Facebook is annoying, and I miss blogging and having a community of readers/friends. Let's rally.

Update (with cleverly organized and oh-so-original bullet points - the ROUND kind!):

• Ok, first? *facepalm* for what I've written already. I'm really sleepy but also highly caffeinated.
• I'm definitely regretting the lack of posts all of last year. I feel like I can't remember a damn thing that has happened. That stops this year, both because my memory blows and because I need a healthy outlet for my feelings.
• I spent the first 2 weeks of January taking a grad-level course in Human Trafficking. We're talking an entire semester crammed into 9 super-intense days. The class was incredible, but I kind of wanted to kill myself by the time it was over. HT involves some of the shittiest human beings in the world, and hearing in detail about what they do to their victims is heart-wrenching, gut-wrenching, every kind of wrenching. (I aced the class though - silver lining.)
• On December 16, 2012, I AM GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE!!! Yes, me, the person who has been bitching about working full time and going to school since August of 2005. It's finally going to happen. I have my classes this semester to get through (Art & Craft of Writing, Prejudice & Discrimination in Contemporary Society), then an independent study this summer in Feminist Blogging (how amazing is that?!), then just one more class and a 1-credit weekend thing to deal with and I'm done! Just thinking about this lifts me up when life is feeling stupid.
• In my spare time (*scoff*), I'm on the planning committee for the Colorado Teen Literature Conference. I'm using social media to get the word out, crafting and sending press releases, etc. My official title is "Social Media Maven".
  
• I haven't been singing with the chorus because I just got way too ambitious last year and then felt completely overwhelmed and couldn't handle one more thing going on. I may or may not sing this year, either, because I know I'll be going 900mph until graduation. I do miss singing though, and I'll consider going back to the chorus if 1) there isn't any stupid drama going on, and 2) I can't find a higher-caliber chorus. It's great that all skill levels are represented, but honestly I want something a little better. I'm not a pro, but I can read music and hear perfect pitch, so I don't want to be dragged down by people who aren't there yet. (Not meant to be a bitchy comment, but no matter how I write it, that's how it seems.)
• Things at work are busy, ridiculously so. I've gotten to that point where the wonderful things about working here (the people in my unit, the freedom I have to do my work without being micromanaged, a wonderful and laid-back boss, continuing education from tech experts, steady work and paid holidays) are just barely evening out the things that I hate (bureaucracy, declining wages for the last 5 years, no opportunity for advancement, not working in a field I'm truly passionate about, truly unrealistic work load that keeps increasing). I went from supporting 2-3 people to 13 people to 14 people plus babysitting an incompetent admin and taking on nearly a quarter of one of our consultant's job duties. I keep wondering when the hell it is going to be enough. My pride and work ethic won't allow me to not meet goals or get things done no matter how much I resent it, but there's a part of that believes if I just put my foot down or started doing half-assed work, I wouldn't get asked for things as much. Then again, it could get me fired, which is terrifying in this job market and economy.
• I've become a real stay-at-home person lately (well, even more). I'm SO happy just being in my apartment with peace and quiet and the freedom to do whatever I want. Since Nick is in South Korea (next stop: the world) for several more months and Robert is wrapped up in a pyramid scam/cult and never calls, it's pretty much me, Jen, and Ash. In the past I might have felt abandoned by this but I'm really OK. I see Greg and Paige when I go to Ft. Collins sometimes too, but really it's only a few times a year these days. In some ways it's good though, because we are glad to see each other and we don't get on each other's nerves (they have recently gone gung ho with being Catholic, which clashes with my atheism if we don't keep ourselves in check).
• Speaking of G & P, they introduced me to the best. game. EVER. over Christmas: Kittens in a Blender. Seriously, go buy it now. I love it more than Clue, brie, and Daniel Radcliffe (but not as much as Scrabble, feta, or Robert Pattinson, OBVIOUSLY).
  

That's all for now. Ta-ta, toodle-ooo, and tut-tut, it looks like rain.