MadMup.com

Nertz to looking back on the previous year on New Year’s Eve. Makes more sense to do it on one’s birthday, I figure.

So what’d I do this year? In no particular order:

• I bought a house.
• I almost burned the house down because I don’t know how to work a fireplace.
• I finally cancelled my World of Warcraft account. I hadn’t played in a long, long time and it was overdue.
• I started doing some announcing for the improv group.
• I got a new boss at work.
• I started drinking soda again, mostly because I love root beer.
• I got a new phone after two years with my Samsung Blackjack. The new one is an HTC Fuze and I’m already $500 in the hole in the solitaire game on it. Stupid Vegas rules.
• I met a lot of new and wonderful people.
• I sort of started playing the piano again, though after a quick burst I haven’t gotten back to it since.
• I went to a midnight showing of The Dark Knight and realized I’m getting too old to go to midnight showings.
• Weirdly, I only wrote 13 reviews this year.
• I only wrote 48 blog entries, which is less than one per week. No wonder my readership numbers have dived.
• I traveled a lot more than I usually do in a year.
• I saw the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., for the first time.
• I lost a year and a half’s worth of pictures when my hard drive crashed.
• I played a lot of Scrabble.
• I stopped wearing a watch.
• I stretched Beatles Week out to ridiculous lengths.
• I bought a grill.
• I pulled my Achilles tendon while simply using a treadmill and it hurt for two months. This has been the biggest reminder to me that I’m getting older!
• I threw up for the first time in 23 years.
• I got a roommate.
• I completed the Endless Setlist II on two separate occasions — with help, of course.
• I tried some foods for either the first time or the first time in a while: mahi mahi, kiwi, guacamole, some others I can’t remember.
• I co-taught a class on technology at church.
• I played the role of Jesus in our church’s Passion Play.
• I paid off all my debts (except for the house). This makes the third time in my life I’ve gotten to this point, and I’d like to keep from having to do it again if I can.
• I was immensely blessed in many ways.
• Oh, and I got this from my Aussie friend Carolyn.

Comic courtesy of PBF Comics, which aren’t necessarily always something I’d recommend.

My brother sent these cards along to me yesterday, drawn by my nephew (6 years old) and niece (4). As I understand the procedure, the kids draw and/or write, the results are scanned, and then the scanned pics are fiddled with in Photoshop according to the wishes of the specific kid.

This one is by my nephew, and he’s very aware of the cat situation at my place, i.e., that there are some. I believe the mouse is intended to be a gift to the cats for my birthday. The Photoshop filters used are his current favorites.

Natalie has chosen to write her birthday greetings to me, with translations by my brother. He swears these are word-for-word translations, and he’s pretty sure that the “I hope you deserve something” in the lower right corner means she wants me to get presents and isn’t some sort of judgment call on her part. William Munny would tell her “Deserve’s got nothin’ to do with it,” but I still appreciate her intent.

Thanks, kiddos!

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 525,600 minutes – how do you measure a year in the life?

525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan.
525,600 minutes – how can you measure the life of a woman or man?
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned, or the way that she died.

How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love.

-Excerpted from “Seasons of Love”

I was given another year, and my memory doesn’t allow me to remember everything that took place in it. The things that stay with me are the relationships built and friendships made. I wasn’t always so good at everything this last year, but I have good friends, and that makes for a good year. Thanks everyone. I look forward to this next year.

Comic courtesy of PBF Comics, which aren’t necessarily always something I’d recommend.