2015 in Review

     Glory is helping me type this post, she's purring and half-asleep beside me on the bed I use as a desk while at the house. The year's almost ended, so it's time to think over what happened. Basically, it sucked. There were a couple bright spots, like how the entire internet celebrated Back to the Future in October, but in general, bad things happened. As Westley said in the movie, and Fezzik's parents said in the novel, "Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something."

     People shot people often; in St. Louis and South Carolina and elsewhere. There were a lot of racial complaints; in St. Louis and on the OU and Mizzou campuses, among other places. A Muslim guy beheaded a coworker over the summer in an Oklahoma City warehouse. Terrorists bombed Paris repeatedly. The Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide. There was the Bruce Jenner mess. Age of Ultron and Jurassic World ruled the summertime box office. It was announced that season fifteen of American Idol will be the end. Trevor tore his knee all up. Found a couple December 1941 issues of the Joplin News Herald at an estate sale. A woman murdered several people at the Oklahoma State Homecoming parade.It rained and rained and rained even more. Grandpa got cancer which turned terminal. Everyone was outraged at those Planned Parenthood videos and Starbucks changing the design of their holiday cups.

     In sports, the Thunder had an awful season, American Pharaoh was the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown, and Jeff Gordon drove off into the sunset.

     I wrote in-depth pieces on AI and not driving, and there was the annual recap of SGYC '15 to get down. Watched all of Parks and Recreation, Friday Night Lights and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the first seasons of Agent Carter and Daredevil, and nearly, if not all, of Phineas and Ferb. 

     For me, I was stranded on the island of a hilly campus in a city where I didn't know anyone, which wasn't very walkable, with the irony that Claremore has several major highways running through it, allowing people with cars to pass freely wherever it is they wished to go. But it's just a place where I happen to be, not a town where I live. Same thing with RSU, it's just another temporary home where I happen to be right now. It was very good to get to see NSU people occasionally; Daniel, James, Bucky and Amber at Falls Creek in April, and then Daniel, Bucky, James, Jordan, Annie, Ja Li Si at Momentum in September.
     Had a roommate for about three weeks, before he freaked out about the roaches crawling around the apartment. (They weren't that bad.) He was cool, but it was kind of nice to be by myself again. Except when it wasn't. Got lonely often, and there was way too much time to think when I didn't want to. Classes forced me into all-nighters at least once a week, which took a toll. Learned that I sometimes enjoy poetry, though; and also that I can't handle the stress of broadcast news. Also discovered that I am extremely judgmental when it comes to literature.
     Occasionally heard from Daniel, Amanda, Jessica, Dylan, Jon and Ashland, they were all helpful in getting through the year. Became an uncle to Amanda's daughter Maya.
     Read a ton of horrible novels and plays for school, about a third of which was worthwhile.
     Spiritually, it was a tough year. I don't think I met a real Christian around the campus at all all year; and something is weird at GBC, siphoning the energy and congregation even more than in previous years.

     Watched a lot of Studio C sketches, trying to stay upbeat and press on. The Avril Lavigne songs "Everybody Hurts", "I'm With You", "Keep Holding On", "Mobile" and "Tomorrow" could pretty accurate describe most of the year. It just seemed like a year full of failure....and that's hard  to take. Most of the time I was exhausted, stressed out, panicked, worried or pissed off; generally a mix of all those. When I wasn't, I was probably sleeping.

     But now it's over. I want to say that the sun'll come out tomorrow and that 2016 will go easier, but the Irish and pessimistic parts of me say that things can always get worse. I don't see exactly how, but I bet that's probably true. On the other hand, it could be a good year. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.