2011.... can be described by this song:
Now to answer your questions.
1. What has 2011 been like?
a) World
2011 has been a year of revolution and, well, noisiness. It hasn't been quiet anywhere. New countries like South Sudan were born. Lots of natural disasters; in fact there have been three times as many $1 billion+ natural disasters as on average, accounting for inflation. What a year!
b) You
2011 has been a year of change and expressing myself in a new way. I graduated college! And I just wrapped up my first semester of grad school, pulling off a 3.67 GPA for the semester. I have a new boyfriend who is everything I have ever been looking for in a man. I turned 25 in July. I left my full-time job. I learned how it feels to be turned down for the first time, after applying for 15+ graduate assistant positions and not getting any (my school hands those out like hot cakes to kids who went there for undergrad as well, it's a huge legacy thing). I Occupied, marched, and donated time and prepared food to help a good cause. I bought my first pair of 29" waist jeans and they fit perfectly. I began bodybuilding. I moved into a real house, not an apartment!I made new friends and cut worn ties. I had poison ivy really bad, and now have dozens of scars on my body that look kind of badass and are just begging to be tattooed over. I began volunteering for a community action program seeking affordable and accessible public transit for all Rhode Islanders. I'm the first candidate for departmental honors in management in over 5 years at my school (apparently MBAs don't often seek honors). One week, I lost my grandfather on a Sunday, fireworks crashed into my apartment on the Monday, and my birthday was Tuesday. I went to Philadelphia for the first time and had my first real Philly cheesesteak, which isn't much different from the steak and cheese saaaaangwich I can get at Tony's up the road. I made peace with the fact that my nuclear family has cut me off permanently when they sent me all my Christmas ornaments from childhood in a box as my Christmas present. The most important thing I learned in 2011 is how to speak out when something is wrong... and do it properly and constructively.
c) TPM
Mt. Moon! Everyone winning Unownslots of Heracross bashing, Houndoom Lover fell off the face of the earth, and firepokemon has not shown up to ramble satirically despite having the perfect opportunity with the Michael/Max/Julie/Ruckus?/Cycling Road getting hit by a semi-truck saga. (Bring back firepokemon! Your cynicism is just what I need in my day. hahahaha)
2. What will make 2012 special?
a) World
That it just can't get any worse than 2011....
b) You
Well, getting my thesis topic accepted first and foremost, and finding myself, by the end of the year, nine credits away from a master's degree! This year, I'm getting my first big boy job. None of that retail bullshit. It's time to do work!
I will also become king of the world >=)
c) TPM
The proper 12th anniversary of TPM (my bad last year).... OH AND MEETING SOME OF YOU! That's in like a week!!