"I hate spunk." But, I swear, not always. But she might appreciate that I used the whole quote. "Gumption" is a little...frontier for my taste, but if she liked it, what the hell? But I think I've always used "aplomb" to describe Casa Zmayhem, though, and only partially because nobody could say it about me in a billion years. Although, that is true...I hope my honesty generally makes up for my lack of style, someday. But I digress. While I was always sure that they were solid, I wasn't sure that the whole grace-under-pressure thing would persist under such trying circumstances. I think it did, mostly. David Simon wrote in one of his books that the biggest surprise about seeing someone in their last moments was how often they looked like they had just gotten the answer to a vexing math problem. Like, "Huh. This is how this goes." If that is somehow universal, and not just something found in young men Looking For Trouble and Finally Finding It, I hope the answer was, like, everything beautiful she could have wanted without Hecubus joining her wherever she is, because we're not done with him yet.(And not just cause he promised to lay me out on the felt one day. But he did.)

a draft of my summary post, but it’s frankly way too long

Same, same. I am still working on it, and plan to post it on January 1st.

Yeah, I'm in the camp of I still can't muster the spoons to even begin to sum up this year.

What Topic!Cindy said. all of it.

not ready to sum up this year yet.

I am almost sorry to say it, but I had a decent year! I was going to say "no relatives' funerals," but my mother reminded me that my aunt's memorial was in January (after she died the previous fall). But still, no deaths in the family (after a rough previous year). My job got more interesting again, after a period where I felt underused and possibly under-respected. I took on new roles in my band and at church, and am stretching in all kinds of ways -- leading 50+ people in playing songs, chairing the search committee for our new minister. Sometimes I am tired from all of the stretching! But at least I'm not bored.

That is wonderful to read, Jesse! May 2024 continue the trend.

We need to share our accomplishments as well as our challenges. Joy is increased when shared, and burdens are lessened.

Yay Jesse! Misery may love company, but I am extremely glad that at least some people I know had a good year.

That's awesome, Jesse!

I am almost sorry to say it, but I had a decent year!

I am glad of it! May everybody have decent years!

I’m glad someone had a good year!!

My year had ups and downs. I…don’t remember what happened the first half of the year. I went to Mexico with Vortex and Brenda and Maria? That was cool. I visited my parents in January. My mom was supposed to go see her sister but wasn’t feeling well, so didn’t go. At the time that was a whole thing but now I’m really glad it happened, because then Memorial Day weekend she fell down, went to the hospital, and was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and died two weeks later. It was so fast and it still seems pretty unreal, like maybe I just haven’t called her recently? We are still dealing with trying to straighten out her estate and have told my dad he can’t die until that happens. Nobody expected mom to pass before dad—he’s the one who for 20 years has been pronouncing “well, I might not be around next Christmas…”. And honestly I’d be surprised if he is around next Christmas. He’s hanging in there and my sister is doing a lot of work, but he’s not been in good shape for years. And work has been a nightmare and my boss is horrid and I need to find a new job.

On the good side, I went to the World Cup with a friend as a month long vacation and it was amazing. And I again spent December in Palm Springs with friends, which was a much needed dose of sunshine and companionship and I will miss it in the dark cold Seattle winter. I feel like a lot of my friends stopped wanting to go out or hang out and got very introverted during the pandemic and now I end up v lonesome a lot.

And the weirdest part of my year, I joined a clinical trial for a new weight loss drug and have now lost 60 pounds. I really need to add some muscle weight because a lot of it was muscle, but I have never in my life been this thin. It’s bizarre, and also weird to realize how dysmorphic my body image is, because I definitely don’t look at myself and think thin, even though I know I must be. So I’ll need to deal with that in the coming year—finding a workout that works and trying to be in shape, and figure out what I’ll do after this trial is over and I can’t get the drug anymore.

So basically 2024 is going to be a lot of work, even though I’m run down and tired from 2023. Trying to take the last couple days of the year here and prep and set myself up for success?