Hi friends, I'm thinking about the last day of the year and wanted to share my update with you all. My family and I are generally well and quite fortunate, and I hope (maybe with the exception of the teenagers among us) aware of how fortunate we are. Casper is now 15, six feet tall, still wonderfully-tempered in general but a bit prone to finding her mother annoying right now. She's a middling student at a very challenging high school, in the 10th grade, still not super mature in terms of thinking of her future. Dillo is 12, in 7th grade at the same high school, a staller student but bored, spending most of his energy on video games, a passion he seems to share with his friends at least. mr. flea and I have the same jobs and are doing okay. We're all in good health.

This year I did a number of new things: learned a little Korean; went to a pop concert in a stadium for the first time since 1992; got in the water of the Gulf of Mexico; started a running habit (which is currently largely in abatement because it's almost always dark and below freezing when I could run); made a really good new friend online for the first time since I met you people; wrote (fan)fiction.

I feel like my life is rushing towards the phase where I don't have children in the house, and while I love my children, I'm also interested to see what that freedom will look like (and see what they decide to do with their own freedom). It's amazing to me that you've known these children from their births and they're becoming independent people! (Meanwhile I am still doing their laundry and have to remind one of them to bathe. But, you know, eventually.) I love you guys. Thanks for being my people.

flea! You wrote fic! Did you show it to Nutty? ::grins::

I cannot believe Casper is 6 feet tall, that's not possible.

I forget if I summarized my year yet. Basically it was: Kilimanjaro, then back to regular life, with climbing and baking and bureaucrating and spending lots of time with my family (and maybe occasionally propping my sister up).

My one actual resolution is to buy no new clothes this coming year (other than underwear and socks). I can get stuff used, but not new. I have enough clothes: I need to wear what I have.

Nutty knows that I have written fic, but she is deeply not interested in RPF about Korean boybands for some reason. Although she did provide some useful thoughts about how best to murder people; she can be counted on for that sort of thing.

Hey y'all. I got so behind on reading, then life and crap took over so I haven't been here in a while.

I have received my Secret Santa. I now have a beautiful, fancy paper snowflake ornament, a cool free-trade bracelet, and a box of chocolate truffles, NOM!. Thank you, amyth!

I need to get mine out in the mail to my giftee. Sorry I'm such a slacker this year. I haven't sent out Holiday/New Year's cards - maybe I'll try for a nice Happy January card??

I'll post my goodbye and good riddance later. I miss my b.org family.

Yay, Suzi, glad you got it!

I'm going to post my goodbye and good riddance later, too. Turns out, 2018 is hanging on until the last minute and refuses to be summed up yet.

I got more secret Santa goodness!

A TARDIS stocking with sound effects! A beautiful purple 3D printed yarn bowl!! A bath bomb , chocolate and a really cool music box.

Thank you !

Also to my secret santee I am going to finish up Wednesday after work and get it mailed Thursday.

Getting in an affectionate greeting before the clock ticks over for me here. No summation, moving on. I've wished us all a better year many times, and I'm not doing that this year.

May we help make 2019 a kinder year, with sternness where merited, for the world, for all of us, for each of you. I love you all.

I got a pin that looks like a book with "People to Kill" as the title.ETA: I can be like Jill Wine-Banks, only more lethal than legal. Also, yummy chocolate orange. My Santa has done a nice job!

2019 is the Year of the Killjoys, so I say we make some noise.

By which, riffing off of Bev's theme, we stand up, be counted, practice radical kindness, and take no shit.

I am grateful for this community every day, because you guys are the ones who helped make my current pretty-darn-good life possible.

Hi, Juliana! How is your threenager treating you?