The Cafe

2016 In Review: Coding, Parenthood, and Self-Discovery

Well, overall, 2016 taught me a lot about my web development, parenthood, and about people. 

I've come a long way over the past few years. I was so different then. I was naive and undisciplined. While I was eager to learn more in PHP, I simply had a long way to go in that too. I still do. But through all the confusion the past few years, and 206 especially, I came out remarkably okay. I can build modern web applications now. I built PonyCrush from nothing and expanded it a lot this year. I feel some real accomplishment. I'm finally ready to finish another large project too - one which had become stuck, held back by my limitations.

But it's not all code. I've grown in a lot of other ways. 

I came a long way as a parent for my brother. Taking care of a teenager in your 20s is very strange. You can't just assert yourself, be a dad. You don't even want to. Learning how to constructively guide a brother in high school through his problems was quite a challenge. It put me through a lot of confusing mindsets. I was unsure . Can I forgive my family? Will I keep in contact? Will I protect him from them or let him make the decision? It was tough, but now my brother's not only taller than me. He's almost an adult - a senior in high school. The road I took here was rugged. It's clear his journey, though not perfect, will have a shortcut around some of the snags I faced. With him now showing interests of his own, expressing himself, even arguing his point of view, I'm relieved. He'll be successful in life. 

I put a lot of faith in people, gave them the benefit of the doubt. I learned the worst about people. I almost wanted to hate people, but I'm just not capable. I found myself searching this year - for redeeming qualities in humanity. What makes people happy? successful? Why do they believe and act as they do? I think I finally found some peace of mind in the world. I tested my values and my beliefs, and came out unscathed and unjaded. 

On the flipside, I learned about friendship and integrity. Some of those lessons have hurt the most. I began realizing I had it wrong. I was too naive. I left myself too vulnerable to those I considered friends. And? I considered nearly everyone a friend. In difficult times, I counted on others for guidance. After PonyCrush was launched, I counted on others for support, mutual support at that. I was crushed many times the past year. I had learned so much and grown alongside other people. I wanted to return the favor. I was willing to give everyone to whom I owed gratitude a part of my dream. Part of my success. Everytime I learned something new or moved up in the world, I had a thank you list in the back of my head. One after another, many fell short of how I had painted them. The shock gave me more to reflect on and grow though. I faced my angels and my demons. I faced my ego or lack thereof. 

This year, I challenged my self-doubt. I learned to give myself a pat on the back - not just a thank you list. It's not cool to be egocentric or selfish, but I learned what it means to be the total opposite. I learned I should take responsibility for my faults AND my accomplishments. 

2016 has been a weird one for us all, but I believe it's made me a stronger me. 

I'm Key. Sometimes, I can be a bit analytical. I love technology, languages, politics, and the arts. I can come off as a jerk sometimes.. sometimes, a pushover. I'm a brony, a web developer, an entrepreneur, a progressive. I like fiery women and fiery debate. Someday, I hope I can help make the world a better place, more connected, understanding, and compassionate.

What has this crazy year taught you? Reply with your story.. let's make this a thing!

(I know it's only September, but this tense year seems to have made for quite the story already for many people)

2016 has been...a bit different for me, but with my career field (Its a secret ) every year since 2013 has been different. I was new at my new position but now I feel like I know it like the back of my hand, so that's cool.
I turned 21 and can now drink, only to find beer taste disgusting.
My girlfriend of 3 years broke up with me (but honestly when I look back she was more of a pain in my ass then anything).

I've started taking more classes to get my associates degree and I feel like I actually have a plan for my future (I already did but now more so).

I started going to brony conventions so I went to Bronycon this year and I went to Fillycon a week ago and those were fun, got lots of pictures. Going to Ponycon in January and thinking about going to Derpycon in Nov, maybe not, mostly because its not a MLP convention (yet with a name like Derpycon, you'd think it was).

Alright, what else...well, I don't feel anymore adult, I don't know if that's good or bad...I haven't had any epiphanies or had any self discoveries...so yeah.

I don't really have anything else to say but if you have questions you can messege me. Hope the rest of the year goes great.

2016 has been an interesting year for sure. A good portion of it was spent moping around, dealing with depression that stems from stress and anxiety. My living situation has been in a kind of Limbo. I was supposed to move to Tacoma, WA in the summer but It's been postponed and postponed all the way to October now. Things are starting to look up, however. With a confirmed date for my move, I can finally start focusing on the important stuff. Every day here is just a depressing reminder that I'll go nowhere in life, and it's something I can't live with any more.

I haven't really worked on my music too much, as I've been having to use TV trays as a desk for my keyboard and mouse. It's pretty uncomfortable. Originally I had an album planned out but I haven't really made enough progress on the songs to release it anytime soon, so I'm settling for releasing some of them as singles.

I am no longer a brony. I still sometimes go to conventions because I have lots of friends that still go, but I haven't watched an episode since the 100th ep. I just lost interest. That, and a lot of the fandom got pretty cringy in my opinion, so I just went ahead and left.