dianaschnuth

Seems that The Universe is intent on keeping things interesting for me. The past two Years In Review have been full of major life events; this year, while just a smidge less hectic than 2011 and 2012, still smacked of change. The major events, in chronological order:

My step-Gary died in January. I got the call from Mom on a Saturday, just as Aaron and I were heading out the door to go house-hunting. I flew down to Texas solo for the funeral the first weekend in February, and was glad I went.

Connor started daycare in February, two days a week, and thus began the endless series of ear infections from his exposure to the unwashed mini-masses. Aaron appreciated having a couple days a week to get normal sleep and get things done, and Connor appreciated getting to be social and learn new things.

We bought a new house in March, with more space for Connor to run around (indoors and out) and in a better school system. And lots of plants and flowers. And lots of room for get-togethers. Moving to a new house also meant moving Connor to a new daycare, which he loves.

My Mom moved back up to Ohio from Texas in July. I’ve seen her more this year than probably in the last three years combined. It’s been awesome; Connor really loves his Grammy.

I got into my first car accident in September. Everyone involved was OK, but the car needed a new paint job and a new wheel. And now I have a phobia of being in another person’s blind spot.

We sold our old house in late September, but not without some major speedbumps, including electrocuted contractors and copper pipe theft. We hope the new owners agree that the tranquil neighborhood outweighs all the neighbors’ leaves blowing into the yard in autumn and the distinct lack of snowplows in winter.

Connor had his first surgery in November, to get tubes put in his ears after having six ear infections in less than one year. The procedure went well, and the tubes seem to be helping immensely. Unrelated to the tubes, but under the category of medical specialists, we also learned that Connor is allergic to eggs and to our cat.

I got promoted in November, after six years at my current job.

Now for the fun part: analysis of the everyday stuff — photos, workouts, doctor visits, etc. Continue reading →

I started out 2012 as the mother of a tiny infant, and ended it as the mother of a rambunctious toddler. That in itself has made 2012 one of the most dynamic years in recent memory. Add to that some unexpected changes in my fitness plan, dealing with the death of a loved one, and getting more focused on my job, and you can probably guess that this has been one hell of a year.

Continue reading →

One of my photography professors once said that the only truly profound things in life are birth and death. If that’s the case, 2011 was the most profound year I’ve had in quite some time.

Normally, I summarize things like what music I listened to (Daft Punk still steady from last year at #5, Stenobot barely missing my top ten), what restaurants I ate at, how my weight fluctuated, that sort of thing. This year will be just a little different. I still have some fun and frivolous stats to report, but some of them fell by the wayside over the course of the year, due to me focusing on more important things.

I started back on the Pill in the Fall of 2010, due to some female issues I was having. As promised, it regulated my cycle and lessened my cramps and fatigue. It also made my periods lighter, and by January, they seemed to have nearly disappeared altogether. In fact, it was so light for January and February that I started to worry that something was amiss, so I called my OBGYN.

Long story short, I was pregnant.

Continue reading →

Last year, I thought I’d join the infographics revolution and show my Year In Review in all graphs and numbers and stats. As it turns out, that doesn’t even work for me very well — it’s difficult for me to really pin down what happened and when, with everything aggregated to such a degree.

This year, I’ll be mixing text and graphics to spice things up. Hopefully it’s a little more engaging than either alone.

It’s also going to be a bit lengthy. You have been warned…

Continue reading →

NOTES:

This presentation of annual data is highly influenced by the Feltron Annual Reports. Nicholas Felton is a master of infographics and data visualization, and I continue to be influenced by his work.

Percentage of Miles Walked in 2009 only includes data from 27 April 2009 forward, since that is the date on which my Omron HJ-720ITC Pocket Pedometer decided to un-lobotomize itself and synchronize to my computer again.

Dining Out in 2009 is missing some of September’s and most of October’s data, due to my ignorance of the fact that Weight Watchers Online only saves 60 days’ worth of tracking data. I switched from pen-and-paper tracking to eTools tracking after 27 September 2009.

Top Ten Musical Artists of 2009 is derived from data at last.fm/user/dianaschnuth.