While you are digging into batfam lore, could you perhaps help explain what the batkids' legal names all are? Fanfiction has messed me all up. Did any of them actually legally take Wayne as their last name? I see it most often with Tim (i.e. Timothy Drake-Wayne) and Cass (i.e. Cassandra Wayne) but I haven't read any comics that I recall that actually called them that.
Sure! A quick rundown of who's actually part of the Wayne family:
Wayne family: Dick, Jason, Tim, and Cass were all legally adopted at one point or another in the post-Crisis universe (post-reboot is....complicated. Dick, Jason, and Tim are all once again adopted after a long series of retcons; Cass's status is still unknown). Damian is Bruce's biological son.
NOT Wayne family: Babs, Steph, any members of the Fox family (Luke, Tam, Tiffany, Jace, etc), Harper Row, etc.
Duke is a complicated case; he was Bruce's temporary foster son for a year before moving in with his Uncle Jay, where he now lives. He's...sort of considered Wayne family, in that at least Jason and Tim consider him to be sort of their brother, but he wasn't adopted and no longer lives with Bruce.
Other:Ā Kate and Bette Kane, who are Bruce's cousins and part of the Kane family.
As for legal last names and who actually calls themselves Waynes:
Damian's legal last name is Wayne. The al Ghuls tend to call him "Damian al Ghul" when he's with them, but legally his last name is Wayne; it's also the name Damian goes by UNLESS he's specifically attempting to leverage the al Ghul name amongst his family or the League of Assassins.
Dick continues to go by and think of himself as "Richard John Grayson" even after being adopted, though he explicitly calls himself Bruce's adopted son in several arcs after his adoption happens. You can take your pick of reasons why this might be (and there's quite a few to choose from, mostly connected to Dick's love for his bio parents and already being an established adult when Bruce adopted him), but Grayson was and remains his legal last name.
Jason canonically remained "Jason Peter Todd" after his adoption, per his death certificate:
Jason's death certificate, naming him as "Jason Peter Todd." -Batman Annual #25 (2006)
He was also "Jason Todd" to the general public; it's what people call him when they talk about him both before and after his death. The Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth comic (specifically RHATO #33) confirms that this is the case in the post-Flashpoint universe as well. However, there's a pretty reasonable canon foundation to assume that had Jason's adoption not happened in the 80s and had writers not wanted to complicate things, he probably would have chosen to hyphenate and become Jason Todd-Wayne, based largely on a) Jason's relationship with Willis Todd and b) Bruce and Jason's relationship before his death.
We simply don't know what Cass did. Cass was adopted off-panel in the vague period in betweenĀ Batman RIPĀ andĀ Final Crisis, but Bruce's death threw everything up into the air; Cass was then promptly put on a bus and shipped out to Hong Kong for the duration of the Reborn era, and since she shows up in a grand total of 8 comics during that time we just don't get enough information to make a judgement call about her last name. Her two appearances in Tim's Red Robin book still call her Cassandra Cain, but it's unclear whether Fabian Nicieza, the writer, even knew her adoption had happened:
"Cassandra Cain, former Batgirl, remains one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet..." /// "Cassandra Cain, aka The Black Bat, Hong Kong operative for Batman, Inc." -Red Robin #17 & #25
Since Cass never had much of a public identity to speak of in the first place (and for a long time didn't even want one), it's super ambiguous what her legal status is and what last name she holds post-adoption. It's pretty reasonable to assume she becomes Cassandra Wayne, though, and it's also my personal preference. Though her relationship with David Cain is complicated, she doesn't hold much attachment to him as a father; likewise, there's really no reason for her not to take on the Wayne name given her attachment to Bruce.
