The Year In Review

2009 was not quite the banner year I had hoped. In fact, it sucked so much I waited until the New Year for a round-up.

It started off well enough, with my story, Second Banana published in the Horror zine Necrotic Tissue, but I should have suspected problems when both story title and my name were misspelled. I wrote them about it, and they assured me of the change, but nothing came of it.

I did manage a near final draft of the big book. Someone offered to read it as a first reader. Still waiting on the feedback.

Finally, I joined a live critique group. We call ourselves the Stopwatch Gang and for the first time in a while I feel like a writer again.

Pretty much downhill from there. My ageing father went into the hospital with kidney failure, a three week stay resulting in him going into a retirement home. The has strained our already tenuous relationship.

I've half-gutted our master bathroom intending to renovate, but never quite got it finished. The main reason for this is simple: I have no idea what I'm doing.

Ageing father sent back to the hospital with pancreatitis.

A week before Christmas, my youngest daughter got pneumonia, probably from the H1N1 vaccination or the flew itself, and she spent three days in the hospital. This is at the same time as my dad's stay.

Still had to ready the house for the family Christmas dinner where I managed to cook the turkey for three hours without a aluminium covering resulting in a nicely browned turkey, six hours too early. Despite this, the dinner managed to come out pretty good, everything went well after that. Christmas itself was good too, and everyone was happy with their gifts.

The following week was a deadzone of inactivity, though I did get one story prepped for submission. Then came New Years day with two new rejections to start the year off right.

Of course, there is the whole economical meltdown and the things that went with it.

So, here's hoping 2010 is a better year for everyone.

Mike