December

1: Thus Spoke Zarathustra
2: meatless BBQ pulled "pork" sliders
3: The Wiz Live on NBC
4: student directs 2015 (& flashbacks to previous shows)
5: hamster explorations in the great wide living room and kitchen
6: working on my architecture project
7: seeing everyone's house ideas
8: watching Nowhere Boy for the first time in many years as a tribute to John
9: kind of helping Maria with her car
10: when you spread out writing your final paper over a week instead of cramming it the night before
11: writing 'bits in class and around school
12: waking up to rain on a Saturday morning
13: the hilarity of Crimson Peak
14: coordinating and putting together little gift boxes
15: Nick getting everybody Boba Tea
16: listening to some Gregorian chants as I come to terms with the undeniable reality that I will probably fail my calc exam (#prayawaythepain)
17: study party for one
18: when your stomach's so full your lungs shrink to accommodate it
19: getting sucked into a book and absorbed by it
20: the puzzle mystery of the Escape Room
21: Pariah
22: listening to This Patch of Sky on Spotify
23: cooking up some broccoli soup
24: WarZ with my bro
25: The Fever Tree audiobook
26: NutriNinja breakfast smoothies for everyone
27: the quiet and stillness of a snowy suburb at 11 pm
28: Tasty Bite Vegetable Tikka Masala with rice
29: pompom-tassel hats and snow photography
30: the absolute final college applications
31: the artful TPing of a neighbor's house

November

1: tiny house video tours
2: when you're interpretive dancing and turn to see your hamster staring at you
3: full car, full squad, off-campus lunch
4: Frankenstein's monster
5: just lying down and falling asleep...
6: Rules of Engagement and Undateable
7: writing explosions and their aftermath
8: Zekrom the guinea pig
9: my new Stand Up For Pits hoodie
10: "All There Is" by Gregory Alan Isakov
11: participating (for the first time) in humanities
12: Frankenstein, the novel
13: when your friend brings you food her mom made
14: the Democratic Debate trio
15: real-life elements + current obsessions making it into your NaNoWriMo
16: writing conference with your teacher
17: going to Chipotle to pick up a burrito for your brother
18: the monster in The Young Frankenstein
19: creating an adult-version parody of the Magic Tree House series
20: wishing to have sung in hindsight
21: getting out your frustrations with a lint roller
22: slight, unprecedented detours in your novel
23: NaNo nitro boost 'til 2:30 am
24: our little club playing at the basketball game
25: when your hamster plays the climb-up game while you're at the vet
26: Home and The Box Trolls
27: hamster licking his lips after eating soup
28: typing my page quota and then some
29: counting words using an abacus
30:  55,251 give or take a few thousand

October

1: flashback to ninth grade with "The Nightmare Before Christmas - Part 2"
2: accidentally walking in on the Student Senate... but they help you out
3: partner salsa dancing with your best friend
4: carrot muffins with dried cherries
5: overly-concerned Mims
6: *subtly saying "F- you" to a person you hate
7: decorating your friend's locker with candy and colorful notes on her birthday
8: first time out east and first impressions of Oberlin College
9: wandering solo vs. talking with the other kids
10: coming home to crazy Lil Ham Stan
11: Weird Al's "Pancreas" and "Frank's 2000" TV"
12: scholarship searches and applications
13: brutally sassing teachers
14: completing my supplemental essays
15: learning the chords for "Search and Destroy" and "Quiet Ye Voices" on guitar
16: blueberry slushie/smoothie and rice cake with Wowbutter for breakfast
17: dark chocolate truffle cashew milk ice cream
18: eating garlic quinoa for breakfast and a snack
19: an unexpected picnic lunch on the football field bleachers
20: Sanders Bohlke's "The Poison" and "Ghost Boy"
21: rainy day with puddles and old soaked canvas shoes
22: returning to 8tracks after a two-year hiatus
23: Friday night in a baggy sweater and baggy sweatpants
24: curious -Goldwyn- retriever
25: revisiting the sixth grade side of campus
26: "Atlantis" by Seafret
27: productivity - getting (three) assignments done during a school day
28: snack of soymilk and lentil chips
29: the holy grail of flaxseed/quinoa chips and Kashi cereal
30: ten reps of the climb-up game, with variations
31: costume night at the movies with the gang on Halloween