Tim is the complicated one here, mostly because his adoption was such A Productionā¢. Tim was formally adopted about a year in-universe after the events ofĀ Identity Crisis (when Timās dad was killed by Captain Boomerang). The adoption was pretty high-profile; Tim and Bruce even sat for an interview about it:
From 2007-2011, he's called Tim Drake and Tim Wayne (and occasionally Tim Drake-Wayne) pretty interchangably depending on the writer and situation. His legal name is probably Tim Drake-Wayne, though it's actually ambiguous. He tends to go by Tim Wayne in public while usually referring to himself as Tim Drake in private:
"And by the way, it's Wayne when I want a favor or a table at Bartese, and it's Drake when I look in the mirror." -Red Robin #15
"A question for Mr. Wayne--" /// "Reporting live from the reopening of the Newton Community Gym where Tim Wayne is about to address the crowd." -Red Robin #14 and 15
Post-Flashpoint, that adoption was erased and Bruce and Timās relationship was very strained; in the Rebirth era, his adoption was implied to be canon again in both TynionāsĀ Detective ComicsĀ run and King's Batman run, but we didnāt get confirmation until Infinite Frontier andĀ Urban Legends, where Tim is once again explicitly adopted and occasionally called Tim Wayne, though he still mostly goes by and is referred to as Tim Drake:
"But just to be clear--we're not splitting the bill, Tim Wayne." -Urban Legends #4
"...and then Mr. Wayne just adopted you? Awful generous of him." -Urban Legends #4
Tim is also the only one regularly referred to in public as "Bruce's adopted son." Most of the time they're referred to as "Bruce Wayne's wards," so whether the adoptionsĀ are public knowledge or not is questionable, but their status as his wards and foster kids is not. Though they largely never lived in the Manor at the same time, they've all attended various public functions as Bruce's kids and acted on Bruce's behalf in various capacities while in the public eye.
tl;dr Tim is canonically the only one who takes the last name "Wayne" upon being adopted; he generally continues to refer to himself as Tim Drake, but canon calls him "Tim Drake," "Tim Drake-Wayne," and "Tim Wayne" pretty interchangably afterwards. Dick doesn't change his name and canonically Jason didn't either, though you could make a case that he might have hyphenated had his adoption been written in the modern era. We don't see Cass enough after her adoption to know either way; however, her existing canon relationships with Bruce and her biological family heavily support and/or imply that she probably became Cassandra Wayne.
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Okay I don't like Alfred having raised Bruce after Thomas & Martha died, so okay, what would I prefer?
I think Bruce should have bounced around relatives. Some who genuinely cared, some who wanted his inheritance, some who were good with kids, some who were inexperienced but trying, some who the courts picked when two others were fighting, etc. Heck, let's throw some Wayne Enterprises board members in there too.
It opens up the opportunity for Bruce to have a wide range of parental experiences, and a way to pull random knowledge, skills, and stories out of his pocket that nobody in his adult life knows enough to contradict. Oh who taught you to sharpshoot, Brucie? To box? To identify the components of perfumes? One of my cousins, sorry, ha ha, don't remember which one!
Gotham's problems work best when there's no one single person or organization at the root of it all, and dragging Bruce around like this makes him a microcosm of that. Batman is one of Gotham's avatars, so let that be reflected in his childhood in more ways than the original double homicide.
It's also a solid reason for him to seek emancipation at sixteen, letting him yeet himself across the globe for his self-directed Batman training quest.
Gives him early opportunity to practice undercover personas! After the third guardianship change, baby Bruce realizes the adults don't know what he's "supposed" to be like, and goes ham coming up with fresh personalities at each changeover.
~
What about Alfred, then? Where does the stalwart supporter/enabler who snarks at Bruce at every opportunity while keeping his secrets and stitching him up?
Well, when Batman is a brand new vigilante who's great at detective work and fighting, and not so great at keeping his cowl from getting yanked off...
Alfred Pennyworth is the first person Batman ever saves.
He's been helping Bruce keep that mask on ever since.
Steve has graduated. His parents didnāt show up. Nancy was off with Jonathan so she didnāt show up. Honestly, heās surprised when he hears a single, loud cheer in the audience, but maybe itās just a sympathy thing.
