The Year According to This Blog: Part I
I discovered when I went back to compile a summary of 2015 as presented in my blog that I actually started blogging at the very beginning of January, 2015. Here is a Part I of the year, with all of my posts linked throughout.
My first post was the major driver for the blog. I imagined the conversations which would occur when friends and family asked how grad school was going the next time they saw me. I wasn't sure how to explain that I'd failed out in a way that was both honest but accurately reflected the sense of pride I felt despite my leaving. Even that seemed likely to sound like revisionism or denial though, so I figured a long-form explanation was needed. When friends have left jobs or relationships I usually want to know the details, but I don't wish to pry. I'd thought about blogging before, so I figured this was the time to start with the kind of explanation I'd like to hear if I knew me. The post, "Lots to Cover: Leaving Grad School" explained the events which had led to my departure from grad school. At the time, I was optimistic, but I was far from confident about whether I would look back on my time in grad school and my exit as a point of embarrassment. Thankfully, my optimism was well placed. More of that in days to come.
In February I presented a set of Pictures from January. I'm very fond of this photoset. It tells a story. It shows Dan attending my coworkers New Years party, which Jack and Julie missed because of the flu. It shows Ruby just after she received her life-saving liver surgery. A year later, she has continued to grow into one of the cutest, most well-behaved and affectionate dogs I've ever known. It shows Julie -- up and about -- taking Dan to some of our favorite gems of Los Angeles. If you visit (or even if you live here) talk to us about taking the same tour. It's a great time. Then we have pictures of us attending Disneyworld in the rain with our friend, a new Mom.
In March I presented a review of a book and a TV show I like (This started out as a book review). I also described the beginning of my New Project: Building a Chicken Coop. FYI: I finished it just before the end of October (I still haven't posted pictures of the final product). Midway through March I posted a February recap.
I had the notion to start sharing updates on the going-ons of our D&D adventures. I started with D&D: Concluding Some Business and then D&D: A Reckoning Arrives, but I don't seem to have ever returned to the concept.
In April I described some minor thing I did to fix the sound on my computer for the benefit of anyone else googling it :Troubleshooting Linux Mint bluetooth audio. I also shared an amazing video of Seamus running a lure course to the tune of some Mexican party tunes. Check it out: A Day at the Races.
Although it wasn't covered in any post my cousins got married in April. It was a stressful event because they initially expressed their wish that Julie not attend, then acquiesced. I insisted that she attend. She did, but she had a pretty lousy time, and the friction this created was likely the trigger that led into recurring bouts of depression that extended through most of the rest of the year.
One of the highlights of my year was attending Avengers 2 in costume as Captain America with Julie (Thor), Jack (Iron Man), Mick (The Hulk) and Kate (Black Widow). The movie was frankly completely forgetable, but the experience was fucking awesome. People took our pictures every step of the way to the theater. We eventually had to apologize for removing ourselves from the crowd that wanted pictures with us so that we could actually sit down for the movie. I showed the process I used to make my Captain America Shield.
In Happy Birthday to Me! (and Jack too, I guess) I described Julie's awesome birthday surprise: a trip to LA's Magic Castle. It's cool because she really had to pull some strings and call in some favors. I loved it.
Andrew reviews "Daredevil" in 30 words. Exactly what it sounds like.
Julie had a hedgehot for most of a year. It was thrust upon her because a friend of a friend felt unable to care for it. It turns out that they were right, because they didn't realize that their pet had breast cancer. I described it in a post that I intended to continue, which I didn't. YET.
A Hedgehog's fight against cancer gives hope to us all (Pt. 1)
At the end of the month I showed off the roof which I built for the coop. Raise the Roof!
Stay tuned for Part II! What month will I describe next?? Check back to find out!
