My 24th birthday

This weekend, I had a small party with a few of my friends to celebrate my (and Kailer‘s and John’s) 24th birthday. In case you can’t tell, I didn’t get a single decent photo of the event. However, I did have a great time.

I had an amazing year being 23. I went from being a graduate student to being a member of the workforce, and there was nothing quick or easy about that transition! I also:

• vacationed in the Virgin Islands,
• worked as a maid at Katsucon,
• started up my Geek Event Guide,
• started volunteering at Anime USA,
• attended the Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix in Dulles,
• dressed in Lolita,
• was interviewed for a documentary,
• learned how to succeed in anime journalism,
• went to the Renaissance Faire,
• attended the Online News Association conference,
• held a minimum wage job at a gym, and as a result I drastically improved my health and fitness,
• went to 6 conventions (Katsucon, Anime Boston, T-MODE, Otakon, SPX, AUSA),
• watched lots of new anime and read 17 books (yes, I counted.)

I took a look at the blog post I wrote last year on my birthday. I set four goals for myself as things I wanted to do before I turned 24. I’ve mostly accomplished them — I’ve gotten published a lot this year in places like the Newseum blog, Kotaku, Japanator, the American Observer and now Stateline for Pew, and in a variety of mediums. Though I’ve done everything from written reporting to video, my work now usually takes the form of interactive visuals, and I am just fine with that. I’ve more or less kept with my Monday/Wednesday/Friday updating schedule — usually posting even more often! And somehow, through sheer luck and determination, I have managed to find a job right before my self-imposed deadline.

My goals for next year are to keep it up, continue blogging and, especially, to take better pictures. So I don’t end up with things like the one on top of this post!