The Best of Times/The Worst of Times 2011 [FaN Remembers]

Ernessa says: Well, I’ve written a lot about my least favorite moments of the year. I invite you to check out my “How to Be Sad” blog for reference. My favorite moment of the year was hands down taking a three-day trip to Martha’s Vineyard with my bestie, Monique. It was ostensibly a business trip for me (I was giving a reading along with two other wonderful authors for a book event), but it really became a good excuse to talk and hang out with my best friend for the longest period of continuous time that we’ve had together since college. We saw movies, we ate great food, we attended a fabulous Vineyard party, and we talked and talked and talked… What amazed me was that we never ran out of things to say. On the drive back to her house I realized that this time would be listed as my favorite moment of the year. And is there anything better than realizing you’re in a favorite moment while you’re actually in it? I don’t think so.

And here’s what our other bloggers had to say about their favorite and least favorite moments of the year. 

Least Favorite: The passing of my dear little female cat Glitter. She was less than two years old and died of Feline Leukemia passed down from her mother. We miss her dearly.

Favorite: Getting Engaged to my man Levi. I love you babe, and hopefully before too long we will be able to legally wed throughout this country let alone in our home state of California. We are aiming to wed in Spring of 2013!

Zack Bunker from Tall Glass of Shame and Runway Rundown

 

Least favorite HANDS DOWN was my boyfriend breaking up with me. Most painful moment of the last 5 years for sure.  Favorite was getting a new job.  It is challenging, rewarding AND has health benefits.

Patrick Connolly from Piping Hot Nerd: Adventures of a Bagpiper Mastering Manhattan

 

Least Favorite: Almost getting fired, then on my way home from work the same day, having to fight off three teenagers from the other side of town who really wanted my handbag. Obviously it could have gone much worse but it sucked all the same.

Favorite: Traveling with people who are becoming real friends to Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators events in neighboring countries.This year I went to the Netherlands and Munich. Also finally visiting London for the first time since I was 15 was fabulous.
Gudrun Cram-Drach from Secret Life of an Expat

 

My boyfriend told me he loves me.  Then we moved.  Being in love is pretty great.  Moving is the worst. experience. ever.  Amazingly, we and our relationship survived it mostly intact.
Roya Hamadani from Fierce Foodie

 

My least favorite moment of the year was Black Friday. To all the stores that opened on Thanksgiving: shame on you. Just to make a buck, your employees don’t get to spend time with their families and have to be into work late at night. Black Friday has gotten completely out of control. If you want to start early, have these sales going online on Thanksgiving and at least give your employees some time off. I had nothing to do with this day and won’t for a long, long time. The whole thing was really disgusting.My favorite moment of the year was seeing Herman Cain’s crazy campaign ad for the first time. I have no idea why his campaign manager was just standing there smoking. Had Herman continued on, we would have all been in for more comedy. The late night shows had a blast with this one!

Jersey Joe from Kicking Back with Jersey Joe

 

Least favorite moment has to be Steve Job’s passing. It was both upsetting that we lost a visionary figure, and that my newsfeed being polarized with people crapping on Apple. Favorite moment of the year was Herman Cain’s ad, and the subsequent spoof videos to follow. Watch Tim Heidecker’s entire “Lord Cain” campaign.

Sam Weitzner from FIERCE ANTICIPATION

 

Favorite:  Flying into a bear preserve in Alaska.

Least Favorite:  There was a girl for a minute there.  The minute after the minute–that sucked.

Michael Kass from Single White Nerd

 

Personally, we adopted a new bunny we call Jumbles this year. He is our bunny Oreo’s husband. We love him to pieces, as FaN readers may know. Maybe you are even tired of hearing about him. On a larger level, the Occupy movement is interesting to see unfold. We have seen so many “tent cities” and peaceful protests in not only our city, but in other towns we visited. I also see this as a “least favorite” moment, too, as I am not sure if the message is getting to the right people. On another personal note, my personal least favorite moments of the year are when my younger brother can’t get a job. He is an industrial designer and has interviewed to no end and worked for free, but no “real job.” We still hope for the best in this situation.