January
My first post was the major driver for the blog. I imagined the conversations which would occur when friends and family asked how grad school was going the next time they saw me. I wasn't sure how to explain that I'd failed out in a way that was both honest but accurately reflected the sense of pride I felt despite my leaving. Even that seemed likely to sound like revisionism or denial though, so I figured a long-form explanation was needed. When friends have left jobs or relationships I usually want to know the details, but I don't wish to pry. I'd thought about blogging before, so I figured this was the time to start with the kind of explanation I'd like to hear if I knew me. The post, "Lots to Cover: Leaving Grad School" explained the events which had led to my departure from grad school. At the time, I was optimistic, but I was far from confident about whether I would look back on my time in grad school and my exit as a point of embarrassment. Thankfully, my optimism was well placed. More of that in days to come.
My subsequent early posts included some great pictures of when Dan Farbowitz came to visit and examples of Julie's writing in Creeeeepy Stories and More of Julie's creepy stories. I closed out January with Pictures from November and December and explanation of stem cell science (Fucking Stem Cells: How Do They Work??)
February
In February I presented a set of Pictures from January. I'm very fond of this photoset. It tells a story. It shows Dan attending my coworkers New Years party, which Jack and Julie missed because of the flu. It shows Ruby just after she received her life-saving liver surgery. A year later, she has continued to grow into one of the cutest, most well-behaved and affectionate dogs I've ever known. It shows Julie -- up and about -- taking Dan to some of our favorite gems of Los Angeles. If you visit (or even if you live here) talk to us about taking the same tour. It's a great time. Then we have pictures of us attending Disneyworld in the rain with our friend, a new Mom.
In Thoughts on a Peculiar Illness I described an odd stomach pain.
In my photo set of January I described some graffiti that I thought was describing a subterranean village. I learned two weeks later that it was just the name of the neighborhood, which I outlined in Correction: Frogtown is a neighborhood, not a subterrainian hobo city .
In my photo set of January I described some graffiti that I thought was describing a subterranean village. I learned two weeks later that it was just the name of the neighborhood, which I outlined in Correction: Frogtown is a neighborhood, not a subterrainian hobo city .
March
In March I presented a review of a book and a TV show I like (This started out as a book review). I also described the beginning of my New Project: Building a Chicken Coop. FYI: I finished it just before the end of October (I still haven't posted pictures of the final product). Midway through March I posted a February recap.
I had the notion to start sharing updates on the going-ons of our D&D adventures. I started with D&D: Concluding Some Business and then D&D: A Reckoning Arrives, but I don't seem to have ever returned to the concept.
April
In April I described some minor thing I did to fix the sound on my computer for the benefit of anyone else googling it :Troubleshooting Linux Mint bluetooth audio. I also shared an amazing video of Seamus running a lure course to the tune of some Mexican party tunes. Check it out: A Day at the Races.
Although it wasn't covered in any post my cousins got married in April. It was a stressful event because they initially expressed their wish that Julie not attend, then acquiesced. I insisted that she attend. She did, but she had a pretty lousy time, and the friction this created was likely the trigger that led into recurring bouts of depression that extended through most of the rest of the year.
May
One of the highlights of my year was attending Avengers 2 in costume as Captain America with Julie (Thor), Jack (Iron Man), Mick (The Hulk) and Kate (Black Widow). The movie was frankly completely forgetable, but the experience was fucking awesome. People took our pictures every step of the way to the theater. We eventually had to apologize for removing ourselves from the crowd that wanted pictures with us so that we could actually sit down for the movie. I showed the process I used to make my Captain America Shield.
In Happy Birthday to Me! (and Jack too, I guess) I described Julie's awesome birthday surprise: a trip to LA's Magic Castle. It's cool because she really had to pull some strings and call in some favors. I loved it.
Andrew reviews "Daredevil" in 30 words. Exactly what it sounds like.
Julie had a hedgehot for most of a year. It was thrust upon her because a friend of a friend felt unable to care for it. It turns out that they were right, because they didn't realize that their pet had breast cancer. I described it in a post that I intended to continue, which I didn't. YET.
A Hedgehog's fight against cancer gives hope to us all (Pt. 1)
At the end of the month I showed off the roof which I built for the coop. Raise the Roof!
Stay tuned for Part II! What month will I describe next?? Check back to find out!
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