It’s that time of year again when we get super-contemplative and hole up inside with thoughts like “Oh my God, is it seriously already almost 2015? When did that even have time to happen? There was so much I wanted to do! Damn, I’m getting old.”

Before those thoughts turn into self-loathing, then depression, then wrought determination and a series of totally unrealistic New Year’s resolutions, it’s best to look back over the past year and see exactly where we went wrong, where we went right, and what the hell went on around us.

Don’t worry, 2014 wasn’t all bad news, despite many long-standing establishments going out of business and the exodus of those making under six figures. San Francisco also had some memorable, fun times.

So come with us on our year in review, and fondly remember the good and not-so-good times gone by.

The Giants Won the World Series Again, and the Mission Was Set on Fire Again

For the third time in recent years, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, and despite citywide outrage after the postgame celebration in 2012, crowds of people trashed the streets anyway. Why do these victories always end in violence and mayhem? Well, alcohol, for one reason. Douchebags, for another.

We Lost Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Joan Rivers

Celebrity deaths are always tough, but this year seemed especially difficult to deal with, perhaps because Williams’s suicide, Hoffman’s overdose, and Rivers’s botched surgery all seemed somehow avoidable, and because all three were still working hard and known for their indomitable spirit. Also on the list of the fondly missed are Harold Ramis, Shirley Temple, Maya Angelou, Marian Brown of San Francisco’s Brown Twins, and Alice from the Brady Bunch, among others.

The Castro Got a Colorful Facelift

After months of loud, dirty, traffic-causing construction along Castro Street, the new redesign included wider sidewalks, misspelled LGBT plaques, and rainbow crosswalks. It seemed about time for an updated look, although we could’ve done without “trangendered” plaques.

Half of Dolores Park Is Gone as We Knew It

Construction in Dolores Park razed Hipster Hill. Although the Gay Beach is still around and kicking, the loss of that sloping valley packed with hula-hoopers, hacky-sackers, day drinkers, and drug dealers will always hold a fond place in our hearts.

The Napa Earthquake Woke Everybody Up

Although not nearly as intense as the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, the magnitude 6.0 quake in South Napa in August startled the residents of San Francisco and those of the rest of the bay (and according to Twitter, interrupted a ton of dates with “Palmela Handerson”), but despite the severity of the quake, luckily the resulting damage and injuries were minimal compared to those of earlier tremors, and we were all reminded that we do still live in California, where earthquakes happen all the time.

We Voted in a $15 Minimum Wage While the Rest of the Country Went Red

Good news for those of us who’ve managed to avoid being priced out of the city, because in the recent midterm-election cycle, San Francisco voted for an increase in the minimum wage to $15 by 2018. Meanwhile, Republicans took control of the Senate by winning nine seats, which was expected but still depressing – as was voter turnout.

Bill Murray Drove a Taxi So His Cabbie Could Practice the Sax

Hurricane Murray (which is what I call Bill Murray for his crazy antics around the country) hit the Bay Area, leaving good vibes and unbelievable stories in his wake. This time, upon learning of his cab driver’s musical ambitions, he took the wheel and told the cabbie, “Pull over and get in the back. I know how to drive a car.” With so much misery in the world, Bill Murray’s activities are a golden ray of hope. Murray for Everything 2016. 

Airbnb and Rideshares Got the City’s Official Approval and New Regulations

This has been a huge year for the biggest “sharing” companies in San Francisco. Airbnb regulations made reasonable rentals legal and by the book, and shared-transit companies were buoyed by new airport allowances and a legal framework. The sharing industry is now booming and happy, much to the chagrin of the hotel and taxi lobbies.

The ALS Water Challenge and the Very Bad, No-Good Drought

In a somewhat ironic coincidence, the viral and very effective fundraising trend of dumping ice water on your head to promote ALS research was going on at the same time as Governor Jerry Brown announced a state of emergency due to the worst drought California has ever seen, as well as the passage of a bunch of regulations to conserve water. I got around this by performing the Ice Bucket Challenge on the roof of my car every time I had to clean it.

Ex-Senator Leland Yee Screwed the Pooch

Probably the most surprising story of this year was the revelation that state senator Leland Yee was allegedly buying assault weapons from an Islamic separatist group in the Philippines to resell to undercover FBI agents. He was also met with a bunch of corruption charges, including blatant bribery, and racketeering – crimes I didn’t think I’d hear about outside of a Dick Tracy comic.

#BlackLivesMatter, and We Want You to Know It

Following a grand jury’s decisions not to prosecute a police officer for the killings of black men in Ferguson and Staten Island, activists in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco joined Americans everywhere in saying, “Hell. No. Nuh-uh. This is some bullshit.” This led to ongoing protests, rallies, and a total BART shutdown/sit-in accomplished by protesters who chained themselves to the insides of a BART train and then to each other out onto the platform, stopping service out of San Francisco for over an hour.

Get Off the Google Bus

Early this year, the ongoing Google Bus protests were emblematic of the city’s anger at the tech industry’s presence causing rents to skyrocket and indirectly forcing longtime residents out of their homes. There was even a study that showed that rents near Google Bus stops had risen by 20% on average. In the last year, we’ve seen much of this city’s low-income population abandon ship, young and old alike. Who knows what SF will look like this time next year?

Hey, Mom! We’re on TV!

Finally, San Francisco got its place on a regular TV show in a realistic way for the first time since Full House’s opening credits, thanks to the HBO show Looking. Although residents in Potrero Hill and other shooting locations have put up a fuss about parking and the like, it’s been worth it for the city to be on the small screen. San Francisco is slowly becoming the hot new filming spot, so LA can suck it (just kidding, The Bold Italic also loves LA).