10 Thoughts and Memories for 2010

10)This was the year Lost ended. It was the best TV show I've ever seen, and I think it'll be a long time before anything tops it. I've written a lot about Lost already, and when I (eventually) get the DVDs or Blu-Rays and rewatch, I'm sure I'll have more to say.

9) This was the year I saw less movies in the theaters than I think I have in a LONG time. It's a combination of inflated prices and, frankly, lower quality films coming out. My favorites? Inception, Toy Story 3, and Megamind. I'm all about the realism, yo.

8) This was the year Caitie and I increased three our participation in three hobbies: Disney, reading, and gaming. We became columnists on wdwforgrownups.com. We bought each other more Disney "furnishings" for our house. Caitie read over 100 books this year. I read -- not that many, but I think more than I have in the past. I plan to keep track better next year. We have become almost fanatical gamers. We go to game club once a week. We play games with friends on weekend. We play Wii more, and we're seriously considering getting a PS3.

7) This was the year my unit changed at work. Well, my unit stayed the same, but three people on the team were changed. It's made for an interesting new dynamic. I have to say, overall, I'm a bit less stressed about this aspect of my job than I have been the last couple of years.

6) This was the first year of WriteonCon during the summer. The conference was absolutely fantastic, teaching me so much about writing and the industry. It didn't get me any agent contacts, but it did give me a new beta reader and cyber-penpal (hi Autumn). It reinvigorated me with my writing, and spurred me to not only finish my Tracey book, rewrite Goodson, but get started on a mystery novel as well (which, sadly, is kind of stalling around 120 pages in at this point). I have two agents looking at Before White now. Here's hoping by this time next year there will have been more progress made!

5)This was the year we went to Sondheim's 80th Birthday Gala, and the year Bucks County Playhouse may have closed its doors permanently. Maybe you saw the concert on PBS a couple of months ago. It was an incredible night - one of the most memorable I've spent in the theater. Sondheim is my writing hero, and it's no exaggeration to say I think he is the smartest, most clever composer/lyricist of all time. On the flip side, the news that the owner of the Bucks County Playhouse was forced to retire and close the theater is very sad for me. I spent 25+ years seeing shows there. I've seen more theater there than I would have been able to see otherwise, and while production values may have varied, I'm grateful for the continuing love of theater the playhouse has fostered in me.

4) This was the year we went to the Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington DC. I'm a long-time lover of The Daily Show. I've recently become more aware of politics, more angered by things that are happening, and more in agreement with Jon Stewart's beliefs that what's hurting us more than anything else are poor reporting and immoral media (I was a journalism minor) and politicians who are more self-serving than in it for the people they are supposed to be representing. The rally was an amazing confirmation of these values, not to mention just an incredible experience to be amongst THAT many people at once!

3) This was the year my niece, Lily Ella, was born. I haven't have a chance to meet her yet, as we were away for the holidays and then I had a cold, but I can't wait. Seems crazy to me that my little sister is a Mom. I'm very happy for her, and look forward to showering Lily with Disney stuff and books (though not literally, because, you know, that would hurt).

2) This was the year my Nana died. I admit I didn't call her as much as I probably should have. I loved when she came to visit for the summers - and in the later years when she stayed with my Mom. She was a funny, caring, generous, and loving woman - she cared about her family above and beyond everything else. She always wanted what was best for her children and grandchildren, and it was so clear that she reveled in her great-grandchildren (my cousin's kids). My sister named Lily after her, and I think that would have touched her so much. I found a ceramic figure of a baseball player she designed for me when I was a little boy. I was never into sports at all, but I always liked that figurine. When Nana died, we put the figure in a prominent place in our living room, as a constant reminder of Nana and what she meant to our family.

1) This was the year I solidified my relationship with Caitie. I'm not going into details, but we had a pretty rough patch earlier this year. The good news, and what I want to focus on is that we came out the back side of those troubles stronger and more in love than we ever were before. She is my partner and my best friend and I can't imagine my life without her. We've learned how to rely on each other, to trust each other, and to lean on each others' strengths. I look forward to a great new year with Caitie, which will be just one of many, many more to come.