He doesnāt think much about it until heās rushing off the football field that begins to flood with proud families and friends. He pinches his nose as he makes his way through the crowd. He shouldnāt have shown up at all.
āSteve!ā Someone yells from behind him.
Steve turns around and finds Dustin Henderson staring back at him with a huge, proud smile. He nearly cries at the sight and rushes to hug the kid. āHenderson, you showed up!ā
Dustin scoffs and pulls away. āOf course I showed up!ā He says as if it not showing up wasnāt even an option.
Steve doesnāt know what to say other than, āThank you, man. Really. Hey, why donāt we grab lunch on me, and Iāll fill you in on any of your high school questions.ā
āReally?ā Dustin asks, with that bright smile somehow growing wider.
āYeah,ā Steve replies and throws an arm around his shoulders leading him to the parking lot. āAnd you can pick the restaurant.ā
Itās like heās somehow made the kidās day or something, but really, it was the other way around.
-:-:-:-:-:-
āI want to join the DnD club,ā Dustin announces as Steve takes a large bite out of his cheeseburger and nearly chokes on it. Okay, DnD, not exactly surprising, but Steve knows thatās going to keep Dustin in the social status: outcast.
He looks the kid over and nearly tells him to drop the idea before he takes in that bright, excited expression and decides that popularity is overrated. Look where itās got Steve. And honestly, popular people can be the worst people - especially in Hawkins.
So, Steve just smiles and replies, āI think you would love it. Just look for a guy named Eddie Munson. He should be standing on tabletops shouting at people, but between you and me heās not as scary as he looks.ā
And itās true really, although Eddie seemed to have forgotten about briefly being friends with Steve that first semester of his freshman year, he hasnāt changed much. While he is loud and brings a chaotic energy into every room, he isnāt a threat. Heās kind of sweet really. And heās actually pretty funny. Steve has the brief realization that he might miss the guy.
He shakes the thought away as Dustin rattles on asking what Steve will be doing after the summer. Steve shrugs. There was a stack of college letters on the table in his room that he wasnāt sure were acceptance letters or not. Surely he had gotten into Tech, and thereās definitely time left before the deadline before he has to commit. He tells Dustin this, but he just stares at him like heās crazy. "What?"
"Are you insane?? Let's go open those letters now!"
Steve's heart thuds. "I mean... but what if I didn't get in anywhere, and I have to face the fact that I'll be stuck in this town forever on a day that I'm supposed to be celebrating?"
Dustin bites into his stack of waffles - he had ordered them saying that it would make El proud - and seems to consider the idea. "Okay, but we open them in the next few days before you hit the deadline to accept and before I go off to science camp."
Steve takes the distraction route and asks, "Science camp?"
The question lights up something in Dustin's eyes as he talks practically a mile a minute about the camp he's so excited to go to, and Steve can't help but smile and listen to him, trying his best not to think about those stack of letters.
-:-:-:-:-:-
A few days later, there's loud knocking on Steve's door that startles him off of his couch. Who the fuck?
He runs to the door and flings it open.
"I've been radioing you for over an hour! Why didn't you answer?" Dustin asks before Steve can even process it's him.
"I must've had it off or something," Steve replies with a shrug but feels panic start to build. "Is something wrong? Are those things back?"
"No, no, nothing like that," Dustin waves him off and brushes past Steve and into his house. Steve sighs and rolls his eyes as Dustin doesn't even wipe his feet on the doormat. "I'm here because I leave for my camp tomorrow. You know what that means?"
"You're here to say goodbye?" Steve asks cluelessly.
Dustin huffs. "I'm here to open the college acceptance letters!"
Steve's heart drops. Shit. He runs a hand through his hair before it settles on his hip. He tries to come up with an excuse but knows the kid will see right through his lies. He sighs, "Okay, but don't get your hopes up. I barely graduated high school, so these all might be rejection letters."
