For the record, I hate that this is becoming a once-a-year blog.

My job and lifestyle were both very writing intensive this last year…something had to take a hit. But 2019 is the year my blog makes its big comeback! Woot! (Do people still stay woot? See what happens when you take your finger off the pulse?!)

When I think back to my 2018 as a whole it was mostly uneventful. But maybe taking it month by month will prove otherwise. Here’s what I would’ve (should’ve) been writing about all year.

January: Well, I began the year unemployed. Not completely unexpected and not unwanted either. The end of my contract allowed me time to wrap up my super secret writing project. I’m slowly shopping it around to agents. I also launched my @casual_tf Instagram page (formerly brews_and_bots).

February: And just as fast as unemployment came, it went! I found myself tackling a massive technical writing contract which allowed me to buy more Transf—to save money very economically and financially. Of course. Oh, and I did Trivia Weekend. Don’t worry.

March: Smarch. Nothing too exciting. I started attending Toy Swaps which was a real roller coaster for my wallet. Also there was a very delicious uncured Corned Beef from Trader Joe’s that was of note.

April: More toys. Still riding high on Last Jedi.

May: Solo arrives in theaters! My wallet continues to drain! As always, I saw it with my boys, Dustin and Kell. We played Sabacc while we waited for the theater to start seating. The movie is a lot of fun but, relatively, nobody sees it. I ponder Is Star Wars dead? It probably isn’t. Also: I query my first agent.

June: June is the turning point (signified by a change in tense, you see). Everything changes. A group trip to Duluth triggers memories of a North Shore Mikel. A few tears are shed, but mostly I am rejuvenated by a long weekend of trekking around Canal Park. A few weeks later, I’ll be back in my old stomping ground, staying overnight at my old lodge in Lutsen, celebrating the ‘retirement’ of a former coworker. It is my triumphant return. Everybody remembers me fondly (a miracle!) and I am reborn as I walk the streets of Grand Marais once again. I am home, if only for 24 hours. There is also an awakening…of the Pokemon variety. See: July.

July: I suddenly remember I haven’t played Pokemon GO in 2 years. So I check in with my old account and see an opportunity to get out and about and walking again. I’ve let myself get too sedentary. But what stars as a very personal Poke-journey becomes an explosion. My awesome coworker Vushi and I get the bug hard, it spreads to my friend group, pretty soon everyone is playing this thing I used to love. Heavy. But let’s not forget the traditions: I volunteer at the big Triathlon in my hometown (almost missed it, glad I didn’t) and Dusto and Kell and I take to the mean streets of Mini Apple for the 2nd Annual Dudes Brew Tou(r).

August: This month is a blur of Pokemon. I shed some L-Bs, feeling pretty great about myself, I start biking. I see a coyote on an early morning ride. I stop biking. Summer is winding down. I realize I’ve spent the last 3 months with my face in my phone.

September: As Fall sets in, I dial back the PoGo. I do my yearly traditions of visiting the State Fair and the Renaissance Festival. It is weird, it is different. For example, for the first time in my life I don’t visit the State Fair on the first Monday. I go on Friday. Evening. Totally different ball game. Oh, also, I officiate the wedding of my two friends! Legitimately!

October: Back to basics. My favorite time of year. The Transformers card game launches and I go all-in (Pokemon-what-now?). I’m featured in a new anthology, Chaos Cocktail. Halloween traditions kick-in with my partner-in-crime, Kate. We go as big as we can, all the while saving for the big finale: a trip to Chicago for TFCon Chicago 2018. I’ve been listening to this Transformers podcast pretty religiously. They’re going to be there. I run into 2/3 of the hosts of the perfectly-named Autopod Decepticast in the registration line. It’s my dream come true. We chat, we hit it off, we hang at the bar. Best. Con. Ever. I buy a shit-load of Transformers in anticipation of…

November:….my birthday! *trap horn, trap horn* It is a quiet riot to some folks’ surprise: an intimate board game evening. A visit to Frankie’s Pizza and a mini-spree at my fave comic book shop. The local board game store starts hosting Transformers card game open play and tourneys. For a time, it is good.

December: Well, here we are. Caught up to present time, as it were. My contract is winding down. My wallet is not as plump as it should be. My plan to throw myself into this job for a year and take some time off with the money I’ve saved has not gone exactly as planned. But…I had a good year. I was #soblessed as they say. No, truly, I was. Am. With this job ending, new doors open. New opportunities to explore more creative options. Time to shop the manuscript and revisit old projects. Pivot to board game design. Looking to get back into podcasting. Collaborating on an upcoming web comic.

You know, the usual.

Oh, and Bumblebee is out! Go see it!

And bring it on, 2019!