#julcheninred

11. Something you want to do again next year?

I mean, it was a helluva year, so I can't say there's much I want to repeat (ha!).

I am looking forward to chaperoning Z's theatre competition again next year. That's probably my favorite thing to volunteer for because I get a nostalgia hit, I love watching the kids do their various things, I get to see my kid(s) perform. Last year was extra fun because extra kid, but also Z was like "come sit with me" during the showcase performances, so we hung out with his friends, who are all my very favorite kind of kid: artsy weirdos.

Next year I'm hoping for another round of playwriting from Z, so fingers crossed there.

20. What's something you learned this year?

Skills-wise, I learned to crochet! I know exactly two (2) stitches and can't consistently count to save my life, but I made hats and scarves and gloves and weird little creatures.

Knowledge-wise, I learned just this week about women who would go to sea with their whaling-captain husbands, which is super cool.

Family secret-wise, I learned that my father was a U2 fan. I knew he liked some U2 songs, but the depth and breadth was hitherto unknown to me.

You have been and remain one of my favorite people on Tumblr and, dare I say, in general. I adore your humor, your warmth, your compassion, and your nekkid paper boys!

@julcheninred came into my life when I was still a newcomer in the drarry fandom, and also a new tumblr user. I wasn't yet aware of tumblr's completely batshit vibe and I didn't know just how deep the love for drarry ran among us all, just how much variety and scope for fresh angles/stories/tropes/perspectives there were.

I was only about 4 or 5 fics old back then and, unlike now, I used to actually log into my Ao3 and respond to every comment I got back then. It makes me physically ache that I don't adhere to that self-imposed rule anymore because it did actually bring me so much joy.

Jules' comment on my fic "In Your Arms" was one such comment that left me holding back tears of elation, and I was determined to find her. I am usually too shy, too insecure, too afraid of rejection, to reach out first and make a friend. But after I read her comment, I knew Jules was already my friend; she was already an essential part of my life.

I was ecstatic when I found her on tumblr with a very simple search and what do you know, she was a hundred times warmer, more intelligent, more sincere, funnier, and wiser than her comment on my fic had led me to believe she was. I don't even remember what we talked about, but I just knew that I desperately wanted to keep her forever.

People have come and gone since then. People I had believed were destined to be in my life forever, the kind of friendship one is so loud and boastful about without realising that it's going to end sooner than one might've expected.

Jules is still here. I call her "mama". I think I have listened to what she's had to say, and what she's advised me to do, far more often than I have with my own mum. She's a warm, funny, and indescribably intelligent source of comfort, and has so far been indelible - 6 years (and counting).

Happy birthday, mama. When I find myself in need of answers that I don't trust google to provide me with, I ask you. You're actually my own personal search engine with the added bonus of a stray Yiddish exclamation of annoyance or a superb Hebrew phrase that I will then attempt to use in a future conversation with you. I love you, and I am waiting for our next meeting, and I still wear the necklaces you made whenever I dress up.