Dustin smiles and seems to buzz with anticipation as if they're his acceptance letters.
Steve can't help but smile and feel a little hope as he makes his way upstairs and to his room. He hears Dustin snort when he opens his door. "Don't judge. I know it's horrible, but my mom never let me change it."
This only makes things worse as Dustin starts to giggle muttering about how Steve is an adult, but he still has his mom decide what to do with his room. Steve hardly pays attention as he stares at the stack of letters. He grabs them and sorts them. "Hardest schools that Nancy made me apply to when she had the vision of us going to the same school together and then finishing with the easiest ones like Tech," Steve explains to Dustin.
He takes a deep breath and stares at the first envelope. He holds it out to Dustin. "Want to do the honors?"
Dustin giddily takes it and opens it. Steve knows that he's been rejected when Dustin's face drops. He takes the letter back. "I definitely didn't want to go to Emerson anyway."
Dustin smiles again, and this time Steve opens the next letter from Purdue.
Thank you for your application. Unfortunately...
Steve crumbles it up and tosses it toward his small trashcan before reaching for the next letter.
We regret to inform youā¦
Crumble.
I am sorry it notify youā¦
Throw.
We are unable toā¦
Rip.
Iām sorry to inform youā¦
Steve nearly yells as he crumbles up the paper and reaches for the last letter. Surely he got into Tech.
He opens the letter with shaky hands and reads the paragraph about his exemplary and interesting application and feels hope stir in his chest again as he reads on with a smile.
Although your application shows great promise, it was not amongst those that we were able to accept.
Steve slowly puts down the letter. That was it. The hope flutters and dies. He hands the letter toward Dustin, unable to say it out loud. Instead he rambles out, āMy dad said heād teach me a lesson about working in the real world if I didnāt make it into college, soā¦ maybe Joyceās store is hiring or something.ā He can hear the disappointment seep into his tone. He knew he shouldnāt have gotten his hopes up.
Dustin slams down the letter and says, āOkay, then letās get you a job at the new mall where you might not die from boredom. Weāll make your resume and turn it in today.ā
Steve feels a bit of pressure at the back of his eyes. āHenderson, you donāt have toā¦ā
Dustin smiles. āOh, Iām not doing this for free. This will also require free rides from you next year since youāll be stuck in town with me. Plus, Iāll be gone for a few weeks, and knowing that I helped you get your job will be a great coming home gift. Now, letās go to the library and get stuff printed.ā
Steve shakes his head in disbelief as he rushes after him. He has no idea what he did to deserve Dustin Henderson.
-:-:-:-:-:-
Before he knows it, the resumes are dropped off at several stores in the mall, and Steve canāt help but feel that small bit of hope flutter again. Maybe his future wonāt be entirely awful.
He drops Dustin back off at home and gives him a hug goodbye, mentally marking in his mind when heās supposed to return. Itāll be a lonely summer without him.
He watches as he heads inside his house, and Steve waves at Claudia before driving off. He takes a deep breath as heās finally left alone with his thoughts.
His parents were going to kill him. Shit. He feels like such a damn fuck up. He sighs and thinks of Dustin before making a detour.
He way have ruined his high school experience, but heās not going to have anyone ruin Dustinās.
He drives slowly through the trailer park, looking for Eddieās van. Tommy had told him that Eddie sometimes sold from his trailer, but Steve had never accompanied him. He almost regrets it now.
He spots the van and pulls up next to it. Hopefully this visit isnāt entirely unwelcome.
He gets out and jogs up to the trailer door knocking quickly before shoving his hands in his pockets trying to act natural. The door slowly opens and Eddie peers out looking confused and unimpressed. āAnyone else with you?ā He asks.
Steve shakes his head, and then heās being roughly pulled inside. He barely has time to blink and take in his surroundings before Eddie is launching off, āUsually I donāt like to deal to ex royalty, but Iām willing to only if you donāt fucking gloat about graduating or try some dumb shit.ā
āIām not here to buy weed, Munson,ā Steve says with a sigh running a hand through his hair.
