2014: Your Mileage May Vary
So. 2014.
Lots of great times. Had a blast taking Melinda with me to Brazil, speaking at a game conference there and gallumphing around Porto Alegre with old friends and new. Got to meet the mighty Mothman statue. Took a trip down a creative memory lane by starting the wheels turning on Wraith 20, and realized that with 15 years’ new experience, I had a lot to say in that space. Fulfilled a lifelong dream and went to a World Series game, courtesy of dear friend Dustin Clingman. Attended a powerhouse storytelling conference courtesy of Lance Weiler and Christy Dena, and was humbled to be a part of it. Wrote some of the best short stories of my life, got to be part of some high-powered anthologies, and tried my hand at board game design for the first time in ages. Kicked off a super secret project with some highly respected professional peers, once again had the pleasure of running roundtables at GDC, and ran a successful narrative track at ECGC with some incredibly smart folks. Made the annual pilgrimage to the farm, and cooked and drunken Scrabbled with Melinda’s Aunt Dolores. Took my family to the Outer Banks (first time for Mom and Dad), made Staggering Squirrels at NECON, and blogged in interesting places. Bought some interesting art. Continued my flailing participation in a 20+ year old fantasy baseball league, no thanks to guys like Jedd Gyorko, and crossed Nationals Park off my list of “stadiums to see a game in”. Saw friends succeed at numerous creative endeavors in books, in tv, in games, and was happy to see it all. Did cons. Did lectures. Got to look at some incredible pieces of gaming history at the Strong Museum. Got the fluffy cat through an ongoing health crisis and continued to serve the whims of the calico princess. Took my goddaughter fossil hunting in deepest eastern North Carolina, took my dad to ballgames, and saw my wonderful niece and nephew grow up a little more. Got more time with my siblings; got more time with my mom. And of course, had a year of wonderful madcap adventures with Melinda.
Bad stuff happened, too. But we’re not going to talk about it, because that’s not what I choose to take away from 2014. Here’s to the good memories. The hell with the bad ones.
Onward to 2015.