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2014 Year in Review – Part 2

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Note: Apparently, my 2014 was quite busy, and so my (very delayed) year in review was divided into three parts. Part 1 was a general overview of the year, focusing on work and health and my writing. This part is detailing some of the neat things I got to do (which, as mentioned previously, you can also see in my slideshow). Part 3, which will be posted later this week, will be summarizing some of the things I read, listened to, and watched over the year. 

Of course, what made 2014 worth writing up something was all the things I got a chance to experience. Many of these I’ve already written about, with others having potential articles in the wings. But here’s a basic summary.

Some events were connected to my school work:

And, of course, spending two months in London which I’ve partially written about already and have a few more articles in the pipeline to finish. To summarize, however, the experience was a once in a lifetime kind of thing, including getting my passport, which I never thought I would ever have a need for. If you know me at all, you know I choose my words carefully, and so keep that in mind when I state that going to London was a transformative experience for me.

Experiencing a Cream Tea at the British Museum, taking a tour of the BBC AND Stonehenge, going to almost 20 events (everything from Waiting for Godot to a ‘tryout’ of John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme), meeting someone I’ve been corresponding with for almost 20 years now for the first time, taking a tour of the National Theatre (and standing on the Olivier stage), firing a trebuchet at the Tower of London, seeing the Kilns and having a pint at the Eagle & Child in Oxford: all of this and more made me come back a different person. I am far less stressed about things for the most part, far more willing to try new things (wether it’s food or experiences), and while I am still concerned about money and finding a job, I find myself not distressed by things as much as I used to be. (I still have my moments, but change is, after all, gradual.)

Some other events I did were just connected to my being in Los Angeles:

  • I fangirled out and hung out at the BAFTA Tea Ceremony in January 2014 in order to get Benedict Cumberbatch’s autograph
  • I got to not only go to a special recording session of The Thrilling Adventure Hour thanks to me being a Kickstarter backer of their graphic novel (and got to meet the cast after), but went to their special Valentine’s Day special in February
  • I attended the Welcome to Night Vale tour I wrote about (and got to meet the cast/crew)
  • Rich and I were audience members for a taping of The Price is Right
  • We also attended a First Fridays event at the Natural History Museum in May, and also went to The Last Bookstore
  • I reviewed the first Sci-Fest science fiction one act festival, which caused me to get a bucket list item crossed off that I didn’t even know I had: said review is being used as a reference in a Wikipedia article
  • I attended (and wrote about) Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft Cinematic Event to announce their latest expansion, “Warlords of Draenor”.
  • Rich and I got to help out a certain television show, which involved us going to Stanford University, that I’m technically not allowed to talk about: even stating this much may be too much
  • photo by Richard T Sutton

    I was able to attend Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo con as press, managing seven articles (almost all of them audio interviews), which led to my first time at a movie premiere as press, the Cosplay Dreams 3D premiere

  • Rich and I attended a Writer’s Guild Q&A with genre writer David Fury at NerdMelt Comics
  • We also managed to go to a special screening of Guardians of the Galaxy with a Q&A with director James Gunn after (the little girl asking Gunn to explain the Jackson Pollock joke was the highlight)
  • Rich and I spent Christmas Eve at Universal Studios’ CityWalk where we had Bubba Gump Shrimp and experienced faux snowfall

And finally, on a more personal note: both Rich and I turned 40 this year (I spent mine partially at the Sherlock Holmes museum at 221B Baker Street, and later when going out to a club with the rest of the students in London remembering that I was never and will never be cool), and our 15th wedding anniversary was in November. On a less serious note, in January, I shattered my cell phone by accident, leading us to make the switch from Androids to iPhones in March, which led to me purchasing (and beating in a weekend) the Sherlock: The Network game.

Stay tuned for the third and final part to be posted later this week. 

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