2014: In Review

Perhaps the greatest posts of all, it's the annual mega post recapping the insanity of the year!

someday this will be archieved and read in textbooks and ok nevermind dont save this please

Anyway!

January: The year started with a trip out of country to a place where the air doesn't hurt the face. As I had not yet hit the big 21 I was entertained to be seen as underage. I then had issues with the infamous bump shifts. (those shifts where your boss goes 'need you to stay kthxbye' with malicious implications of non acceptance)
Then there was a post about the ever aging van (1999-2014), and another work post when some things went down and work seemed to be getting worse. (enough to make me want to just quit, but thats nothing new) I then somehow got employee of the month (Jan 2014 nevar forget) and some other awards which felt shady but its probably I just don't understand retail chain politics.
It was around this time that the interview for the radio program was set up. As well, this was the time when the one and only PTE TEST YOUR LUCK was created. (That things like 11 months old now whoa how time pass...)
Thereafter the interview happened. I didn't feel very confident in how I did (It sounded like I'd be likely getting waitlisted...) but the infamous Zoo (Enzo) was in town so it was still partying times.

February: And when I say partying times I mean we partied hard. HARD. There's video that will maybe one day ruin my career probably, but such is life. Zoo was able to stay extra due to getting a person to take a shift for him.
We also ruined a laptop keyboard, lol.
After Zoo's stay, (and after recovering) my uncle came to town for his usual ski visit.
Things got hyper busy, but PTE still got the usual treatment for V-Day. (cmon we kept it pg this year)
I then overthought PTE posting which happens every single day and always will because posting is an art.
EVEN THIS POST IS ART.
Granted its like macaroni on paper by a preschooler but THE MOTHER LOVES IT maybe.
Continuing: I made a massive post discussing Pegvlog and why I believed it failed, which led to the follow up on why I was wrong to think it failed and further discussion on what PTE was.
Though blunt in my words, it led to quite a bit of discussion, which I view as positive. (I enjoy the response to posts but I don't wanna upset people, tricky tricky)
The 14 comment post ended the month.

March: The month started with the inception of the What is PTE? page, and the introduction to the idea that PTE has things that make it PTE. (aside from the name of course) The Epic Longcoat broke and was retired. (LL still cringes over that coat, its pretty great rofl) Then my sister came to town to visit, and during that time I was cleared by work for some time off (but not the entire time asked for due to booking restrictions). The time off coincided with seeing a certain someone.
I celebrated Internetwork Day because I'm a dork like that. (at least im not a peter heheh)
Then I tried to get the Sim City Addiction back but my computer deleted itself (figuratively) when I tried so I accepted my fate and still cant open that pandora box to this day.

April: The month started with the announcement of the new collaboration blog with Snowfire, which not surprisingly fell apart quickly due to directional differences. (read: apparently snowfire had no recollection of ever agreeing to the idea in the first place)
I then scrapped the radio project and avoided a bump shift.
I then turned a million and legal everywhere.
Then I cleaned base 50 and found out I was doomed forever to creative and moneyless work.
Finally ending the month, I hosted PTE's first ever contest!
The 'K-Day' contest was a competition to find two secrets within a silly quiz game thing I made. Gamer Jay won and had his banner posted for the month of May.

May: PTE came back from a short hiatus, and to kick off the month, TayDay was celebrated. So celebrated it got its own page named the TayDay Shennanigans.
The page was merely just about a designing test done using a random game on the internet.
Also though no post was never made, it was around this time that I indeed got accepted into Radio, and signed up for the classes.
The internet at my house then died and I tried to fix it and I 'did' and oh god our internets still called "rics nedtwsorgkm"...
Then I made the 'Initiators Vs Reciprocators' post which if I was to try to give a good example of a 'good' PTE post I'd go with this one, its at least an interesting read but then again I'm just proud for figuring out the obvious: Conversation is an art. (before you say it yes there is many things which are an art and they all seem to have creativity in common. I find anyway. feel free to discuss that further if it interests you. or any part of this post really...)

June: J-Day was celebrated (its important too...!), work got heavier again, Parents had a vaca and returned, RTC became a readdiction (beat it again, yay for the one of like 4 games I'm not totally garbage at!)
I then theorized a law (welcome to PTE, we discuss the implications of unknown factorials in conversation settings and what if zelda was a girl) about luck. (Read up on it if it interests you!)
Then I got smacked in the head at work, which lead to the Bonkers Fiasco. Long story short I got in trouble for being a dongo and so I remind again if you get dinged at work, do the stupid paperwork. Saves you from being fired and other asinine crap, and covers your work from fines and things. Basically either you both get burned or neither.
I gotta admit, I find that a very clever system.
I then dealt with customers being customers and we're leaving it at that k
Oh retail.
Then celebrated Tino Day, because why not?

