My plans for December: 

Already had the office party and a couple of other events. For the rest of December, Season’s Greenings at the U.S. Botanic Garden, New Year’s Eve Game Night party at a friend’s, and not sure what else yet.

How energized I feel at this point in the year: 

VERY. I’m a cold-weather person. Went for a city walk with friends yesterday and the fresh cold air felt glorious.

The best things about the holiday season: 

Seeing friends, viewing all the displays, and all the celebrations.

Something that changed my perspective on life: 

My job. I write about mental health and substance use disorders, and I read and write about trauma a lot. The things people do to one another make it hard to keep the kibosh on my misanthropy.

But also, people, PLEASE, the stigma has got to stop. It is just one more trauma to the people who have mental illness and substance use disorders. No one ASKS to have a mental illness. No one ASKS to have a substance use disorder. If you have never had either of these, please consider yourself fortunate that you do not have the genetic make-up that challenges resiliency. No, I do not want to hear how you experienced trauma in your life and you’re fine. That is not the point. (And not for nothing, but people who say that are usually not fine, as that very statement speaks to a callousness that often springs from past trauma.) Everyone walks a different path. Everyone has a different experience.  Everyone has a different childhood. Everyone has a different level of resiliency. Everyone has a different family history and genetic make-up. The brain is living tissue and it is subject to injury just like anything else in your body.

What I seem to get the most comments about: 

The changes I’ve made to my style:

I’m slowly transitioning to my natural silver hair. Right now my hairdresser does very fine highlights that make me look blonde overall, but slowly but surely, I will be all silver. It will take a few years, as the hair in the back is a dark gray, but I’ll get to all silver eventually. Also, I don’t wear face make-up anymore. Laser treatments are a wonderful addition to my life.

What gets in the way of my success: 

Procrastination and impatience with people who are slow to catch on to the fact that not everyone has to do something the way they would do it.

News sources I trust the most:

Reuters, AP

Fictional characters that would easily fit into my life:

Skeeter Phelan, Andi Sachs, Prince Akeem (Google them if unfamiliar. It is a peeve of mine when people ask me things they can easily type into a search engine and learn for themselves. It will stick better that way, anyway.)

My relationship with spirituality: 

Atheist here, so not big on that.

How I feel when I’m being retrospective: 

Relieved. What’s done is done and what’s in the past is in the past. I often think, “So glad I don’t have to deal with that/him/her anymore.”

My thoughts on AI technology:

It makes hilarious artwork.

The odd/weird things I do when nobody else is around: 

Oh, I don’t hide my weirdness. I let my oddness out into the world. Deal with it.

What I do when I can’t sleep: 

Think about how I can’t sleep. Resent that people with night chronotypes are so judged and maligned.

The winter/holiday season tasks I enjoy: 

I don’t do tasks anymore. I don’t bother with decorating, holiday baking, etc. I used to enjoy making ribbons for gift-wrapping but I don’t really do gift exchanges anymore, either. Just a few friends, and a lot of that is having stuff delivered to them. Gotta say, I love not having a financial hangover in January.