This Time (x) Year

Where were you this time last year (or any previous year)? I figured that this could make for a fun topic with recurring posts to be made in it, inspired by that fancy new-ish Facebook feature that dredges up old pictures that you'd posted from (x) many years ago. In fact, I'll be using today's photo from that feature to kick-off this topic!

Spoiler: This time last year, it was snowing all over my pumpkins.

Jump forward to today, and there's no snow (or pumpkins). Disappointing, to say the least, since Arizona isn't quite the snow capitol and it's actually a fairly rare occurrence here in Tucson. Though we do get some up in Mt. Lemmon quite frequently, affording time to make the trip is a laughable sentiment at best, given current circumstances. That said, it's fairly chilly here right now at around 30 degrees Farenheit being the average, so at least that gives some holiday cheer and sentiment to this should-be wintry season.

 

@"Gold Dullahan" - Yer gettin' older and wiser, bucko. Strap in for even more years with your favorite frivolous bunch. :}

@Muddy - Depends on how you look at it, but I suppose that, yes, from your perspective, sans potential sarcasm, it's not a huge difference. Still, Canada tho.

@Keileon - Still, I dig your style and know you've improved greatly since the last time I've really peered at your portfolio, given when you had sent it to me on Skype a couple of weeks ago. Keep at it.

This time last year, my grandma was celebrating her birthday not with the five of us down at my family's place, but with my two uncles, two cousins, and my grandfather at her own place up in San Diego. The most glaring difference is that he isn't here anymore. Thankfully, she still, very obviously, enjoyed her day, especially opening her present and having the "birthday song" ritual incur, which made me pretty cheery today, nevertheless. It was still good times.

 

Not this year, but six years ago, @Flamezone and I became friends on Facebook. This is bizarrely sobering, since it also recalls that four whole years PRIOR to that is when I'd first caught wind of Super Smash Bros. Mercurious, the SSB fansite that @Eebit, @Zantok, Flamezone, myself, and a few other forum members had first met on. Basically, the wheels were set in motion for ZEJ's inception allll the way back in 2006. Here's to 10 full years of insanity with these knuckleheads.

 

That we were, and that he was. I still remember first being upgraded to mod along with you at Merc and walking in on DK3 and PPP talking smack about my turning in as many Wind Waker and Path of Radiance submissions as I did. :5 Good times over there, on the overall, that certainly spring-boarded well into the foundation of ZEJ. Eebit didn't really turn out big-time at Merc until near the end of its run even though he was around since the beginning, but he made enough of an impression quick and became a good friend to us all, which sorted itself out into hosting the first Ultimate Tournament at Mercurious, featuring Baboy Man congealing his burnt skin into a newfound cape. Gooooooooooood times.

@Rose - This reminds me of my friend from back in California who kept preaching about partying in Vegas with a huge group of his friends (It'll be like The Hangover but on my terms!!111) but ended up Snapchatting all sorts of videos featuring his dad, younger sister, and baby cousins. Biggest hype turned into my laughter of 2015.

 

Oh yeah, of course. I wasn't expecting it not to be fun; I was just laughing at his hyping it up as some big, 18+ ordeal with flashing lights and all of the other overrated tassles and flair that comes with the party stereotype. All the same, I'm glad that you both had a stellar time! I've only been to Vegas once all-too-long ago and enjoyed it. We'd gone to eat at the buffet attached to Caesar's Palace, with the painted skies and all that, and that was pretty good. Toured Coca-Cola, the Bellagio, and other stuff like local arcades. I'd like to go back and see what else there is to offer; besides, one of my favorite uncles lives up there so that's one good excuse to head up in itself.

 

This time last year, we were engaged in the first death anniversary of my closest cousins' mom and my uncle's first wife. She was a tumultuous woman, Sandy was, with a controversial past riddled with arguable bad moves and wrong turns; her life was, sadly, a tragedy tragically cut short as she was only in her early 50s when she had passed. You could remember her for the drama, for the bad times, or you could choose to stand with my cousins and remember the good that made up the core of her heart. While we drifted from each other over time, especially after my uncle divorced her, there were reasons that, despite all she had done, I could respect her at the end of the day. She loved my grandparents and made sure to take care of them, and she loved my cousins even if she couldn't always show it in conjunction with her actions. She loved my uncle. She barely missed the birth of her granddaughter just four good months later.

I'm not going to go into huge detail about this in the more-public sections of the forums, but found it an appropriate means of resurrecting this topic in paying some respect to her on the second anniversary of her death. I'd be willing to divulge more details over PM if anyone really wanted to know, but it's more or less history and water under the bridge, and I'm not one for too much gossip.

 

Yooooooooo! On this day two years ago (because screw the restrictive "only last year" rule that originally came with this topic :5), I went ahead and had my first big-time concert with one of my favorite bands, The Avett Brothers. I credit that day as changing my world entirely and really setting me on the path in life that I've been traversing ever since, full of music and writing on a daily basis. I wouldn't have it (well, at least that facet of my life in this broad sense :5) any other way.

Spoiler