2014 Year in Review – Part 2

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:

• I attended a playwriting boot camp with Paula Vogel
• I covered a pole sport competition for my advanced multimedia storytelling project (see the finished project here)
• I went to “The Art of the TARDIS” at Clockwork Couture and International TableTop Day at the studios for Geek & Sundry (where I got to test out my new camera, digital recorder, and microphone purchased as part of my new interest in radio storytelling)
• I attended the premiere of the documentary Stripped and met Cathy Guisewite (among others)
• I covered the “Geek Speaks: Women in Television” for school, and later attended the “Geek Speaks: The Future of Comics” for SciFi4Me
• I had the chance to catch the LA Festival of Books, where I got to hear John Green speak, attended a panel with author John Scalzi, and met Stephen Tobolowsky (interview still to be edited)
• While not really connected to my school work, the walking tour of Koreatown and having dinner at The Magic Castle would not have happened had it not been for my USC connections

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

• 

  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.