Eddie eyes him and smiles. āHere for harder stuff then? Didnāt think you had it in you, Harrington.ā
Steve huffs and settles his hands on his hips. āNo, Iām just here to talk to you.ā
Eddieās eyes narrow further until Steve almost thinks theyāre entirely shut. He folds his arms and leans back against his counter. āDo I look like a therapist?ā
Steve canāt help but roll his eyes. Always so dramatic. āI wanted to ask if youāre still running the DnD club or whatever next year.ā
Eddie freezes and looks even more confused and slightly uneasy at the question. āWhy?ā
āBecause I have a friend who wants to join. Dustin Henderson. About yay high,ā Steve holds up his arm to about his shoulder. āCurly hair. Looks like a total nerd because he is. But heās also a butthead, so be a bit careful - kid has an attitude. Should be a freshman next year, and I know how you love taking inā¦ what do you call themā¦ ālost sheep?ā So maybe justā¦ I donāt know. Consider it. Heās a really good kid. Really smart. And heās been playing DnD for years and really wants to join your club or whatever it is. So, I thought Iād stop by and put a word in for him.ā Steve finishes his little speech with a shrug and feels kind of uncomfortable standing in the middle of the Munson trailer with Eddie staring at him as if heās entirely crazy. He just hopes he did the right thing for Dustin.
Eddie takes a few moments to stare at him and blink before asking, āWhy are you vouching for this kid?ā
Steve shrugs. āFucked up my high school experience, and I donāt want him to go through anything like I did. I need him around good people that he can count on.ā
āSince when am I good people?ā Eddie says standing up straighter in an attempt to look intimidating. It may work on helpless cheerleaders in the lunchroom, but Steve isnāt as easily scared.
āYouāve always been, Eddie. You take in kids and make sure theyāre protected from the popular dicks I surrounded myself with. You donāt think I saw you distracting everyone and giving them a chance to run away before you had to take a few hits? I know you think Iām another stupid jock, and really I am, but Iām at least a bit observant,ā Steve crosses his arms as he continues, āPlus, my freshman year, you briefly took me in.ā
Eddie stares at him blankly.
āMrs. Clamās English class first semester of my freshman year. You shared your book with me when I always forgot mine and lent me your notes during class. And youād always defend me when I asked dumb questions. But then I got on the basketball team and after winter break I was a total dick and was almost unrecognizable,ā Steve confesses. Heās spent a lot of time reflecting on his high school years and when everything started going wrong. He wishes he wouldāve stuck around with Eddie Munson.
Eddie just shakes his head. āSorry, I really donāt remember.ā
Steve sighs and flushes a bit red as he continues, āYou used to call me ābig boyā a lot. Sometimes even āStevie.āā
And that seems to open the floodgates of memories for Eddie who leans back against his counter with wide eyes. āYouāre Stevie? Dude, I thought you fucking moved or something.ā
Steve shrugs. āI lost the braces. Changed my hair. And I even stopped wearing glasses in class, but that was a mistake.ā Maybe he wouldnāt have failed some of his classes if he wouldāve been able to see the damn board without squinting.
āChrist,ā Eddie says looking way more conflicted than before. āI used to be friends with Steve āThe Hairā Harrington before he got the makeover.ā
Steve snorts. āThat āmakeoverā was one of the best and worst things to ever happen to me.ā
āI donāt know,ā Eddie says with a smile and shrugs. āI kind of liked you before then.ā
Steve feels a bit of butterflies flutter in his stomach as his face turns an interesting shade of red. What was happening? He hadnāt felt this since he was in Mrs. Clamās class.
āSo, the kidās name is Dustin Henderson. Heās on the shorter side with curly hair and is a total nerd,ā Eddie says confirming.