July: I posted a secret message. Then I posted a secret clock. Then I had work as always.
Then I revealed the mystery clock to be the clock of when I'd put in my two weeks notice.
I made it for solid reasons, not a quit because 'I couldn't handle it', but because I now had a radio program to focus on, I didn't want retail getting in the way.
I then counted down finishing the job, I wanted to be free of it so bad. (I also wanted to go out on a good note though hence the two weeks and yeah. Two weeks drags out though.)
I then freaked out from quitting my job (woops) but soon recovered.
But then got a bajillion times worse when I got FOOD POISONING WOOOOOOOO

August: The month began with hints of an endless recursion of time.
Then I had the trip, wherein PTE had a hiatus.
I ended up recovering from food poisoning, only to accidentally ingest raw egg and get sick again.
I'm fairly certain I've had both Samonella and Ecoli this year. (Or twice of one. All I know is THIS IS WORSE THAN VENDING MACHINE BURGERS HOW DO I OUTDO MYSELF. AND BETTER YET: WHYYYYYY)
 I ended the month with mimicking a certain end of episode of a show wherein an endless recursion of time occurs.

September: I start the month by "Fixing" PTE test your luck (Broke around the 17th of august...).
Then school started, Radio program and university were for reeeeeal.
First impression was everyone was a jock and I didn't fit in.
But that all soon faded when I got word that I'd be going on air in a booth, broadcasting worldwide. (Yeah i get it 'but riccy its only internet radio' this is farther than I'd ever get myself so let me have this one)
Then I got into a car accident and a mad blizzard nailed New City and wrecked trees and houses and things.
I respect Autumn now..
Things calmed down, and I started trying to prepare and organize for my radio show. (This was and still is a big deal to me.)
I took down the TayDay Shennanigans, and celebrated PTE's 5th Birthday.
Still weird to think I've been doing stuff with this blog over 5 years. Also weird that Jennys Quiz is 2 years old, Jenny's Game 4 years ago now...Time flies.
Anyway, the 5th anniversary post brought up the creation of Radio Free Riccy, the spiritual successor to the Radio Project and the radio show affiliated with PTE.
I then created a new character, based on a good friend of mine from school.
After I made the post about a certain club which was giving me cold feet.
Then the Games Tab came out, as a solution to mini-games I made which were too small to be uploaded on their own but needed viewership to help me improve them and my coding as a whole.

October: The month started with a post about my stomach.
If PTE was to sum me up it'd be:
Hilarious Decisions and the man who can't stomach them.
Bah dum tshhhhh
Anyway, after a mix-up, things got sorted out and RFR (Radio Free Riccy) got it's correct time slot for the semester.
I then posted the infamous (Ok sorry for the overuse but I do nutty things often it seems...) 'Are the Jenny Games Sexist?'
The post proved important as it taught me more about what is and is not 'sexist' and it gave me awareness about the perception of the "Ric Olzow" franchise as a whole.
(I'm working to improve it know that k)
I tried to upload RFR content online. Rofl.
COPYRIIIIIIIIIIIGHTS.
Also (typically) swears on air are a no go I told you this now kay.
Upon request, the next post was a post about life decisions which in summary said 'HOMETOWN YEAHHHHHH' which i cant blame because I understand the wisdom behind it.
Decisions, decisions.
I then made a post about how making radio shows was getting (is getting) progressively more intensive. (4 hours writing, 3 hours picking music. I try hard.)
And mentioned 'The Monday Crew'.

November: I handed out candy. B-B-B-B-B-BREAKING NEWSSSSSSS
Alright I also mentioned my next semester's courses, and I mentioned a live improv show. (I travelled far from the cold feet...)
I then paid tribute to A CONNIVING AND EVIL HACKER (hi snowfire),
Whilest being panicked about the improv show.
The show itself went surprisingly great and I actually enjoyed it but srsly dont tell snowfire or ashley k.
I then got bombarded with assignments, celebrated Amy Day and attempted to advertise Radio Free Riccy (I'm really bad at it...), deleted the Daily Squee Page cuz it stopped working, did Movember, then dropped plans of a Hometown trip in December.

December: Assignment crush. I mean, it beats bump shifts, broken box businesses and bonkers fiascos, but only by a smidgeon. It still was rough.
Radio Free Riccy entered hiatus for the holidays. (btw RFR entered hiatus for the holidays. ...I told erryone k) It will return in January. (Day and time may change. Check RFR Page for details, they should be available Early January!!)
Continuing: Made a post about the comic 'Mr. University' (which i forgot to bring and just realized and dangit!! guess i gotta make it digital eventually then or somethin...)
explaining how there's still projects and comics and things I'm doing aside from RFR. (Also introducing the now named Dyland. Best new character 2014?)
I then made the post for Je- ANNIVERSARY POST 3 YEARS YEAH!!
Then came the plan announcement for coming to Hometown to visit for Christmas. (First Hometown Xmas in 7 years...!)
I then got to Hometown, spending holidays among family and friends here. I got the Radio Free Riccy T-Shirt. (I will be wearing that thing like mad, advertisingggg yeah!!)
I made a post for K-Day, and mentioned how I enjoyed the new smash bros game for being able to make playable Ric Olzow characters in a fighting game. (And having them fight against Nintendo characters and such... A man can dream...)

If I compare this year to 2013, I can at least say it was eons better. Food poisoning was unfortunate, and I had issues and problems here and there (no year is ever perfect) but overall things went rather well this year. I'm happy with how things have improved since leaving Hometown, though I know no matter how much I want to deny that city, the people in it will leave my heart divided. (New City has awesome people too though, the great divide lives on...)

Here's to hoping 2015 mimics 2014 in awesomeness!
...and not in food poisoning.

What do you hope for in 2015?


3 comments: