Thinking Back on 2017 · 7:27am Jan 5th, 2018
I know I'm a few days late for a new year's style blog post, but in all fairness, I did get stuck with some work duties and was pulling a lot of Xmas Weight around my Mom's place. I'll get to that last one in a bit. Still, a lot of stuff went down in 2017 that seems to be worth some reflection and some mention dropping. On the offline side, I started working on a pretty cool new experiment. This has been a fairly exciting adventure that's really bolstered my knowledge and understanding of certain things. Hopefully, it will translate to finally banking a faculty position. [That's not looking so hot at the moment, but we can hope...]
The holidays at the end of the year were far better than last year. Some might recall that my dad passed away a couple days after Thanksgiving 2016, and the following Xmas 2016 was honestly one of the worst fucking things I have ever experienced. My mom was completely drained. There was zero celebration. Traditions seemed to die along with my dad, and this year... I was pretty committed to making sure that shit did not happen again. I set up the tree, and after quite a bit of scrounging, managed to get my dad's Lionel set up. This is a pretty truncated layout from the one my dad used to put together. He was also much bigger on decorations than I was, but... he also never taught me how to get everything setup nor where everything was kept. Still.. the tradition was restored. The 1952 locomotive that made its appearance for over 60 years was back in action.
There was also a rather fun time at BronyCon, and another fun time at Ponyville Ciderfest, and way back in April, there was a joyous outing at WhinnyCity. That MLPCCG collection of mine now has 109 signed cards. It's a bit ridiculous, and I probably have a problem... but... I dig it. :) There are certainly a lot of friends I could thank for making my year pretty damn awesome, and I hope you'll forgive me in advance... because I'm going to focus on one thing. Out of all the things I've done in 2017, this made the year for me. Big hint coming in photograph form...
Is that really a surprise to anyone? Sober and I start writing this one in 2016, but we finally got it up on the site almost a year ago now. First, I have to, again, relay how much of a joy working with Sober on a fiction piece was. He's always saying that he didn't do anything and dumb crap like that, but really, when you dig into it, NLD was a story born in RP that got turned into a very important bit of my life. I really cannot imagine my existence without having Sober around to toss ideas around--or without experiencing that sweet sweet Barrier+Tail interaction. It's really hard for me to describe, so I'll put it like this. When I look at NLD... when I hold the book, I feel nothing but warmth. I've written things and published stuff where I sit there and there's always this deep, lingering feeling of shit such as, "Oh, I hoped that would do better," or, "Man, I sucked that part up..." When it comes to NLD, that crap is gone. There is just that overwhelming surge of warmth that is wondrously saturated by the bonds of a tight friendship. Don't get me wrong. I love it that the story was enjoyed. I love it that there's hype for the sequel, and each and every comment I read and new friend I gained in the process brings me joy. I'm just saying that I finally got a year of writing for writing's sake with one of my best buds, and the consequences of that (Neon squees) yield some top-notch good vibes. The takeaway is that Sober should stop undervaluing his contribution because he's essential to this heavenly, choir-of-singing-angels atmosphere.
So thank you! Thank you for making my 2017. And to those who found your way to me, whether it be through those horsewords or otherwise, thank you for your friendship. May 2018 shine brighter! If I get back to writing, we might just see a sequel this year.
Keep on keeping on my friend. May you have many happy years and events ahead of you!
Hope 2018 is good to you
4767434
Will do! And same to you. :3
4767623
Happy 2018!
4767819
And to you as well!
c:
4769466
I'll always remember the sideways hug and the Coke proposal that followed.
I'm glad to call you a friend, Dr. Wing! In my experiences with you, you've managed to strike that balance between whimsical wonder and grounded stability that I can never quite maintain. It's been an honor, and one I hope to continue.
P.S. Now I have every reason in the world to check out NLD, and will have a review for you when next we chat.
4780598
NLD is my favorite.... lol maybe that's a bit biased, but... collaborative magic brought the magic
And I'm not going anywhere, so... continue it shall!