September

1: checking Amazon while at school and finding out your package arrived
2: racing against time to get to school and making it with only five minutes to spare
3: inadvertently being a soloist (and being praised)
4: hours and hours of WatchMojo top 10's
5: introducing Ravi to the climb-up game
6: Still Alice
7: reviving the HHFC with a one-(wo)man short film done in (nearly) one day
8: Alan Singley's Cold Truth and Anamorphic Orchestra
9: finding Middlebury
10: drawing designs for the Pep Band T-shirt
11: Nic Bommarito's "Elle va au Japon" and "KTM"
12: melon Powerade and pretzel Goldfish
13: working physics problems on a whiteboard
14: sly (but not subtle) compliments from your teacher
15: a "salad" lunch of plain cucumber
16: 5:30 am fat and fluffy hamster
17: the advisee get-to-know-you sheets (and the cryptic codes and euphemisms I could have used)
18: sneakily not turning in your homework (and your teacher not noticing) because you didn't do it
19: hamster's first encounter with a computer, and he helps you write your essay
20: finding part of a story you wrote on a mini legal pad on a work break over a month ago
21: a Luna bar before first period
22: snails coming out in the rain
23: finding out Reed College allows caged animals and has an interdisciplinary neuroscience-based major
24: the large group humanities presentation on medieval music and hearing Gregorian chants
25: meeting with Mr. Nieves to talk about Case Western Reserve University
26: the regional middle and high school band and orchestra playing at the grand opening of a strip mall
27: the Great British Baking Show
28: the satisfaction of cussing out another driver while they're fully aware of it
29: "Kyrie Eleison" from Dan Gibson's Solitudes
30: the mini-fire of contact (and when she tells you not to break it)

August

1: getting static-shocked by lightning
2: when your manager says "drive-thru doesn't make tips" and then people DELIBERATELY give you tips
3: replacing the zip ties on the bin cage with bolts
4: watching Twilight for the first time in a few years (and still disliking it)
5: online shopping
6: Inside Out
7: stopping on the bike home for Powerade and then walking the rest of the way
8: "I'm not hitting on you, but..."
9: sitting in the back of the car to get good WiFi (outside)
10: Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack
11: busting a cap in Minecraft zombies
12: my very own Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200
13: back-to-school backpack shopping
14: when your mom gets you a random book and the main character has a hamster
15: when the day's tips amount perfectly to buy a commemorative "last supper"
16: listening to and practicing the Pep Band songs
17: trial-and-error learning and experimenting with manual exposure controls
18: Atheist ranters on YouTube
19: 10th & 6th on SFEW
20: walking up with the sixth graders to convocation
21: raw and expressive student musical groups
22: dancin' the night away
23: song inspiration from newly-discovered guitar chords
24: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
25: God is an Astronaut's All is Violent, All is Bright
26: Fairport Convention's "Tam Lin"
27: when your legs work again
28: asking a favorite teacher for a college recommendation
29: packing a snack lunch for halftime
30: chugging through on a Sunday to get the homework done
31: first time at Roots Music Club

July

1: bringing Stanley home
2: peeking in on the sleeping Stanley
3: putting and arranging colleges on "the list"
4: text-raving about tofu dogs on Independence Day
5: In-stan-gramming
6: solving Sudoku puzzles
7: when the doctor's like, "So, you're healthy"
8: getting teased (and concernedly asked) about a past work injury
9: caramel Frappucino
10: The Color Purple
11: the Wodent wheel
12: holding the fort at drive-thru
13: playing soccer with my best friend and her little brother
14: finally buying the albums I've been listening to on YouTube for months
15: watching your hamster actively problem-solve
16: homemade pizza
17: writing on your work break
18: Sudoku with breakfast (to wake up the mind)
19: walking barefoot in the grass in the rain at night
20: researching cameras
21: foot pedal battles and finding creepy inscriptions inside a storage pod
22: organizing music scores
23: when your hamster's so lazy he uses his wheel as an extra bed
24: Stanley's little stuffed cheeks
25: choosing Fight Club for my summer reading
26: when you wake up and realize that terrible thing that happened to you was a nightmare
27: mixing music and editing videos for YouTube
28: studying derivatives over a mug of tea
29: hanging out with coworkers on break
30: a hammy spider-crawling on your back
31: teaching your friend manual