Steve snaps out of his memories and nods. āThatās him.ā
āIāll look out for him,ā Eddie says with a small smile. āBut next year, Iām finally going to graduate, so donāt be too disappointed when youāre dealing with a crying mess of a kid when I run like hell out of this place.ā
Steve finds himself smiling as he imagines Eddie finally getting his diploma and doing something stupid like flipping off their principle and running off the field to make his final dramatic performance. āDonāt worry. Iāll still be here to look after him once you leave.ā
Eddie slightly frowns at the comment and tilts his head as if asking for an explanation.
āJust found out today that I didnāt make it into a single college, so Iāll be working at the mall if theyāll hire me. But I think the only thing Iām qualified for is scooping ice cream in a damn sailorās uniform. But thatās better than nothing, right?ā
Thereās an interesting blush that covers Eddieās cheeks as he replies with wide eyes. āA sailorās uniform?ā
Steve laughs. āOf course thatās the one thing youād focus on. Man, you really havenāt changed since I first met you.ā
Eddie shifts on his feet and shoves his hands in his pockets. āIs that a bad thing?ā
Steve thinks for a moment about the dramatic boy with shorter hair, yelling out random things in class and leaning close to Steve to whisper ridiculous comments in his ear about their teacher, other students, or whatever they were reading. Steve would find himself watching him out of the corner of his eye, trying to see if the boy would smile at the things he would write to him in the margins of his notes, and always think his day got a little better when it worked.
He looks back at Eddie now. Heās older and his hair is longer, but heās just as endearing as he was back then. āNot a bad thing at all,ā Steve decides.
Eddie smiles again, that little bashful smile that always had Steve smiling and looking away before the other boy caught him. He wonders what life wouldāve been like if he wouldāve stuck with Eddie Munson.
āWell, itās been good talking to you,ā Steve says running a hand through his hair feeling the distinct need to escape whatever feeling is brewing in his chest. He walks to the front door and turns back. āHey, if youāre ever craving ice cream and I somehow get the job uhā¦ stop by sometime and get something. Free of charge.ā
Eddie tugs hair in front of his small smile and replies, āIād like that.ā
Steve holds Eddieās gaze for a few more moments feeling like he should do something drastic like kiss him, but he turns quickly before he can act on his thoughts. He leaves the trailer and takes in a deep breath trying to get rid of the thoughts of what couldāve been.
wLet me tell you about one of the best waterfalls in my limited waterfall experience: GljĆŗfrabĆŗi. So unknown, that I only know the name because my pictures are geotagged. I was visiting the more wellknown, but still kind of secret Seljalandsfoss nearby and decided to found the nearby path and see where it took me.
An excellent decision for a solo female traveler.
I had read mention of a cool waterfall nearby somewhere, but didn't have any specific information. I thought I had found it part way down the path in a kind of disappointing trickle of a waterfall, but kept falling the path. Eventually, path ended at a small stream.
Disappointing, but alright.
However, I then noticed that there was a gap between the cliff face with conveniently place stones that could almost be a path? Then, I heard voices echoing beyond the cliff face opening.
Intriguing!
So, with the help of some nice fell tourist, I made my way through the gap in the cliff face which opened into a large cavern this large waterfall tumbling down the side! I found myself with a handful of people facing down this awe inspiring waterfall in a cavern that echoed the roar of the water off the walls. The power and might of the waterfall cannot be understate in the face of this beauty.
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Hoping that you're doing well. Wanted to let you know that despite my distance and silence, I still think of you fondly. Thank you for being my friend, once upon a time. :D Best wishes for you and yours.
