Best of 2015: An Explorations of Ambiguity Year in Review

2015 was quite a year for the Explorations of Ambiguity team. And, of course, by Explorations of Ambiguity Team I mean me. At the end of the day, it really is all about me.

I tried to fix a lawnmower. I went to Target. I cut my own hair several times. I read some stuff. I watched some Disney Junior (okay, a little more than some). I waxed nostalgic occasionally (okay, maybe a little more than occasionally). I got depressed once or twice (okay, probably a bit more than once or twice). Both my kids had birthdays. I created the smash hit blog series: Link-apalooza. Somebody liked one of my tweets. I learned to love myself just a little bit more.

But, you might be wondering, what does a raging narcissist do at the end of the year? The answer: create a greatest hits list of his top blog posts and then sit at home by himself on New Year’s Eve, of course. 

So, without further ado, I present the Top 10 most read Explorations of Ambiguity posts of 2015. Hold on to your hats, folks, because here we go!

Nothing Gets Me Pumped Like a Good Haircut

Nothing quite compares to that moment when my haircut is just complete and my classic 2-3-4-5 clipper guard smooth fade has achieved that unparalleled state of perfection. There I am, standing in front of my bathroom mirror, electric clippers in hand, tiny pieces of hair sticking to my shoulders, tufts of curly hair littering the bathroom floor, and I’m like, “Andrew, you did it again. Nailed it.” 

A fresh haircut gets me so pumped. 

Lose the Cape: Never Will I Ever (A Book Review)

OK, I’m trying a little something new here because, of course, Explorations loves to innovate. I just read a new book of parenting essays called Lose the Cape: Never Will I Ever edited by Alexa Bigwarfe and Kerry Rivera. If you’re looking for a quick read about the adventure that is parenting, I think you should check this one out. (Disclaimer: I signed up to receive a complimentary advance copy of the e-book.)

House of Cards (Link-apalooza #12)

Source: Getty Images

Finally, here it is: Episode 12 of the smash hit Link-apalooza series. Yes, I know, it has been a long time coming, but I figure if Serial podcast can take a whole year off, a few months can’t really hurt, right? It is certainly not lost on me that we are returning from hiatus on the same day. I hope it’s not too much for our fans to handle all at once. 

Nightmares in Parenting

The funny thing about social phobia is that even when you think you’ve kind of escaped it, you really haven’t. If social phobia (or social anxiety or shyness or whatever you want to call it) was an NBA player, it would definitely be in the running for the Comeback Player of the Year award. 

I think what happens, really, is that once you enter middle adulthood, you start to forget about, little by little, how crushing that anxiety was when you were younger and constantly forced to perform. In school, in finding jobs, in trying (or not) to make friends and date. Once you hit your 30s, a lot of the forced performance is behind you. Through a combination of treatment and life choices, you can settle in and manage. I have become an All-Pro avoider. Situations that make me uncomfortable—parties, groups, talking on the phone, interviews—I’m kind of done with those. As much as I can avoid things like that, I do. And, you know what? It’s been working.