2016 Year in Review

(Photos to be added when I have my computer, but otw just look at my Instagram where I documented all of these happenings -- @nortorious)

People keep saying 2016 was awful. I've been somewhat on that train, but, being New Year's, I thought I might go back and grade the year's performance based on its merits and drawbacks as far as my life is concerned.
I'm going to put this up front: Trump's win was a major downer for me. We operate in two worlds: our personal worlds and the larger community. I have always been very invested and involved in politics, protests, and the plight of the minority (women, children, blacks, gays, impoverished, etc.) I want equality in opportunity and pursuit of happiness. I can only be so happy when other people are scared and oppressed. It affects me deeply. It feels greatly hypocritical to me to just take whatever in stride and be over it, but I'm the type of person who wakes up at night worried about the young girls in India's sex trade and black parents having to explain to their children how to respond to racism. I know, I'm weird. But this is how my mind is occupied and it's what motivates me to do what little I can: to be a voice for equality in my home and in my classrooms, and here on my silly blog. These things matter. We need to be aware and vigilant in overcoming them.
<steps down from soapbox>

So we'll run this year at a deficit politically, but personally let's see if I'm in the black.
In calendar order:
Bowie died. -5
Philo was born the next day! +50
Name battle, really really bad experience -15
Ended up happy with his first name. +5
Britney Spears' crazy Instagram that brought me great joy. +1
Sooooo much laundry! -10
Kid learned all the words to Bohemian Rhapsody +5
Mark's 40th birthday +5
In costume, Post partum, bad wig. -5
Pam and Jim as Brit and Justin in denim. +10
Philo seriously ill with RSV. -100
My baby nearly died. Seriously. He was on life support -- if the machines didn't help him breathe he would not be alive. -50
My baby lived! +priceless
Lou also in the hospital with RSV -25
Lou separated her elbow while Philo was in the hospital -10
Ski'd with Jim +5
Pumped while skiing, breastmilk spilled all over me. -5
Bernie gained traction! Vive la revolution! +5
Mimi learned to cook +10
Silas wore the wrong shirt for his school performance. -5
Silas wore the wrong shirt for his school performance again.+5
Found a dentist who will give me laughing gas for a cleaning! +5
Root canal. -5
Boys break dance show + 5
Snugly babies, all the time + 20
Anna's famous blog post + 5
Riding roller coasters with Jude +5
Hush moving in and out and huge problems there. Overall an awful relationship 6+months. - 50
Disneyland! + 15
California Adventure is still stupid. -5
Summer camp success! + 15
Giants lost. - 10
Val and Alina baby announcement + 30
Teaching the kids poker + 4
Pokémon go! + 1
Teaching three good classes + 15
Grading 75 papers every few weeks -25
People I know voting for Trump -25
New church that has a great spirit and a nursery + 10
Leonard Cohen dying - 5
Camille's baby Lorenzo + 5
Bronwyn's wedding + 5
Ashland trip + 5
Girl and Boy Scouts -5 for hassle +5 for rewards
Niya's in my life again + 5
So is Bobb + 5
Aubrey's baby Ansel + 5
Five kids on plane + 10
Thanksgiving in Danville + 5
MJS obsessed with dancing in my highest heels + 5
Halloween outfit success! + 10
New friends + 10
Rad not new friends. So many great friends. + 25
Dx supportive + 5
Trip to Europe just me and my big kids + 100
Missing my babies - 15
Gave kids the entire collection of Disney movies on VHS for Christmas +5

Ok, not counting the priceless survival of my newborn baby, I think that adds up to +521 good things to -375 bad things. 375/521 = 72%

I give this year a C-. It's science.

That seems about right. I am so very thankful for all of the joy that outweighed the bad, without which this would have been a very dire year indeed. Not my best year but certainly not my worst (see my whole family's 2011). 2017 is going to get an A.