I have made it a habit, on December 31, to make a year in review post. Today, the thought of reviewing the year is challenging, to say the least. 2016 was perhaps one of the worst years I've ever lived and reviewing it to the depth that my usual questionnaire format would require is exhausting just in the consideration of doing it ( Read more... )

It's January 3rd, and this is my first post of the new year. I'm late. Usually, I post my year in review either on the last day of the old year or the first of the new. So this is sort of emblematic of where I've been. I'd like it not to be emblematic of where I'm going. Still, for 2015, here's the scoop. As I did last year, I've edited down the ( Read more... )

My annual round-up. I'm posting it on New Year's Day rather than New Year's Eve because I had to sleep on what my lesson from the year might be. I may have missed more than one lesson this year, but the one I'm taking with me is the one that I think is most important in the end ( Read more... )

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
--Bought a smart phone
--Had a project of mine win two industry awards
--Wrote the introduction for a friend's collection of short stories
Otherwise, not a lot of newness in 2013, though maybe I'm not thinking hard enough.

2. Did you make any New Year's Goals for 2013 and, if so, did you ( Read more... )

Ten years. September 9, 2013 was my 10th anniversary on LiveJournal. I'm here because herself_nyc admonished me that I hadn't been keeping in touch as I ought since I moved to the Pacific Northwest. LiveJournal was our solution. I don't know that it was the best solution we could have come up with--I suspect we've talked less over the years as a result of ( Read more... )

2012 was a hard, hard year. Bookended by two deaths (markbourne and Phil Gellis), sprinkled with others (notably Josepha Sherman), it was important to find goodness in the midst of grief. My brother's visit, my birthday, and my trip to Europe with Elizabeth (and the visits with skidspoppe, setsyoustraight, and mistymarshall), quality time with davidlevine, the addition of my little terrorist Zeke to the ( Read more... )

As a result of trying to be very specific and accurate about what I'm writing about in this year's round-up, I have noticed, among other things, that this is the seventh year I'm posting my year-end review in this format with almost exactly the same set of questions. This year I modified question 3, changing "resolutions" to "goals," because my own ( Read more... )

I woke this morning to discover frost on the balcony railing. It's 9:15 AM in Seattle, and the old year is slowly winding down. Here's my annual year-end survey, possibly the most useful meme ever to emerge on LiveJournal.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?1. Traveled the North Cascade Highway ( Read more... )

Here it is, my annual round-up meme. These questions always make me think a little bit. I don't always answer the questions very deeply, but I certainly think deeply about them. Tonight I look back. Tomorrow, I'll look forward. Here we go:

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?1) Sold two stories to Denise Little for anthologies ( Read more... )

Here it is, my annual round-up meme. These questions always make me think a little bit. I don't always answer the questions very deeply, but I certainly think deeply about them. Tonight I look back. Tomorrow, I'll look forward. Here we go (friends encouraged to click beneath the cut):

1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?1) Went ( Read more... )