Looking Back, Looking Forward

Looking Back:

This has been an interesting year for me, and I thought it would be good to do a little reflecting on the highs and lows:

• Survived a full year of grad school, which I loved/hated/loved depending on the day.
• Survived a full year of teaching freshman English, which I pretty much loved/loved/loved - except for that whole grading papers part :)
• I started a tumblr. Best time sucker EVER.
• I won NaNo for the second time and ended up with an actual workable, revisable manuscript that I love.
• I managed to keep up with all my favorite TV shows and still do all the work I was supposed to.
• I read 140 books - only 10 shy of my goal.
• Experienced the heart-rending closure of Borders. Saying good-bye to my co-workers, customers, and the store itself was one of the saddest things I've gone through and brings tears to my eyes even now.

• Started a book club and then a book blog with a bunch of my coworkers who just couldn't bear saying good-bye to each other forever.
• Became an aunt to the CUTEST little ladybug girl in the entire world.

Proof that she is in fact the cutest ladybug girl. ever.

• Cut my hair. (hey, that's a big deal for me!)
• Managed to post on my blog pretty regularly over the summer.
• Lost track of my bloggy buddies. Didn't carve out the time to visit around and keep up with everybody. I really, really miss it.
• Experienced the premier of the final Harry Potter movie with an amazing group of movie-goers in Toronto.

• Went to Italy! With good friends and professors from school.
• Was a panelist in three panels at Polaris (including moderating 2 of them) - WAY outside my comfort zome, but SO loved every minute of it!
• Started going to the gym again!
• Decided not to go straight on for my doctorate, which is a decision I'm happy with.
• Laughed a lot, made good friends, cried some.

Looking forward:

This year is going to bring a lot of changes and, while I don't really make "resolutions" I think it would be good to make some goals or articulate some hopes.

• Finish grad school on a high note! I graduate in May and I want this semester to be more positive than this past semester was.
• Get at least one adjuncting job. I love teaching freshman English and I would love to be able to do this while I figure out what my next step is.
• Figure out what I want to do with this blog. The every day thing is most definitely not working. Also, I feel like it gets stale when I put myself in too much of a schedule. But I need some sort of regularity to keep myself motivated. So I need to figure that out.
• Get back to visiting all y'all's blogs. I miss it. I miss it so much and that made me realise that I don't want to do without it. So I need to carve out some time to do it.
• Rewrite Solo, my NaNo novel. I love this book, but it needs some serious work. I will buckle down and do this. I don't want another crummy rough draft sitting around moping at me.

• Win NaNo for the third time. Yes.
• Read 150 books. I want to make this goal this year.
• Step out of my comfort zone more. I'm not sure what form this should take, but I'm getting claustrophobic and if I'm not moving away from home yet I need to do more things to get me out and meeting people with like interests.
• Help build our group book blog into a great place for readers to gather and share book love.
• Waste less time on the interwebs. Twitter is fantastically fun and Tumblr is a great place to share fandom love, but honestly? I need to set a timer or something and get out more.
• Go to the gym regularly. Even when I'm busy. I know I feel better when I do this, so why is it so hard?!
• Laugh hard, cry sometimes, make more friends.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

What are your highlights from last year? Things you're looking forward to this year?