I hope youāre doing well too! I havenāt been on tumbler in ages, so please donāt think I was ignoring you! Thank you for reaching out - I still think of you fondly as well, Iām very grateful for our correspondence way back when. Thank you! All the best wishes for you and yours as well! <3
I want to hear your personal stories about how the coronavirus is impacting your life. I hope to collect these stories into a written piece that highlights how this event is shaping our lives for the foreseeable future. Please emailĀ [email protected] with your stories of social distancing, of shutdowns, of panic, of find hope in this present darkness.Ā Ā
My first semester of college was 16hrs, which has been a common theme. Last semester, I started out with 19hrs and later dropped it to 17. Spring 2017 was 19hrs, three of which were study abroad. I've always gone for more hours, and in my 8th semester, I've passed 123 of 125 attempted hours. I still have three more semesters (including this one) left. I'm not really sure what to do with "only" 15hrs. My classes have a fair amount of workload, but it's interesting to have more time to devote to each class. Although, for the first time in college, I have a boyfriend - so I definitely have something to use up that extra time.
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This is a painting Florence, Italy found in an old church that was once a mill. A lot of the paintings you see as a tourist in Italy are restored, and hardly show their age. The paintings in this church werenāt. A lot were left alone like this one, some had reproductions done and placed over the originals. Thereās also something about the violence of this that appeals to me.Ā
Itās weird. I didnāt date in high school except for one date with a guy who is now out as gay, and there were two weird situations in college that never included actual dates. So, at 21, I started my first mutual almost a thing and then it became an actual thing in November. We pseudo dated for about a month before making it official. It feels like things have progressed so quickly and Iām so impatient to see where things go from here. I want to know if this is the man that I get to spend the rest of my life with. I adore him. We go back to campus tomorrow. Iām so excited.
This is definitely a new chapter in my life - dating and getting to know someone like this. Iām really grateful that I get to experience this with him.Ā
It is done! Hallelujah! My friend and I entered a business plan competition, and of course waited until the last day. Hours and hours of work in the last two days (in addition to preparation before), especially today. Iām just so relieved to have finally submitted it. I hope we move on to the next round.Ā
Whatever happens, it was quite an experience and quite a lot of learning happened. I now know how to make a Break-Even Point analysis in Excel, so thereās that.Ā Ā
Ā Ā For my birthday last year, I decided to try something new(ish). I set twenty-five goals for myself to accomplish throughout the year: some easy, ride a ferris wheel, and some hard, a 4.0 semester GPA. Historically, Iāve never been very good at meeting or even setting goals, but I found that the way I set goals for that year to be a way that I could focus on.Ā
Ā I usedĀ āS.M.A.R.T.ā goals, which Iām pretty sure stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. I didnāt set vague goals likeĀ āread more booksā, I set the goal ofĀ āread 10 bookā with the deadline of my next birthday. See, for me, this method has worked incredibly well because itās so well-defined. To explain S.M.A.R.T Goals:Ā
Specific - notĀ ābe better with moneyā, butĀ āmake a budgetā
Measurable - ā10ā³ rather thanĀ āmoreā
Achievable - āreading 200 books in a yearā is specific and measurable, but not achievable
Realistic - is similar to achievable. Pick a goal that you can reasonably accomplish in the given timeframe with the resources you have or can acquire within your timeframeĀ
Timely - put a time limit or time frame on your goal, donāt leave it open ended because that just lets you procrastinate.
I definitely didnāt come up with SMART goals, and it didnāt make me achieve all of my goals - but it did help me focus on achieve things that I might not have otherwise. Iāll go into my goals for the last year and how I did, or didnāt, accomplish them this year.Ā
1. Create a personal mash-up video toĀ ā22ā³: So, I got excited about the songĀ ā22ā³ being relevant to my age. This goal did make me more inclined to film moments from my life which I think Iāll appreciate later in life, but I didnāt ultimately get around to making the mash-up video.Ā
2. Go to Europe: This was a little cheater goal, because I already had a study abroad to Italy planned for spring break. The trip was AWESOME though.Ā
3. Ride a Ferris Wheel: I had hoped to ride the London Eye on my long layover in London, but that didnāt work out and I instead rode the Wheeler Ferris Wheel with my best friend.Ā
4. Go to a drive-in movie: My best friend and I made a day of it with the ferris wheel. We saw the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean, much confusion was had with the radio, and there was an amazing lightening storm on the way back home.Ā
5. Go on a hike: This one Iām considering accomplished, but itās not the nature hike that I intended. I hiked through Italian cities on my study abroad, hiked through Anaheim/Disneyland (nearly 30,000 steps!), and spent an afternoon at a botanical gardens.Ā Ā
