Happy New Year!

So, I really meant to post more in December, truly I did, but then the end of the semester happened, and then I fell and broke my thumb, which put a damper on my typing overall. I just got my cast off yesterday, and it's a glorious feeling. (See pic of my son cosplaying John Bender from The Breakfast Club to embody that emotion. :) ) It's sore, and I can't ask it to do too much, and I have a splint to wear at night for support, but it's so much better than it was.

So I have more about game design to post, but I'm going to take a bit to do the obligatory end-of-year post. 2016 seemed like a year of huge upheaval for just about everyone I know. Some good, some bad, but lots of it regardless. My eldest son moved in with us and started his senior year again, for example. He's doing well, but it was an adjustment. My dad had health issues but is doing okay. My car got wrecked (by my son) and replaced with my parents' old minivan.  I had a chapter approved for my committee and have started job applications. Our business got in with another distributor via the IDGN, which will be great for 2017. The presidential election happened, and we'll be dealing with that for a long time to come -- enough that I fear for what the world will be like this time next year. There is nothing to do but move forward, though. Dwelling on the past and what might have been only gets in the way of what needs to be done.

That said, I at least had some good things come of the past year. I went to London and got a ton of research done -- my first time overseas. I went to Rare Book School, and that was an amazing experience. I went to Metatopia and learned I might actually be a game designer after all. I get to lead an organization I love (the IGDN) and hopefully make a real difference over the next two years. Plus I've learned a ton about myself -- I did some healing and hopefully some self-realization and I've been working on putting that into practice. It's good. Hard sometimes, but good.

Tonight I'm watching a double feature with my husband (The Big Sleep and The Big Lebowski), having an awesome dinner (halibut) and ringing in the new year with some lovely wine. I'm also working through a job app and some additional work on my dissertation. Tomorrow I go see Matt's mom and we have a pork and sauerkraut dinner to bring luck on the new year, which will be awesome. I cannot pretend to know what the new year will bring, but I hope -- I hope -- that it will be kind to us. I suspect it might not, but I hope that it will. May everyone be blessed for the coming trip around the sun one more time.