Building

Another year is behind us.  And it's been a weird one.

In many ways, 2014 felt just like a continuation of 2013, with many of the same accomplishments and many of the same struggles.  While 2013 saw the beginning of a concerted effort toward self-awareness and self-improvement, 2014 saw this effort continue.  Some days, in some ways, it feels like I'm leaps and bounds ahead of where I was then.  Others, it seems like I haven't moved at all.  Mental health is a tough thing to maintain, especially in graduate school, and the calendar year doesn't necessarily offer the cleanest points of comparison for progress.

That said, over the last few days, I've been blessed with the ability to disconnect (at least partially) from my day-to-day duties, which has helped me step back and assess my life, where I am and where I want to be.  It'll be a big year for me in 2015, as I keep molding myself bit by bit into someone I'm ever more proud to be.

Random tangent: We're more-or-less back full-circle to watching Ryan Seacrest's show this year, with the exception of a few musical acts, despite the fact that we can't stand Fergie.  Carson Daly's countdown show has just become dry, and after several disappointments including not even getting to see the ball drop one year, it was time for a change.  At least a higher proportion of people are on board with "twenty-fourteen" and "twenty-fifteen" this year.  Slowly but surely.  Habby Nerrrrr!