2019

Well, that’s over with. Good riddance, right?

I started 2019 in my living room, hanging out with a favorite coworker, my then-girlfriend, and my dog. We drank and played Red Dragon Inn and Layla (the dog) threw up on the floor.

I ended the year at a weird hotel party in Louisville, Kentucky, drinking with some people I know and some people I don’t and some people who just wandered in. A young woman showed me pictures of her 18 cats.

I won’t miss 2019, not gonna lie. I’m glad it’s over. It was a real fucker of a year for me. I have still not managed to finished Voidstrider volume 3. I had a permanent falling out with two once-dear friends whom I had known and been close to for over a decade. Went through a weird, if civil, break-up. Went through a cancer scare (I’m fine!).

I watched the world around me continue to grow darker, more grim.

There were good bits, of course. Some magnificent. I ended the year with hope and optimism, despite that stinker of an ending for a certain beloved franchise. I ended the year with love. I ended the year with a positive balance in the bank, a roof over my head, and food in my belly.

The world is dark and grim, but it is also filled with lights. Some sparkle, others blaze. Watch out for the ones which gutter in the stirring of breezes, the ones that flicker and struggle. Cup your hands around them, if you will, if you are able. Prop them up and preserve them. We’re all we’ve got.

Moving forward, as we always do, as we must, I wish you all the best. May 2020 be a better year than 2019. May you find what you seek, create what you desire, and hold what you cherish. Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes.