#journal-type post

[mbrainspaz]

I was really proud that I managed to stay late at work, go shopping, do a bit of gardening, clean my kitchen, feed my pets, cook, and wash most of the dishes 

until

I realized it was already 9pm

and I’m so tired that I don’t even feel like eating, much less--

learning spanish, practicing guitar, painting, and working on my novel. 

[mbrainspaz]

Did I mention I made an ID the other day for a friend and it worked? It’s just a student ID because his college wouldn’t give him one (they suck) and he needed a discount pass for a symphony. Honestly it was a pretty obvious fake. I’m still giddy about the fact that it actually worked even though the ticket counter lady snatched it from him and took a good long look at it. 

I’m not going to make a habit of it but the Moist Von Lipwig in me is glowing with the pride of a clever yet harmless crime well done.  Now I can add forgery to my nefarious skill-set along with hot-wiring minivans and sneaking absurd amounts of food into movie theaters. Next on my list: lock picking. 

[mbrainspaz]

Some things unto which I have intentionally invested significant amounts of my life and energy (so far):  • Art - drawing/painting • Horsemanship/Riding • School (barely)  • Fiction/Stories - books/tv/movies + Writing • This stupid website + the Internet • Travel • My job  • Family & Friends • Church/Religion • Video editing & Sound mixing • Whistling • Developing the precognitive ability to tell if someone is about to violently change lanes in front of me without using their blinker

[mbrainspaz]

2015 Year-End Survey

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?

Went to court. Adopted a second dog. Was involved in a car accident. Got a raise. Successfully used my mom’s secret pie crust recipe. 

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Nah. I wanted to make a movie about my whole year but I lost all enthusiasm for it mid-summer. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No but a few got married. Same as last year.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Lost my best friend in June. She was my dog, Candy. I still miss her, but I’m really good at coping with it now. It makes me happy to remember her and happy times we had.

5. What countries did you visit? Still trapped in the USA. Welcome to OKC. You can check out any time you like but you can never leave.

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you lacked in 2015? A car that actually works reliably. That would be nice. Maybe a boyfriend. 

7. What date from 2015 will remain etched upon your memory? June 3rd, when I got the call that Candy was gone.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Not dying every morning when I have to cross six lanes of traffic on I-40 in less than 200 ft. I’m actually really proud of that.

9. What was your biggest failure? Deciding to spend $500 to fix my ancient car instead of buying a new one. Now I can’t buy anyone christmas presents. :_(

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Allergies have been way worse this year. Haven’t been able to breathe properly since July. Found out the cartilage in my right knee is nearly gone. No one knows why but they still charged me over $300. Refused to get surgery to fix it so I’ll just keep limping. Never going to the doctor again. 

11. What was the best thing you bought? My second dog, Han Solo! Only $50 to adopt, but over $600 in damaged furniture and vet bills because he came with free intestinal parasites.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My dad and my second dog. My dad actually agreed to spend thanksgiving at my house with my gay uncle and the rest of the family (he’s a homophobe so this is an ongoing struggle). My dog went from being an un-house-trained nightmare, to being an adorable fluffy gentleman with perfect manners. 

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? One of my best friends got married and now she’s kind of uncomfortable to be around. She nags her husband so much that I can’t really deal with it. 

14. Where did most of your money go? 🎶I got bills-- I gotta pay 🎶 medical bills, rent, wifi, insurance, phone, vet, car, etc... they never end.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Every scrap of news about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. 

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2014? Time of our Lives by Pitbull Bills by LunchMoney Lewis Rule The World by Walk Off the Earth Stressed Out by Twenty-One Pilots 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: 

i. happier or sadder? Happier, I think. ii. thinner or fatter? Exactly the same. I don’t work out but I never gain weight because I’m occasionally too broke to buy proper food and something is wrong with my stomach. I paid about $200 for doctors to tell me that I should probably buy better food.  -_- iii. richer or poorer? Technically I have more money, but I’m still living on the edge of looming financial peril.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Last year I said ‘traveling’ and that’s still true, but I also wish I’d spent more time with my OKC friends. Most of them are moving away soon.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Washed dishes, cooked, and cleaned. Doing all that stuff on your own for a year is downright DRAINING. And I barely ever cooked. Yay sandwiches. 

20. How will you be spending Christmas? Probably at home with my dogs. My parents might drive down to visit.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with? My Mom and my grandma, same as last year. However I’ve also started calling my dad regularly, now that he’s doing better.

22. Did you fall in love in 2015? I got pretty close to having a crush once or twice, but the one guy started dating a Japanese girl and the other prefers traveling the world while I’m trapped here. Can’t say I blame him. Mostly I just went out for drinks with my ex, who’s now very seriously dating a nice girl I haven’t met.

23. How many one night stands in this last year? The same number as last year.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Always Doctor Who. Though I did have a fling with Warehouse13, Game of Thrones, and The Flash.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope. 

26. What was the best book you read? I read a lot of good Terry Pratchett books, but I’m going to have to say that ‘Unsounded’ by Ashley Cope takes the cake. 

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Walk The Moon is pretty awesome. 

28. What did you want and get? Another dog, a few raises, and finally a real computer at the office.

29. What did you want and not get? A meaningful and promising relationship with someone new. 

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Surprisingly, Mad Max

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 23. I didn’t really plan anything but my dad came to visit and fixed my car. Then my friend drove over from New Mexico and took me out to a good restaurant with a bunch of her friends who don’t really like me. It was funny to see them pretend to like me. My real friends surprised me with a glass of fancy Scotch, a chocolate cake, and some pool noodles. I’m still confused about the pool noodles.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? It would have been nice if my job actually gave me vacation days. Then I could travel. As it is, I don’t even get sick days. Pretty sure that’s illegal but what can you do?

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2014? I went from 'attempting professionalism' to ‘wow I can actually look like a grown-up if I try really hard and buy better second-hand clothes.’ No one is more surprised than I. 

34. What kept you sane? My dogs. 

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Drawing a blank here. Peter Capaldi is my favorite celebrity right now but not because I think he’s hot. I love his funny face. 

36. What political issue stirred you the most? The Syrian refugee crisis. I can’t say that I did anything about it. 

37. Who did you miss? I still miss Candy. You’d think i’d be used to that by now, since I barely saw her during 4 years of college, but it’s infinitely worse now that I’ll never see her again. Sometimes I dream about her and even in my dreams I’m always confused like ‘hey I thought you died, but I’m sure glad you’re here now.’ 

38. Who was the best new person you met? A photographer/nurse named Eric. (Yeah, the traveling guy from #22.) Even though he’s not interested in dating, he’s a really cool person to spend time with and I’m always glad to see him. I still have an art crush for his photos. 

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015. You gotta do what you gotta do. Whether it’s killing a giant spider all alone, or holding on to a full time job that makes you die a little inside every day for a year. You gotta do it because not doing it isn’t an option. So you do.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“We used to play pretend, give each other different names, We would build a rocket ship and then we’d fly it far away, Used to dream of outer space but now they’re laughing at our face, Saying, ‘wake up, you need to make money.’ Wish we could turn back time, to the good ol’ days, When our momma sang us to sleep but now we’re stressed out.”