If you thought I was dropping the blogging ball last year,
you should have waited until this year because you guys, I only wrote like 25
posts this year including this one. Ok, I mean, last year I wrote over 100
posts, so maybe I just need to learn to pace myself a little better.
Now it's New Year’s Eve, and that means it’s time to get drunk.
That’s going to be easier for me this year than it has been in subsequent
years, because I’m back in Chamonix, where hard liquor flows right out of the
taps. Not really, but sometimes I think it might as well.
Again, this hasn’t been a super eventful year, but it’s been
more eventful than the previous. Let’s take a look at some of the things I’ve
been up to this year, in no particular order.
I Quit Rescuing Cats
Nothing against the cats, but being involved in the cat
rescue was becoming more trouble than it was worth. Would you believe that many
people who become involved in animal rescue don’t have the best people skills?
It’s true. Plus, my duties with the cat rescue continued to expand more and
more – well, I say that, but in fact they didn’t because I know how to say “No.”
But once I’ve made it clear that “No” is always going to be the answer, don’t
keep asking me again and again in hopes you’re going to wear me down and get a “Yes.”
Not cool.
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| Also not effective, unless your goal is to make me all stabby. |
I Got Another Cat
Yeah, I know I did this last year, too. But I swear this
will be the last new cat, honest.
But I’ll tell you what, this new cat is the nicest cat I
have. It doesn’t bite, doesn’t scratch my furniture and doesn’t howl
incessantly.
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| Her name is Penny, and she even knows how to use the computer. |
By all rights, I should get rid of the other shitty cats and
just keep this one.
I Went to My Tenth College Reunion
The three of you who are still following along at home will
know that I went to my tenth college reunion back in June. Yep, I may be
getting old, but I’m not getting any more mature, as those
of you who read the post will have surmised.
I Read a Bunch of Books
I was going to keep track of how many books I read this year
so I could wow you three by listing them all, but I stopped counting sometime
in November. Suffice it to say that my reading list this year included more
than 25 classics such as “When You and Your Mother Can’t Be Friends,” by
Victoria Secunda, “It’s Not You: 27 (Wrong) Reasons You’re Single” by Sara
Eckel and “How to Be a Woman” by Caitlin Moran. My favorite book I read this
year was “Scriber” by Ben S. Dobson and even though I enjoyed it immensely, I
hesitate to buy another of his books because he’s wearing a fedora in his
Amazon author photo.
I Joined a Writer’s Group and Started Writing a Book for Realsies
I only have about 17,000 words so far, which was not, for
the record, enough to impress the last guy I dated, but that’s okay, because
when I say “dated” I mean I went out with him four times. He should be proud –
that’s a full two to three more dates than most guys get.
The group, Morgantown Writer’s Group, is great, and they
really seem like my work-in-progress, which is both a surprise and not a
surprise, if that makes sense. 17,000 words may not be a lot (it’s about 30-35
pages), and it isn’t enough to fulfill my 2014 New Year’s Resolution of writing
a whole book this year, but it’s 17,000 more words than I had 365 days ago and
it fills me with a perhaps misguided confidence in my ability to finish a
manuscript for once in my life.
I Spent Christmas in England
I spent Christmas with my friend Sarah, who lives in
Brighton. I had a blast, and I will probably return next Christmas if I can
afford it and she will let me. Yes, I could spend the holidays bickering with
my family as is traditional, but that’s actually optional. I can tell it is
because Christmas was almost a week ago and God hasn’t stricken me down yet. Of
course, He’s probably just real busy not existing, as Lisa Simpson would say.
And I Returned to France
I’m back in France for an extended visit, and I didn’t tell
a lot of people I was coming, so it’s been great seeing everyone’s looks of
surprise, delight, and occasionally, horror upon seeing me again. Lots of my
Facebook friends are freaking out right now, too, because I didn’t tell them I
was going to be spending time in France even though I never actually speak to
any of them in real life. If you want me to tell you what I’ve got going on,
you might want to pick up the phone once in a while, guys.
So that’s my year in review. Here’s hoping 2015 is even
better, for all of us.
