Year in Review, Sort of

This one is without the survey.

School:
I defended my thesis on April 3, and it was accepted immediately with no revision suggestions to speak of. That thrilled me. I graduated with my MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry in May. My family came to my graduation. I started teaching as an adjunct professor in August and am still at that now. I taught my first Intermediate Poetry Writing class last semester. Next semester, I have all poetry classes, a mix of intermediate and introduction.

Family:
My family has been basically in good health this year as a whole. My grandmother (dad's mom) has recovered from her mental breakdown and is now doing fairly well. My other grandmother had a pacemaker put in at the beginning of the month. She seems to be recovering well. My cousin went to court and won completely. The school was discriminating against him and not meeting his needs and both situations will be recitified before he goes back to school in January. My sister had a good year, getting a lead in her school play and getting to do summer theater in a place that is completely awesome. My parents are still about the same, although they have come around some more on the issue of me being gay. We had words on Christmas Eve, which was unpleasant, but what can you do. As my sister said, it needed to be said. So.

Relationships:
My relationship with my fiance ended last November, and we haven't really spoken since January. The last time we exchanged email was April. While I never thought I would say this, it has been a blessing. I did a whole heck of a lot of dating this past year, and I feel like I know what works for me now and what definitely doesn't. I have many outrageous stories from this period in my life. I didn't meet anyone who worked for me until October. I am currently waiting for someone who is truly wonderful. I can't say enough good things about her. She's fabulous and special.

Friendships:
I have made some new ones this year, the best of which are Tishie and Lori. Tishie is my new pesto buddy, and I might actually get to meet Lori the week after next. I'm looking forward to it.

Feats:
I climbed a mountain in the Santa Rosas in September. I also hauled my behind up a couple of other steep climbs. It was definitely an experience. I also helped remodel a bathroom, went camping, and learned that I don't completely hate dogs. All of those things I learned from WW. I discovered several new authors and musicians, mostly thanks to Bella and my sister. I learned what my Achilles' heal is, and I have worked to keep it in check. I joined a gym. I started to plan a trip to Ireland that I'm still hoping to take this summer. I also picked out my dream machine, computer-wise, though I haven't bought it, and found a new doctor. I also discovered that I really like Fat Tire and Heffeweisen. Before this year, I wasn't a beer drinker at all. I only drank red wine. I also went to an opera, a play at a Shakespeare festival, and lots of contemporary shows. It's really been a very good year.

Things I Learned:
I learned that I need to stand up for myself, and I regret not standing up for myself when I clearly should have. This happened a couple of times. I also learned that despite people's very good intentions, it is my life, and I have to make my own decisions, regardless of how persistent they are in trying to make me do things their way.