In the spirit of a new year, I'm trying something new. I'm trying to embody a spirit of optimism. After the train wreck that was 2016, it's hard not to be excited about a new year. After a year of unraveling and political turmoil for the country, and a year of personal changes, I'm optimistic that 2017 will bring something new.

1. Adequate Sleep

This hope may be a tad ridiculous given my affinity for staying up late and getting up too early on weekends. That being said, my biggest hope for 2017 is that for the first time in my 21 years of life, I'll get enough sleep.

2. More Tattoos

This hope is a constant in my life. Whether I finally get the piece I have been planning since I was 9 years old, or a few more small ones, my skin needs more ink in this new year.

3. Inner Peace

This is the cheesiest thing I have ever said, but in a time of national, political, and social chaos, I hope to start to find the peace inside.

4. To Finally Get a Puppy

2017 brings my senior year of college, finding my own apartment, and a lot of other factors that make it the right time to finally get a dog. I've been saying since I moved out of my childhood home that I need a puppy, and it is a major hope of mine to make this ultimate dream a reality. Maybe now the countless hours I've spent on petfinder.com will be worth it.

5. A New Tegan and Sara Album

Yes, I know "Love You to Death" just came out in 2017. Yes I know them putting out another record so soon is basically impossible. A girl can still hope, right?

6. More Flannel

As many friends have heard, you can never have too much flannel. I anticipate 2017 will be a year of a lot of change, both on a country level and on a personal level. With all of these changes, I predict one thing will be constant — my love of flannel. This being said, I hope to expand my collection of flannel in 2017.

7. To finally be comfortable talking about my sexuality

To many of my friends, my queerness is one of the forefront things about me. This being said, I tend to shy away from highlighting that aspect of myself. In a time where it may not be as easy to be as gay as it has been, I want to wear my queerness loudly and proudly. I want to be more open in 2017.

8. That I Stop Self-Sabotaging

I have this horrible tendency to self-sabotage. I purposely don't study a diagram I know will be on an exam or I overfill my schedule, knowing I'll never be able to do it all. I set myself up for failures small and large.