2014: the wrap-up

This will, barring something truly exceptional happening, be my last post of 2014; it is 6:58 PM as I’m typing these words and I fully expect to be asleep by 11:30.  If I’m still up at midnight, it’ll be because I can’t sleep, not because I decided to be.  I am an Old now, and we don’t have to worry ’bout no new year any more.  I suspect it’ll get here whether I’m awake to see it or not.

Most of the interwebbery folks I pay attention to are fully ready to plant a boot in 2014’s ass as it heads out the door; I can sympathize, as little that was any good on any sort of wide scale has happened this year.  There were a few bright spots (gay marriage is now legal in more places than it is illegal, for one) but not many, and the evil and carnage particularly of the last couple of months kind of overshadow it.  Yeah, gay people can get married, but it’s basically legal to kill black people in large swaths of the country, especially if you’re a cop.  That’s… not really a fair trade at all.

That said: personally?  Particularly since May or so?  This was the best year of my life.  There’s really no reasonable competition, and in fact I’m hard pressed to name what year #2 might have been.  2008, the year I married my wife?  2011, the year my son was born?  Okay, what was the second best thing that happened in either of those years?  I have no idea.  (Maybe buying our house in 2011.  2011’s got some chops.)

In 2014, my wife and I both received promotions and substantial raises.  I won a $10,000 grant that allowed me to take the summer off from work and dedicate it to writing.  I published two books and people paid me for them.  And I had another piece of writing published by someone else.  And those last two were lifelong firsts.  That’s a remarkable year even before you get to the part where my son is finally old enough to be fun.  And having this place around has been pretty cool, too.  Good shit’s been happening in my family, too; my brother just announced his engagement, and we’re going to my cousin’s wedding this weekend– technically a 2015 achievement, but close enough.  Yeah.  It was definitely a good year for us.

And 2015?

2015’s gonna be better.

Watch me now.