June

1: short waits at the MVD
2: cooking your own green curry
3: when your parents stop by at work
4: "Poor Little Allison"
5: reselling your old video game console at 13% of its original price
6: somehow being alive after two hours of sleep
7: the "interactivity" of working drive-thru
8: chilling and listening to dark, creepy music
9: tidbit writing
10: for-fun summer calculus prep
11: children's fantasy/adventure stories
12: playing on a Minecraft server in creative mode
13: lazy day at work
14: first time handling money
15: being rescued by your parents from biking home in a thunderstorm
16: smoothly, silently, and stealthily ghost-biking through the back aisles of CostCo
17: a Tofurky sandwich with lettuce and tomato
18: Thai Vegan Thursday
19: baby birds hanging out on the porch
20: Super Cooper Sunday vlogs from TmarTn
21: building a table/shelf with Dad on Dad Day
22: plains 'n' meadows driving scenery
23: seeing your favorite childhood musician live in concert
24: The Cabin in the Woods
25: sneaking onto the golf course to play some holes for free
26: hay rides and stone-skipping at the lake
27: Kinda Sarah on Vine and YouTube
28: tossing grapes to the peacocks and chickens
29: driving Colorado top to bottom in six hours
30: when the employee at Home Depot self checkout offers to open your glass bottle of soda

May

1: off to the park with your friend
2: checking out pets and pets checking you out
3: a successful (first) job interview
4: watching a movie and reading a fantasy novel as "study" for an exam
5: staying late to "study"
6: rationing a single tea bag
7: learning and operating the switchboard
8: congratulatory bagels after completing the AP exam
9: mint tea with honey
10: hearing the official "Kona's been adopted"
11: cheerful customers
12: microwave popcorn at school (instead of lunch)
13: watching movies in THREE classes at school
14: a phone reborn
15: last-day-of-school sentimentality combined with cloudy, rainy, and windy weather
16: getting to know & having fun with my coworkers
17: your friend calling you & talking on the phone
18: a snack from your workplace
19: intermittent naps throughout the day
20: waking up early but getting to go back to bed and sleep for five more hours
21: holding a hamster for the first time
22: food from my friend's mom
23: "real-life" birthdays
24: mini wireless mouse
25: serving someone you know in the fast-food drive thru
26: the annual end-of-the-school-year room cleaning
27: waking up early after a long sleeping-past-noon stretch
28: hanging out in the shade on a hot day
29: taking measurements in prep for the hamster
30: successfully riding my bike the whole way home from work
31:weird Minecraft pets

April

1: a good meal after having not eaten for ten hours and arriving "home" after having been away for almost five days
2: conversations with my host mom
3: the random yet deep conversations we had on our last night in Mexico (as exchange students)
4: fond farewells and warm welcomes
5: last lazy day of spring break 2015
6: eating soup and watching the NCAA championship
7: finally doing something in class and waking up/being awake
8: Wow butter
9: unintended plumber puns
10: Bird Man (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
11: dinner with my besties at Thai Vegan for anti-anti-anti-anti prom
12: Gordon Lightfoot's A Painter Passing Through and Harmony
13: Expo Scents markers
14: Grandma-funded outings to Walmart
15: having a take-out buffet for lunch at school
16: dark, deep, and disturbing choreography
17: a change of venue/all-access-pass room
18: Fanta fresa
19: a-boy-and-his-dog moments
20: the rebel roly-poly
21: Kona in a more adoption-promoting locale
22: Adventures to Thai Vegan
23: when I listen to an album for the 2nd time and fall head-over-heels
24: weird rainy stormy weather days in NM
25: hangin' at your friend's house
26: playing tug of war with Betty
27: watching videos, looking at pictures, and reading articles and wen forums about hamsters
28: dozing listening to "We Will Rebuild with Smooth Stones"
29: after-school snack: tea with soy creamer and a delicious dairy-free burrito
30: diving back into the job hunt

