I’ve been here for a year

A year, a month, and 10 days, actually.

You know (you. know.) how much I love milestones, so I gotta say something. Also, my birthday was a couple months ago. Also also, for some reason my high school graduating class’ facebook kicked up again reminding me that it’s almost been 10 years since we graduated and did we want to have a reunion?

Basically there are a lot of time reminders floating in the air and milestones (forced or otherwise) are always my favorite time to step back, reflect about what I’ve been doing to re-evaluate and where I want to go next. In an episode of Broad City, one of the characters talks about how her family has a birthday tradition of asking two questions and I might as well answer them like this is a 90’s MySpace page.

What have you done this past year that you’re proud of?

Tonight I was looking at my ‘gym bag’—it’s actually just a large tote bag—hanging on a hook in the locker room wall and I re-read the event I got it from plastered over the side: DeSForM 2015, Aesthetics of Interaction: Dyanmic, Multisensory, Wise 13th-17th October 2015 Milano. Oh yeah, I presented my graduate research at an academic conference in Milan where one of my professors who I really admire was a keynote speaker. How did I manage that?
Sometimes it’s hard to take my head out of the day-to-day, but if I’m absolutely forced to step back…I’ve worked really hard this year at work and I kind of can’t believe that it’s going to be out in the world soon. I have really incredible co-workers and I’m lucky that I can learn from them.
I’ve been doodling more this year than I have in the past. I really like it and have found it more of a creative relief than I did before. It makes me wonder if while I was in school or freelancing I felt like I was doing more creative things so I didn’t need another outlet. Now at work, I feel like I’m trying to iron out problems most of the time and I crave drawing something in the morning.

beetboxer

I biked 43 miles to work. And then again using a shorter route, 32 miles. And it really wasn’t that bad.
I’m really happy with my podcast list. I feel the same FOMO about missing interesting stories that other people feel about parties, I think. Because of my super duper long commute, I gotten to learn so much from the podcasts I’ve listened to.
I knitted the most complicated thing I’ve ever knitted. It was tough, but it turned out well!
I’ve met or gotten closer to some really nice lovely people this year.

bernal skiing

vinitaandme

dinnerparty

And what are you gonna do this upcoming year?

Write more! This last year has been the spottiest posting yet, and that’s saying something! Starting in next month, my commute won’t be so long so I hope to have the energy to write when I get home. Hey guys—I already have a non-Jacklynn-blab-post in queue. I just need to finish up writing the end. (It’s a lot harder to write posts about other things that aren’t just repetitive lists of things I’ve done, yeesh!)
Also hope that means I’ll bike to work more and not need to go to gym classes, yay!
Tap dance. Oh yeah, baby, I’ve already signed up for lessons with a friend. Because cool fades but dorky is forever. Actually, there’s just a huge list of art things I still aspire to do, like ceramics, calligraphy, watercolors, comics…. I saw my friend post recently about this beautiful calligraphy she did in the morning before work and it was like a knife to the heart. Not only was she doing something that I wanted to be getting better at, but she was doing it in the morning before work! Sigh.
Talk louder. Although it’s rough, I need to just talk louder because it’s impossible for everyone.
Finish a class and hopefully take another 5. I have started watching MIT open classes and would like it to be a thing. I am broadcasting this intention to other people in hopes of making it said Thing.
Be nicer to people. As recently as this week I’ve notice a lot of habits I have (or have acquired from my darling phamily) that are not so nice. My tendency to think in opposites or to be the devil’s advocate serves me well in design, but not so much when people are trying to share their good news with me.I also find that I’m nicer to strangers or acquaintances sometimes more than my very dear friends. I’m kind of like “you know me, you know that under all these snide comments there is a crusty heart.” No, Jacklynn. I should probably just show them the same or more kindness.
Speaking of dear friends, I should make it my mission to see Grant this year. It’s been too long, gbear! <3
Go to bed earlier! I think that would be make me happier every day and more productive to at work.
Create peace in my home. Living in an apartment with surrounded by stuff I don’t like in a state of cleanliness that isn’t my ‘fav’ stresses me out. Over the next year, somehow, I would love to make where I live feel more like I home and less like an over-priced place to sleep and listen to people on street yell at each other nearly all night and break storefront windows. Like when I got these cheap side tables and they made me a lot happier than I expected.