A list of happy things from 2016

I was going to write out my thoughts on Luke Cage (it’s amazing), but I’m not qualified to really get into it. I can’t discuss how accurate or inaccurate it is to the modern Black American experience—I know nothing about that, I’m white. Instead, I will just say this: it is an amazing show with terrific actors and phenomenal writing. And the soundtrack is well-worth multiple listens.
The world is a complicated place right now, and it is hard to focus on the good in the world right now. That’s what this post is going to do though. We’re gonna look back at 2016, and I’m going to list (kinda) the things that made me happy this year.
- Deadpool: might as well start with the low hanging fruit since it’s just dangling there anyways, flaccid in the wind.
- Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Finally, a comic’s accurate Spider-Man played by a teenager, who is sarcastic, actually poor, and has an aunt who looks like a normal aunt and not a great-grandmother.
- Bucky and Falcon’s banter: “Can you move the seat?” “No.” Classic.
- Ant-Man’s reaction to seeing Steve Rogers
- Basically all of Civil War
- Wonder Woman and her electric violin intro: by far the best thing DC has put out all year in the film department. I mean, the way she smiles before she jumps into the fray? Amazing. And the only time someone smiles in that movie.
- Saskatoon Pride 2016: just an all-around great time with some great people.
- Getting back into the Pokémon TCG: I’m a nerd, yeah. Get over it.
- Star Trek’s 50th anniversary: Always nice to see loved ones survive the test of time.
- Star Trek Beyond: A return to form for the Star Trek franchise that included using science to defeat the enemy instead of phasers.
- Starting a hilarious and amazing DnD campaign with some great people (plus Hudson): seriously, it’s kind of hilarious. My character had a fling with a bear.
- Luke Cage: I already talked about this, why would I say more?
- Mending relationships with old friends (one in particular)
- Thanksgiving at the sister’s: it was great. Plus we beaked her one friend so hard and she never picked up on our sarcasm.
- Partying with a bunch of directors at a small after party: great times, but man can they drink.
- Hitting one hundred vlogs and getting all the nice letters people sent: Seriously, that was awesome.
- Summertime swimming: nothing is better than Canadian summers spent at a beach.
- Starting a new job: new adventures are always fun. And other clichés. But seriously, I’m enjoying it.
- New Harry Potter: From the screenplay of The Cursed Child to the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, it’s been a good year for the Potter-verse.
- Joe Biden memes: while not new to this year, they become more relevant.
- Expanding my musical horizons: to include actual musicals. And more varied hip-hop.
- Reading The Expanse series: finding and falling in love with new science fiction is always a good thing.
- Preacher: more Dominic Cooper is never a bad thing.
- Season 2 of Supergirl: SUPERMAN SMILED AND WAS NICE TO PEOPLE. Don’t tell Zak Synder.
- Jason Momoa’s Instagram.
- The Rock’s Instagram.
- My Instagram.
- Spending time with loved ones.
- Writing pieces that resonated with people and made a difference.
- Being able to make positive changes in people’s lives
- -Being Canadian: That makes me happy every year, but with everything that happened south of the border this year, I was especially happy about that fact this year.
- Coming out about my gender.
- Being honest about mental health.
- The sun.
- Hanging out with the puppers, and going camping with her.
- And a bunch more probably.
2016 was a rough year, but there has been good stuff too. Tell me what made you happy in the comments!  

Well, this has been a change

    I'm in the process of writing my first professional article right now. I've had stuff published in the past on smaller scales, but all that was stuff I had written for myself. This is the first time that a publication has given me a topic and a deadline. It's exciting and terrifying at the same time. If all of this goes well it literally means my dream of becoming a professional writer will come true!
    This is a new experience for me. I'm going out to find people to interview, and then I'm going to write an article based on their experiences. I'm expecting complete strangers to trust me with the intimate parts of their lives... I'm going out to talk to people with the express purpose of telling other their stories. Some of these people have hid their entire lives, but I'm asking them to trust me. It's mind-boggling. I've always wanted to do this, and I am so excited, but what if I'm not good enough for this? I'm trying to tell the world some important things! What if I falter? What if I don't do their stories justice? What if I fuck up?
    I know I'm a good writer, but I've never really had major things hanging off the results of my writing (university doesn't count). How this article is taken can literally affect my entire future, and where my life leads me.
    It's strange thinking about this. A month ago I was unemployed and completely lost in the seas of my life. Now I'm working at a film festival, and have a magazine wanting to publish my work. A year ago I thought I was going to stuck in my job at a High School. Life's crazy.
     I am so happy right now. I haven't been this happy with my life in a very long time, and I don't want to lose this feeling. That's another thing hanging in the balance.
    I know I can do this, I know I can. But this piece of writing has more riding on it than anything I have ever wrote before. Everything else has been for fun. Has been just because I wanted to write it. I've always had the hope that people will enjoy it, but this is so different.
    This year has thrown a lot of punches my way, especially October and November, but December switched that all up and started giving me opportunities. Started a new job, got a writing opportunity, and have made a bunch of new friends.
    Maybe things are getting better. They're really looking up right now anyways.



Being happy is nice. 

A Short List of Happy Things

    The interview went really good today! I went in feeling positive, and the interviewer was super friendly and nice! I really enjoyed it. She told me that she would let me know by the end of the week.
     Hoping everything goes good!
     Anyway, on to the rest of the blog post!
    Today I will publishing a list of things that have made me happy this past month, because this month has thrown a lot of hits my way and I want to look back at the good!

1. putting extra time into my writing
2. dedicated time for my vlog and other filming pursuits 
3. time for introspection (which is both positive and negative, but only positives)
4. making new ace friends
5. writing a post that meant so much to so many people
6. binge-watching Jessica Jones
7. binge-watching Master of None
8. reading Ready Player One and Armada for the first time
9. starting on my memoir
10. finishing my solo campaign on Borderlands 2 (first time taking the Warrior out solo)
11. playing through Halo 5: Guardians (great game btw, solid story)
12. the warm start to winter
13. midnight cupcakes
14. started working out again
15. time for recharging 

     I know this list seems short, but a lot of the things on it are pretty big, or took up a significant portion of time!
    This has been a short list of things that made me happy.