6. Read 10 books: Completed over the summer. I might do a list over this later.
7. Visit a museum for the day: I visited the museum in my college town for my second date with my boyfriend, and ended up being a pretty special date. I didnāt plan on this goal meaning a lot to me, but it did.Ā
8. See every [hometown community theatre] production: I didnāt expect to have any issue meeting this goal because Iāve seen or been in every shoe since about 2013. However, I very unexpected had my truck die and couldnāt get home for the last show of the year. I have the DVD of the production and intend on watching it over break, but I didnāt complete this goal.Ā
9. See a show somewhere else: I actually accomplished this several times over. I sawĀ āShipwreckedā and the musical I canāt remember the name in the Spring at college, Seussical and Into the Woods in local towns over the summer,Ā āNunsenseā at the community theatre in my college town with my good friend, and a Shakespeare comedy with my boyfriend in November.Ā
10. Start, maybe even finish, my [two-year collegeās] scrapbook. Itās been started at least.Ā
11. Take a dance class: I took Ballet I this fall semester - I loved dancing again, but I do not have the passion necessary for the work required in a college level dance class.Ā
12. Ride a train for the first time: We took a high speed train in Italy, it was a rather average experience.Ā
13. Get a 4.0 semester GPA: I made it out with Aās and a few Bās and somehow got into Phi Kappa Phi, but I did not get a 4.0 for either semester.Ā
14. Take a photo every day: There were definitely days where I counted Snapchat for this, but I do think I did it.Ā
15. Finish my brown journal: I was so close and wanted to push myself into finishing it off, easily accomplished.Ā
16. Go to a concert: Never got around to it, unfortunately.Ā
17. Be in a theatre production: I was a dancer inĀ āOklahomaā for my community theatre. Much fun was had and friends were made. I got to playĀ ādream Laureyā, which I was thrilled to do.Ā
18. Learn to spin cotton into yarn: Even putting it on my goals couldnāt get this accomplished, hahe.Ā
19. Make two or more bones for my knitted skeleton: I started one, but didnāt finish.Ā
20. See a ballet: I watchedĀ āSwan Lakeā for my Ballet I class, and loved the movements but the music nearly put me to sleep.Ā
21. Do a random act of kindness: For the Spring finals week, a few friends and I wrote encouraging notes on index cards and taped lifesavers to them forĀ āencourage-mintsā. My good friend and I handed them out in the student union around lunch on Tuesday. I enjoyed myself, I think the receivers of the notes were a little baffled.Ā
22. Write once a week: Between diary entries and school assignments, this was definitely accomplished.Ā
23. Make something I usually buy: I made a skirt during the summer. It didnāt go well.Ā
24. Finish a coloring book: This was far too ambitious, but I did enjoy the time I spent coloring.Ā
25. Participate in NaNoWriMo: I donāt think I ever surpassed 1,666 words, but I did write something.Ā
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This is the first valentineās day in a while that Iāve been excited about. I donāt have a boyfriend or SO, but Iām surrounded by friends who want to celebrate love and our platonic love for each other and that just makes me so happy. Love is beautiful and kind and lovely. I love love. I suppose you can say that I just like liking things. Like people. People are great. Well, at least, I find my people great.Ā
It's like a punch to gut, right? Suddenly, you realize that someone else has created a 2-d picture of you that has so many small errors that looking at it turns your stomach. You want to fight back and fix it, but the other has moved on and already forgot that moment where they assumed you were an entirely different person that you are.
