I've been feeling the need for an outlet, lately, and the social media platforms I'm on the most don't feel quite as suited to what I'm needing at the moment.
The real impetus for starting over with a blog is simply this: by and large, my peers and the people in my circles agree that 2016 has been, as a year, a dumpster fire. I myself have felt very powerless through a lot of it, moreso than previous years that I can remember. My goal with this first post is to dial that back a little and, with one actual day left in the calendar year, try to find highlights and high points from the last year.
In no particular order, then...
1: I got a sewing machine. I got a great deal on it (I feel), and I've actually used it and gotten better at using it through the year. Here are some of the things I've done with it!
The Adventure Zone is one of my favorite podcasts that I'm listening to right now. It motivated me to start DMing for a group of my friends (more on that later), and it was the reason I decided to put together this cosplay of Taako. It is probably the most ambitious project I've ever undertaken on my own, but I'm delighted with how it turned out.
I started making drawstring dice bags! They've been fun to put together with different fabric combinations.
2: I found Jhesis (pictured below with Lafayette (left) and Toulouse (right).
Ok, so here's the story. My best friend and I were on our way to Kansas City to celebrate Pi(e) Day with our dear friend who lives down there. On our way, we made a stop at a gas station to stretch our legs and grab some food. Because I love Midwestern gas station kitsch, I took a little time to see what they had, and there was this magnificent little guy.
"Andi, do we need him? I think we need him!"
"Yeah, we need him."
I put him on the counter with all of our food. The gentleman at the counter (who, I feel I must point out, was a grown-ass man) began to scan our purchases. He picked up this guy, looked him over, and said, "Eh, fuck it, he's free." He then continued to ring up our food and added, "We sell a lot of those guys."
Andi and I paid for our food and hustled our asses to the car. We could not believe that that had actually happened. But it had to be a sign. This little guy would be our mascot for the trip. All he needed was a name.
"Jesus" was a pretty obvious choice. He was our copilot! I created an Instagram account for him, with a better spelling. He went everywhere with us for the whole trip, and I shared the photos on Instagram. He has gone on so many adventures, and never lost his charming smile.
3: Welcome to Night Vale: Ghost Stories. We found out that Welcome to Night Vale would be performing its live show Ghost Stories in Minneapolis. We got tickets. I dyed my hair purple. We had a group of 6 people meet up there, and it was one of the most incredible performances I've ever seen. There was humor and creepiness, but so much raw emotion it left me raw and weak.
I still remember sitting in the theatre, surrounded by people. Cecil Baldwin, the host of WTNV, had such mastery over the crowd that he held us, at least twice, in complete silence, as he let it fill with more silence. A theatre filled with hundreds of people, and yet silent, hanging on his every word. Not a cough, or a sniffle, or a murmur was heard in the silence that he had wrought. It was powerful, and it left me in awe.
Everything else we did on that trip was delightful. But man, that performance. It was otherworldly.
4: I finally got a new tattoo! My last one was six years ago, which is far, far too much time to wait for new ink. I love it. Big thanks to Erin at Electric Crayon for making this happen!
For cleanliness's sake, I'm going to end this post here. I'll call it part one.
No comments:
Post a Comment