of mine, to the practices with some very talented musicians.  As I was also working on a fourth-wall-destroying script with my filmmaker friend, it was a very creative and rewarding period.

April—what stands out here was the beautiful wedding of my best friend and her long-time sweetheart.  It was a gorgeous ceremony, performed at sunset in the open air, with the most adorable little flower girl ever being trundled down the aisle in a red wagon.  I was so glad and proud to be there, though I did have to leave rather too early—the very next day was the performance of my choral piece, Activist, at Hollins, which I wouldn’t have missed.  The close proximity of the two events made for a very hectic weekend, but the thrill of it all carried me through the next few weeks.

May—I spent a good half of this month on my own, with my roommate off on an extended trip to Japan with a friend.  I was very jealous, but it did mean I got a few adventures of my own when I brought her to the airport, and then fetched her back again a few weeks later.  At first we stayed with a dear friend of hers, a fellow alumna of Hollins.  The second time we caught a hotel—after I had spent a few hours in the airport in the middle of the night, waiting for a delayed plane.  That was less fun.  The month ended well, though, with my attendance of my second-year reunion at Hollins University.  So many familiar faces and new friends—it was a good time all around.

June—the beginning of the summer also marked the beginning of a long struggle at work.  A new manager arrived at Ruby Tuesday, a man about whom the less said the better, most likely.  His coming made a significant change in the atmosphere of the place, and I began to dread going to work.  My only escape from the drudgery this month was a brief interlude into the fantastic, when I modeled—me! modeling!—for a friend’s photo shoot, which was remarkable for the simple fact that good pictures of me were the result.  (I tend to avoid cameras on principle.)  At any rate, her photo shoots have continued, and I’ve been privileged to attend a few since then.

July—my birthday month was rather unexciting, though I did have a few opportunities to get sunburned.  My main accomplishment was completing my sci-fi novel, which has been at the forefront of my mind ever since.

August—the primary attraction of this month was the weekend I took off to North Carolina with a large group of very fun girls from my bible study group.  I admit, however, there wasn’t much studying of the bible going on that weekend—we spent a great deal of our time playing games, shopping, and exploring.  The food was excellent, thanks to the culinary talents of a mother-daughter tag team, and we were spoiled and silly and tons of fun.  I very nearly came home with a cat who had a mustache, but that’s another story.

September—we got a pair of new neighbors in this month, two very dear friends from our college days.  They took the apartment in the next building from ours, much to our joy.  It’s been lovely to be able to walk over to see them anytime we like, and they to see us, which I admit happens more often.  And why not?  This is where the tea is.  I also began editing my novel this month, having let it rest to make it fresh for the tearing-out-of-pages stage of work.  And at the end of the month, after much waiting and a couple of not-very-pleasant emails to the computer company, George IV or Georgiana arrived, a brand-new laptop which I've taken to calling Gigi.  It was almost worth all the trouble, though not quite what I was expecting.  I don't think I will go with a Chromebook again--fun and convenient it may be, but I miss Microsoft.

October—the month of spontaneity!  I was tugged hither and yon by friends all month long.  My almost-mother and her friend found a giant gourmet mushroom while hiking, and they decided the obvious solution was to make a vat of soup and share it with a large group of friends.  It was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted.  Not long after that, I carted Katie and Kathryn home with me to go on a trail ride, which was a bit more complicated than we’d expected.  A demonic attack (or a curious goat, depending on whether you ask horse or rider), much shuffling of horses and riders, and three sore tailbones occurred that weekend.  It was delightful, and we will most likely repeat the exercise.

November—I took the easy way out for NaNoWriMo, instead choosing to use the month to work all the way through my novel, in the hopes of completing its editing by Christmas.  That goal, however, was not met, and the month was otherwise characterized by stress, as I dealt with trouble at work and tried not to worry too much about how useless a job search was turning out to be.

December—by the first week of this month I was already sick of Christmas music, but I did warm up to the holidays as the day came closer.  I had a good long time to be at home, and an unexpected present came in the departure of the aforementioned unpleasant manager, making my work environment that much nicer.  I will say, however, that it is very difficult to get five siblings together for a family portrait when three of them live out of town and two of those in a separate state.  Somehow we managed it, and my plotting paid off with a good photo to remember the year by. 

It was a long one, but thankfully my calendar remembers the good and forgets the bad.  May we all do the same in the year ahead.