Hi, kind folkses. I haven't had much time to lurk here of late, but things have settled for me after about five years of changing addresses. Stability, I haz it. I'm still not employed full-time because, guess what, the SF Bay Area has plenty of web designers. But life has treated me well.

Off to look at the music thread.

Bridget! It's good to see your font and hear that you are well.

I'm pretty sure I'm not considered a lurker, but a quick update is always helpful, right?

Still married to Pete (who is a curmudgeon, but an adorable one), still in Seattle (tho' there are people actively lobbying to get us to move to L.A.), still running the Gothic Charm School site. I'm also working on a fiction project, am the "professional" Goth advisor for an indie teen comedy, and have a couple other things I'm working on for my eventual world domination.

This year has been pretty spectacularly awful (three deaths in the family in four months, including my Mom), and I wouldn't have gotten through it without the kindness of people here.

I didn't mean to kill the delurking thread! I swear!

You didn't! Silly.

Nice to see the delurkers and the regulars. I'm not in any thread anymore, wish I could hang out in Bitches, at least, but I keep up in press and beep me when I can.

Aidan is now mad into Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Zelda:Majora's Mask, and still drawing so much we can't keep him in paper. Kara is back into Pokemon, loves youtube with all the passion of her overly-emotional heart, also draws all the time, makes very odd doll clothes, mostly out of rags, tape, and facial tissues, has been diagnosed with ADHD and anxiety; has threatened to kill herself a couple of times, but swears she was just using hyperbole. Everyone's keeping an eye on her, of course. Greg was diagnosed with Graves' Disease (thyroid thing) but he seems to have it under control now, except that he's exhausted all the time. DP, the small press I started in 2007 with all the hope in my giddy, creative heart, is in the process of being shut down this month, and I'm a lot less giddy and/or creative. We lost the house, but live in a very nice little apartment, right next door to a great park, and the apt. costs much less to heat and light.

My health is gone, and I've used up my mid-day hour of being upright catching up on this thread and posting this, but I'll have another hour, maybe two, when the kids get home. I don't do web design, editing, or anything else anymore. I can't walk much anymore, and I'm having some scary memory lapses we're monitoring. I can't think clearly most days. So sorry to be depressing and random.

Here's hoping 2012 is much, much better for everyone, even those of you with only good news to share. I'll try to pop in again. I miss you guys.

Hi, Deena! All best wishes for best results.

Ah, Deena. I'm sorry things are so tough. But it's lovely to see you.

Good to see you Deena. We're thinking about you.

Deena! So lovely to see you here.

Connie mentioned you were unwell and I was thinking of you. Sending you all the health-ma I can for your family.

I hope the universe sends you good news of your own.