Happy New Year! Wow, 2018 sure was... a passage of time, wasn’t it? Believe it or not, 2018 was only one calendar year! And if you’re thinking, “Hey, that sucked, but at least it’s over!” keep in mind that we said the same thing about 2017 and 2016. It’s possible—even plausible—that this is just life now. So that’s fun. And it’s only been a few months since the Portland Mercury’s beloved gossip columnist Ann Romano stepped down and I began writing this column. Seems like longer, doesn’t it? A lot happened in 2018, and while we can vividly remember all the dark shit we slogged through, it’s harder to keep the happy memories fresh. So with an assist from my good friend and former page-mate Ann Romano, let’s nestle into our happy archives and revisit some of the truly good things that happened this year.

#MeToo and Oprah at the Golden Globes

January 7 (via Ann Romano): Tonight, on a women-dominated edition of the Golden Globes, which featured attendees dressed in all black and accompanying activists to bring attention to sexual harassment and abuse, Oprah Winfrey gave a rousing, emotion-packed speech that brought the audience (and internet) to its feet. “What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have,” she said. “So I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women... and some pretty phenomenal men, are fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again.” And while political pundits are making a case for a possible 2020 run, Oprah remains coy on the subject. But is it too much to dream of a ticket that includes Oprah—and while we’re dreaming—Michelle Obama AND BeyoncĂ©?

Black Panther Came Out

February 18 (via Ann Romano): Today in “Representation Matters”: Black Panther! Black Panther! Blaaaaaaack Paaaaaaaanther! From the New York Times: “[Blaaaaaaack Paaaaaaaanther!!] roared into theaters over the weekend as a full-blown cultural event, breaking box office records and shattering a myth about the overseas viability of movies rooted in Black culture. Global ticket sales by Monday will total an estimated $387 million, according to comScore.” If you’re a numbers person, that means Black Panther has delivered the fifth-highest opening weekend ever, the biggest opening ever for a Black director (Ryan Coogler) and a female cinematographer (Rachel Morrison), the biggest February movie ever, and best of all? It’s SOOOO GOOOD. Black Panther is beloved and deserves that money because it offers a positive representation of women and African culture, and that means so very much right now. However, do not be the sole white person in the theater occasionally screaming “Blaaaaaack Paaaaaaaanther!” As the manager sternly informed us, “Ma’am, we’re excited that you’re excited—but no one needs to hear that.”

Taylor and Katy Made Up

May 8 (via Ann Romano): “Taylor Swift just announced the end of her heavily publicized, seemingly never-ending feud with Katy Perry,” reports Elle! Tay-Tay announced the shocking peace accord via an Instagram story that showed “the LITERAL OLIVE WREATH that Perry sent her,” Elle explains. “Thank you, Katy,” Swift wrote, including two heart emojis, and only somewhat passive-aggressively making it so that the only part we could see of Katy’s note were the words “deeply sorry” and vague references to “past communications and feelings between us.” So pat yourselves on the back however many times you want, North and South Korea! We don’t care. All we care about is Katy and Tay-Tay... BFFs at last!

Bert and Ernie Are Confirmed Romantic Life Partners

September 27 (via me): For one: YAY! And for two: NO DUH! Muppets writer Mark Saltzman recently confirmed in an interview with Queerty that the “special” Muppet friendship between Ernie and Bert was based on his real-life romantic relationship with another man. This had a lot of people “YAS KWEEN”ing, until the official Sesame Workshop Twitter came in and dumped on everyone with puritanical baloney about Muppets not having a sexual orientation. This is like some estranged, clueless dad insisting to his buddies at the bingo hall that his daughter is actually straight while not being invited to her lesbian wedding. Cheers to Bert and Ernie! May you take baths and bicker for years to come.

Michelle Obama Is Crushing It

November 8 (via me): I’m writing this before the midterm elections, and you’re reading it after. As I do in times of anxiety and despair, I’ve been turning to my best friends Barry and Michelle. Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming, is dropping on November 13 and I hope you’ve already pre-ordered it for all the important women in your life (like me)! She’s embarking on a big book tour, and while thousands will gladly pay hundreds of dollars to see her speak, because she is wonderful, Michelle Obama is giving 10 percent of her tickets away to a variety of community organizations—particularly those with a focus on girls’ leadership and education. Ugh, Michelle Obama, stop being so perfect. Just kidding, be more perfect. Just kidding, that’s impossible, because you’re perfect.

Miscellaneous Nice Things

December 6 (via me): Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness is learning how to figure skate and he regularly shares clips on his Instagram. Big cows are a thing. The Good Place hasn’t been canceled. The Great British Bake-Off isn’t as bad as we all worried it would be without Mary Berry and Mel and Sue. Ariana Grande is grinding hard. And Robert Mueller is grinding hardest of all; those little Trumper boys may yet experience consequences for the first time in their lives.

The Last Word of 2018/ The First Word of 2019

See? It wasn’t all bad! Let’s stitch ourselves a quilt of those pleasant memories (can someone stitch mine for me? I can’t sew and I won’t learn) that we can burrow under when 2019 gets rough, which, if recent years are any indication, it probably will. But hopefully 2019 will also deliver bad things to bad people, good things to good people, and to you and yours, plenty of wine and clean water. (And martinis!—Ann) Cheers, dears! Let’s go!