{"id":734,"date":"2015-12-31T22:04:34","date_gmt":"2016-01-01T03:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.viciousgrin.com\/blog\/?p=734"},"modified":"2021-02-06T19:58:10","modified_gmt":"2021-02-07T00:58:10","slug":"year-in-review-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/31\/year-in-review-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Year in Review 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2015 was a really weird, very full year. The first quarter was one big blur, as often happens when dealing with depression. Did it snow? I think so (?) What did I do for my birthday? Other than completed another trip round the sun, I couldn’t tell you. Am I forgetting anything fun or particularly noteworthy? I assure you that is exactly the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We headed out to San Diego to say one last farewell to my step mother as her ashes were placed in her memorial bench. Checked an item off our informal bucket list of seeing a major league baseball game in every stadium, while there. I might end up having a corollary bucket list of home team hats, though I don’t see that happening for division rivals or any New York team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2015-04-11
Padres game at Petco Park<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Basically, after Easter, everything looked up considerably. The countdown to our fifth anniversary trip to Disney for Star Wars weekend consumed all available energy. And it was absolutely mind bogglingly amazing. Great food, great friends, great exhaustion, GREAT MEMORIES. Those big red buttons meant just about every cast member and every character congratulated our marital bliss. Nothing short of wonderful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"0151eb489f93783270bc909b84d3042a18bc9a6d21.jpg\"
I am short, husband is tall, this is not a shock…<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I also got to meet my favorite Jedi — cynics, critics, and haters to the left that it’s not the “real” anyone walking around in costume in Disney. Shaak Ti was amazing and I love her forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"01ee0e7e18f95bab52a6618253ce8684a169d8ff00\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Our neighborhood’s enormous, community yard sale was an unmitigated success too. Many comics were sold, which means those long and short boxes didn’t come back home to our house to take up precious space. The cash they put into our Disney souvenir fund didn’t hurt, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after returning home, our nephew was born — as tribute to our wedding anniversary. Obviously. It was nice of Trey’s sister to do that for us…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither of us being happy about our fitness levels and physical appearances and both of us sick to death bitching about it, we came home to getting our shit together and losing weight. Technology and persistence to the rescue there. I’ve lost 16 lbs since those Disney pictures were taken. And I think everyone in our family has a Fitbit now — some having theirs before we became unpaid spokespeople for the things and really wearing them again, others quietly nodding that we’ve joined the fray. Weight Watchers and other community weight loss programs work, folks. I have a lot of thoughts about this change to my eating habits, what it means, and why it’s working. Too much for right now. The one I can tease, though, I’m pretty sure it’s working because it wasn’t a “New Year’s Resolution”. I have “opinions” about the words we use around food, weight loss, and body image, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, mohawk. After talking about wanting to do it for upwards of a year, I needed to pull the trigger or shut the hell up about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2015-12-17
Silly faces are the best faces for selfies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There was, of course, that whole three month wormhole<\/a> I already waxed philosophic at length about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took a stab at applying a formal methodology for using my notebook for work and also applied it to non-work, too. Enter Bullet Journal<\/a> and my trusty classic plain moleskin that’s cataloged work tasks for me for the last 5 years. I’m very dorkily in love with it and it kind of freaks some people out how structured it is. Don’t care!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the most part, though, I credit Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Tumblr<\/a> and her Bitches Get Shit Done texts. If you have unlimited texting from your cell carrier (and, honestly, most people do) I can’t recommend it highly enough. FAQ here, fifth Q down<\/a>. Or, if you are content to be motivated on your own schedule, follow the bgsd archive tumblr<\/a>, instead. I will be here with directions to the FAQ when you decide having the delightful inspiration kicking down your texting door is what you really want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I got way too excited about getting a regular dining room table set (one that isn’t counter-height) and hosting Christmas dinner for my mother and grandmother. With the ways our respective families are growing and everyone else becoming adults, too, we, the former kids, are taking on the hosting duties. For the first time in 6 or 7 years, we woke up on Christmas morning in our own home, opened our presents over coffee, and didn’t run all the way over hell and creation to see everyone in our immediate family within a 50-mile radius in the space of 36 hours. It was great, if bittersweet, but nothing felt rushed about any of the time we spent over the holidays with family. Seriously. Really great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dinner itself, was amazingly delicious and made all the more by being an even split effort between me and my husband. He slayed the soup and potatoes, I was master of the roast beast, asparagus, and dessert. Win! I fail at not taking a picture of the table before we all stuffed our faces, joyfully. You’ll just have to visualize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, 2015 was a year. Started off a little dicey, but turned it around to good and straight on to great by the end. Pretty happy with it, all things told. It’s not a competition, 2016, but, you’re on notice, pal, expectations are kinda high. Good luck. Happy New Year, everyone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

2015 was a really weird, very full year. The first quarter was one big blur, as often happens when dealing with depression. Did it snow? I think so (?) What did I do for my birthday? Other than completed another trip round the sun, I couldn’t tell you. Am I forgetting anything fun or particularly … <\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5,39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-odds-and-ends","category-trey-and-jess-life","item-wrap"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/2015-04-11-21.58.54.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":821,"url":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/2016\/01\/29\/long-haired-cats-in-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":734,"position":0},"title":"Long-Haired Cats in Snow","author":"Jess","date":"January 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Don't let them fool you... We have two long-haired female cats who, to put it mildly, do not get along. Zinda, the 2 year old Maine Coon Torbie (can't be sure she's really a Maine Coon, but some days, dat face... 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She stalks and attacks critters that invade her home. She's kind of awesome that way. She also sometimes just sees crap and stalks it vigilantly. Today, she swiped at something in my basement office and I heard a sound that sounded a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "House Adventures"","block_context":{"text":"House Adventures","link":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/category\/house-adventures\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Black Rat Snake","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/IMG_0128-1024x764.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":163,"url":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/29\/wedding-brain-dump\/","url_meta":{"origin":734,"position":2},"title":"Wedding Brain Dump","author":"Jess","date":"May 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Two weeks and counting now till the big day. Finalized some details with the party rentals yesterday morning. Made my hair appointment for the day of. Fiance and I traveled down to Calvert for the marriage license then headed to the caterer for the tasting of the final menu. Very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Trey and Jess's Life"","block_context":{"text":"Trey and Jess's Life","link":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/category\/trey-and-jess-life\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Peacock Feathers","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/DSC_5754.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":725,"url":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/08\/where-has-the-time-gone\/","url_meta":{"origin":734,"position":3},"title":"Where Has the Time Gone?","author":"Jess","date":"December 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"(Let's ignore the fact that the last thing I posted was video game absurdity exactly a\u00a0year ago, okay?) From mid-September to Thanksgiving, I was off on an adventure... of sorts. 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This was back in the days when huge swaths of the San Diego Comic-Con floor was nothing but booth after\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Comic Books"","block_context":{"text":"Comic Books","link":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/category\/comic-books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/vertigo-comics.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":220,"url":"https:\/\/viciousgrin.com\/blog\/2010\/06\/16\/from-the-win-files-a-fonts-story-the-best-wedding-invitations-and-a-documentary\/","url_meta":{"origin":734,"position":5},"title":"From The Win Files: A Font’s Story, The Best Wedding Invitations, and a Documentary","author":"Jess","date":"June 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"From The Win Files will be a list of nifty things or links that I just find completely and utterly awesome. Welcome to the first installment. 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