March

1: full-color canyon landscapes post-black and white February
2: March coming in like a lion with wind gusts and thunderstorms
3: driving west on I-40 for the first time
4: Oreos for dinner
5: eating yourself into oblivion with jelly beans
6: binge-watching Family Guy on a day off from school
7: a box of assorted mini Toblerones
8: an "I love you and am super excited to see you again" scratch from Kona
9: when the neighbor's dogs get into your backyard and you have an awkward meet-cute interaction over it
10: cutesicle things
11: selfie with the circus
12: the subtle changes driving through NM, AZ, and CA
13: revisiting the same beach you first (& last) visited ~5.5 years ago
14: first time to Disneyland
15: traveling on historic Route 66 through modern cities
16: reunions with friends after a trip
17: making spätzle
18: watching Disney's The Little Mermaid
19: when someone compliments you for having the same boots as them
20: delicious Irish treats in class (soda bread & whiskey cake)
21: the overwhelming fear and excitement of being in a foreign country (por primera vez)
22: walking around El Centro de Guadalajara with my host family
23: being swarmed for attention as the new kid
24: taking classes - that are already challenging - in a foreign language
25: charlando y platicando (poco más)
26: laughing far beyond crying into stomach aches and heartburn
27: the people that I met and became friends with in mi salón
28: toes in the ocean and a night sky full of stars above
29: dogs running on the beach and playing in the ocean
30: a night circus show in the plaza
31: seeing animals in their natural habitats

February

1: wearing an eyepatch to the supermarket
2: Imbolc 2015
3: a welcoming email from your future host sister
4: researching & planning for your future job
5: typing a paper to the soothing sounds of a burbling fish tank
6: cozy clinics with a family feel and friendly workers
7: drawing a (cute?) welcome poster for your exchange student
8: my brother's excitement to become a volunteer after his first time at the ranch
9: teacher evaluations (especially the constructive criticism parts)
10: Uggs and shorts
11: learning Patwa (Jamaican) with your friend
12: running into a favorite teacher outside of school
13: your friend (and project partner) cheering you on before presentation time
14: spending Valentine's Day at the mall with your best friends
15: revisiting the playground of my childhood
16: a barefoot bowling afternoon (at least, part of it was barefoot)
17: the groove of some tracks on Balmorhea's album Stranger
18: the totally-worth-it ending of The Handmaid's Tale
19: playing drums in the dark
20: our last day with Steffy
21: cooking with a friend at their house for a class project
22: texting your friend from deep in the pit...
23: audio-chronicling while driving home
24: playing hockey/soccer by kicking around a doorstop in a dark, empty classroom
25: rehearing "Your Love is Forever"
26: a CD you haven't listened to since you were a kid
27: warm drinks from Starbucks and hardcore sledding on a snow day
28: sled races (that include crashing into mud canyons and catapulting through shrubbery)

January

1: New Year's Day soul food
2: The Book of Life
3: when a normally shy dog jumps up on you to say hi
4: watching Netflix on the last day of break
5: when you and your best friend catch up on Vines after winter break
6: "Stubborn Love" by the Lumineers
7: the Trivia Crack craze
8: Awkward Puppets on Vine
9: sharing a song you like with your friend and feeling an aura of complete familiarity and acceptance
10: composing a lengthy, semi-informal email to try and persuade your teacher
11: Selma
12: when a playlist-shuffle plays songs in a specific order
13: the first pit rehearsal of a new show
14: listening to Einaudi's "DNA" while reading about DNA for AP bio
15: calling a sick friend from school during a free period (to gossip)
16: "Pawn Shop Blues" by Lana Del Rey
17: making a mini vlog compilation video
18: Sunday grocery outings
19: doing film shoots for a class presentation at the park
20: growing into a musical solo (over a few years)
21: when your breath freezes in the rain
22: friendly conversations with the librarian
23: course-selection advice from classmates and teachers
24: pawprints in the snow
25: baking cookies & making tiaras
26: 100th day of school randomness
27: Acquiendences.
28: reading a speech as fast as you can and running out of breath afterward
29: the veterinarian presentation at Career Day
30: your parents reminding you to not sleep with your contacts in
31: making a best-in-state ranking on QuizUp