A Quick Look Back At 2012

Well, I won't lie to you (Isn't that exactly what people say right before they lie?). This year has been a mixed bag at best.

The road behind looks disturbingly similar to the road ahead.

I started off with a half-assed attempt at writing a short story that ended up dragging on until early this month, when I finally decided to scrap it. I started a YouTube show in May (CLICK HERE to go to my channel, if you dare) that consumed my time, drained me creatively, and interested nobody. During the YouTube months (May - August) I got exactly ZERO fiction writing done. I submitted stories for publication far fewer times than I should have. I managed to make only negative headway at paying off my credit card. And, to top it all off, my daughter (who officially became a teenager this year) refuses to hug me anymore.

Not exactly the end of the world, but still kinda crap.

But it hasn't been all bad. Though the YouTube channel never did any business, it gave me an excuse to have some fun with my brothers and some friends. And since quitting YouTube, I've finished 3 short stories, and am halfway through a fourth. My wife graduated from college and will end up earning a better wage on her date of hire than I make after working at my company for 10 years. And though my daughter refuses to hug me, all of my children are healthy, happy, and continue to maintain 4.0 GPAs.

So, yeah. Ups and downs. What can you do?

I hope 2013 is a good year. My wife will start her career, my kids will get another year closer to starting their real lives, and I intend to start work on my first novel tomorrow morning. I really want it all to be great, but I'm also a realist. In all likelihood, by this time next year I'll be in the same place writing the same thing about ups and downs.

What can you do?



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The No-Shave November Logs, Day 16: Dust Yourself Off And Try Again

Well, I don't know what part of the process did it, or if it was all of the parts working in congress, but the depression is gone. After talking about it with my friend Rob at our weekly writers' meeting and writing about it here, I put on my iPod and listened to OMC's album How Bizarre and The Best of Patti Smyth back-to-back.

But the real turning point was Pete Seeger. When his incredible live version of "We Shall Overcome" - probably the greatest protest song ever written - started playing, I had to stop what I was doing and just have a manly cry. By "manly cry" I mean, of course, that I sat there for two minutes breathing deeply and bravely holding back tears. Then, when he got to the part of the performance where he talks about the verse, "We are not afraid," I squinched-up my face for 1.5 seconds and allowed one tear to fall from each eye. Then I took a deep breath and felt much better. Sometimes you've just got to let your emotions flow like that.

Next time I get depressed - and believe me, it's only a matter of time - I'm going to try the exact same sequence of events. It might not work again, but what's the worst that could happen? "On The Run" and "I Should Be Laughing" rack up an extra play and you people have to endure another self-indulgent blog post. It could be worse.

I'd like to take a moment to thank my family, friends, and fans (I must have at least one of those who isn't already in one of the previous two categories, right?) for putting up with yesterday's whining. I'd especially like to thank those of you who have real problems to deal with for not tracking me down and slapping me silly. Some of you are in agonizing pain all day, every day, and here I am griping about existential ennui. Your forbearance is neither unnoticed nor unappreciated.

Until next whine!

DAILY NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER PIC:

I call this look, Just Reached Base Camp.


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