Year in Review: Looking back at 2011

Last NYE, I went to a most excellent party hosted by kradical & wrenn and met some really great people who have become near and dear to me (karistan, dqg_neal).

January was spent galavanting around NYC and singing karaoke for the first time in many, many years! I also saw Shen Yun at Lincoln Center. It was also the first time I had ever been to the Morgan Library & Museum. The end of January brought woe because Silent Generosity's bass player, Charlie Shada, gave his farewell concert and moved to California and it also meant heading back to Queens College for yet another emotionally draining semester.

February meant dad was going to have an operation. Thankfully, this time, it was an outpatient procedure. He made a full recovery & is in less pain. YAY! Also, I received a package in the mail from chris_walsh which contained a copy of Dragon Precinct by kradical. I had no idea he was sending that to me. I'm glad he did :)

March was when we found out that the rent was going up out of the affordable range for my parents, so they had to downgrade to a 1-bedroom, and I had to make arrangements to move in with Brian come May. March was also when my brother tore the ligaments off of his ankle at work, starting a multi-month healing process which included surgery & being on disability for a while. It also marked the passing of my good friend gldm. He was only 34.

In April, I saw an African artsy film, went to the American Museum of Natural History, attended MoCCAfest & met Jeph Jacques!! auntiesiannan made me a pair of really awesome socks! I-CON 30 occurred. And I turned 28. On a sad note, my friend Jon's daughter lost the battle with cancer. She was only 4.

May brought A LOT of change to my life. Helped my parents move to their new place and started to get settled in my new place as well. It took a while for me to get used to living with other people & fitting in with the flow of the household. chris_walsh sent me a most epic sauce in the mail called Secret Aardvark Sauce. I still put it on everything! I lost my wallet around Finals time & thankfully, the person who found it got a hold of me and after some miscommunications, I got my wallet back with all my cards and money in it! What would be my final semester at Queens College ended at the end of May. Good riddance, Queens College!

June started my search for a job, ANY job, and not finding anything as no one was hiring. This was a common theme day in and day out. At least I live within walking distance of places. I walked down port at least once a week just to get out of the house.

July was both my brother's birthday and Brian's birthday. I also got my laptop fixed, finally. At the end of July, I saw THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS!!!!! By far, the coolest concert I've been to in a very long time. And I was finally able to witness my friend Kristin get married to her woman because New York had passed the Marriage Equality bill. They were one of 24 LGBT couples to get married in Central Park, courtesy of The Knot. And my brother proposed to Amy. YAAAAAAAY!!

In August, I attended a reading by kradical & suricattus. Then it was epic road trip time! My cousin Sophia turned 1, so we embarked on a driving journey to West Virginia to celebrate. Brian drove until we reached Maryland, and then I drove the rest of the way. It was the first time I drove 65 and 70 MPH, and drove up and down steep hills. It was both terrifying and exhilerating. My uncle created a carnival for the celebration. Polin-Skee-Ball was a favorite. After that, we drove to Virginia to visit the Fried-Bears, who we hadn't seen since they moved a few months prior. We went to Colonial Williamsburgh and then on the way home, took the scenic route: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. Despite agreeing I'd take over the driving once we reached Delaware, I didn't get to take over until we hit New Jersey. So. Many. Trucks. We survived though, and made it home in one piece, just in time to experience the east coast Earthquake a few days later. What a freaky experience that was. The tail end of August was met with Hurricane Irene. We lost 4 huge trees and the power was out for nearly a week. Brian and I camped out on my parents' couches for the duration.

In September, I went with alorarose to see Within Temptation. So friggin awesome!! Brian and I were in an accident driving home from the grocery store a day later. That sucked BALLS! We were ok, however, and no serious injuries. It's a good thing we were in a van and not Brian's car, otherwise, the accident would have had a much more serious outcome.

In October, I worked a booth at the Fort Tryon Renaissance faire, selling puppets! I bought one myself and then made a video... I really should make another one. I also decided to take the plunge and join therealljidol. I was really nervous, but people seemed to like what I had to say :) The last weekend of October, it snowed here. No, really. Snowed. Granted, it was mostly mixed with other stuff, but there was still snow! During the storm, a very large tree limb fell on Brian's car, totalling it. D:

November marked 10 years since Billy and Cathy McLaughlin lost their lives in a fatal car accident. It was very rough for me to deal with. I also wrote my first ever fictional short story! I have therealljidol to thank for that. Thanksgiving was spent in upper Westchester with Brian's family. It was nice. We also got Brian's car back.

December had a bit of a rocky start, but it gradually smoothed iteslf out. Our friends in Virginia now have a new addition to their family. And... I GOT A JOB!!!!!! ::throws confetti:: finally :) I also got to see my friend Eric and finally met his beau after so many years of just hearing about him. And on a sad note, I found out that my 5th grade teacher, Risa Fabb, passed away. She was one of my favorite teachers!

Tonight, Brian and I are ringing in 2012 with alorarose at our friend Charlie's girlfriend's place. We haven't spent New Years together since we rang in 2009!

~*::Meow::*~