Missy Kulik from Dork Lifesyle

 

Least Favorite: The insane kerfuffle that ensued over whether or not to raise the debt ceiling was a shining moment in congressional stupidity. As Robert Scheer is fond of saying, the adults aren’t watching the store, and never has it been more obvious. You had a good run America, don’t feel too bad.

Favorite: Beast Quake 2011. Marshawn Lynch running through the entire New Orleans Saints’ defense like a tank through elementary school recess was the only validating moment for Seattle fans in the last three years.

Joshua Mauldin from FIERCE ANTICIPATION

It’s hard to beat the first time my son yelled daddy and ran up to me for favorite moment, although the Packers winning every game in 2011 is pretty good too.  My least favorite moment was experiencing a panic attack on the second floor of a shopping mall when my son got too close to the glass railings the day after my wife’s second pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.

Josh Pullin from Stay-at-Home Dad
 

Least favorite moment: Disappointing my partner. Yes I know it’s inevitable, but sometimes I do it so spectacularly that even a notion as large ad fundamental as inevitability means squat.

Favorite moment: Was driving with my partner, on a cool fall day, the top down on the car, and the pooches in the back seat sniffing the wind. Life is grand.

R. B. Ripley from Hyperbolic Tendencies

 

Least favorite moment of the year = During the first dance at my niece’s wedding in June, it hit me that this was the first big family gathering we’ve had since Dad died. I was so happy for my niece, but wished that Dad could have been there with us. I cried a bit, hugged my sister and decided to go forward and enjoy the rest of the evening, in memory of my Pop.

Happy to say this year had a LOT of favorite moments to choose from. I’m going with fostering 3 kittens and a mama kitty in our home office for a few weeks. If playing with kittens doesn’t make you giggle, you’re dead inside. Oh and the Mama cat now lives with us, and is endlessly loving and entertaining.

Amy Robinson, Blogumnist Editor and writer of Tall Drink of Nerd

 

Least Favorite: I could have done without the exploding Pyrex dish on Thanksgiving. Also, there were all those natural disasters, the rise of the extreme American right, Tim Tebow, college students getting pepper-sprayed, and all the other nasty shit around the world that made this a terrible year. But, if I’m honest, the exploding Pyrex dish was the worst because I had to clean the oven myself and I’ve only ever done that before if I was moving out and trying to get my deposit back. And let’s be honest, not even then. Usually I just let my scummy landlord keep it and don’t pay my last month’s rent instead. That’s much, much easier- trust me.

Favorite: Getting the whole family together for the first time in a few years to celebrate my Dad’s 70^th birthday and Passover together was pretty amazing.

Eric Sims from California Seething

 

Favorite moment: Hosting a Super Bowl party with fellow Pittsburghers to cheer on our beloved Steelers, and finally learning to make my own homemade perigees to give it a Steel City flavor.

Least favorite: Watching said Steelers lose that Super Bowl.
Joe Rusin from On the Contrary

Least: One time I like fell down the stairs in Whole Foods and made all these weird grunting noises as I tumbled down. It looked really dramatic as usual, and everyone thought I was hurt. Embarrassing.

Favorite: In the game industry, this was the first year in 3 years that I’ve been employed for a full year in the same place without it going out of business. Support your local game designers make it so they can join SAG, AFTRA, or whatever they can join. I think we’d take United Autoworkers at this point.

Matt Udvari from Gamer by Design

 

My least favorite moment of the year was turning 28. Hmmm, my favorite moments have been every time my career jumps forward – even a little. That feeling of accomplishment beats any other feeling. Any. Well, ok… not sex.

Frankie V from Frankie Says…

 

Favorite AND least favorite moment of the year: The spontaneous chanting of “USA!” when news of Bin Laden’s death reached the Phillies vs. Mets game. It was thrilling. Then terrifying. Then awesome. Then creepy. Unifying. Divisive. Patriotic Powerful. Joyous. Disturbing.

Sarah Fazeli from Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered