So, sort of been working on a couple of those resolutions I listed in that thread.
Not exactly according to goals or plan, but been in a fairly pleasant place since the 1st. Even without genital orgasms or kissing, I had (what amounts to me) months of pleasurable physical contact in a couple hours, and BOY HOWDY that helps half-placate my high libido and general malaise for a while.
Actually we're only a few days in, but 2014 is shaping up well. A long overdue private rant of emotions to myself and God, some long overdue physical playtime, dinner yesterday with the girlfriend I've been missing for months, the confirmation that Amber isn't dead, increased awareness of and opposition to Indiana HJR-6, continued recognition of my worth at the new job... hell, I've almost been feeling like things are going well.
I know that feeling can't last... at the end of the day I'm still me, and people and the world still are what they are. I've been depressed for much of the last third of the year, it's not really unusual for me to swing back upwards for a while anyway, and it's hard to tell causes and effects from inside a busted head sometimes. But still, it's really, really nice for now, right? And maybe I can chip away at the cycle a bit more this go-around, make it that much easier to survive and thrive in on the next downturn.