Farewell 2023 - Hello 2024

 Ahh, the first of 2024. That gloriously awkward time, when one must continuously correct everything one needs to put a date on. What better way to bid farewell to the previous year, than to do a little "Spotify Recap" of events and fun facts?

• I wrote the first 2 drafts of a full length novel (130k+ words.)
• Come on, I have to start the list strong, or I feel like hot garbage, gimme a break.
• I got a new job.
• I suppose you could call it an even trade; comparable pay only delivered once a month (ugh) in exchange for a soothing work environment, better bosses, and a better schedule.
• I've read 54 books this year start to finish. 
• I tried to read 56, but I haven't gotten through the other 2 because the first one was very odd spiritual preaching, and the second is VERY dark, and VERY long, and I got VERY discouraged.
• I managed to get out of bed every day and continue to exist!
• Horrible things are happening everywhere in the world, but I am grateful, at least, that I have my friends, my family and my dogs. 
• Lets face it. I can't go out and physically keep my friends and family safe. I can't be in many places at once, but I CAN keep a machete by the door and seriously mess someone up if they try to lay a finger on my dogs. SO there's that.
• I made 2 new friends this year.
• I met a glorious handful of my online friends in person this year.
• I indulged in several instances of arts and crafts, and enjoyed it.

And now, the list of things I would very much like to do (or at least TRY very HARD to do) in the upcoming year! I won't call them resolutions, because that would imply I have stronger resolve then I may actually possess. Instead, I will call these my personal list of new years suggestions.

• Spend more time at the dog park with the doggos.
• Sort of drifted away from them during COVID because most of them were closed, but now that they're open again, I think it's well worth the car ride and awkward hellos to strangers.
• Send inquiries out to agents for that book I wrote. 
• Maybe I'll even edit a third draft, who knows, lets get crazy. 
• Write another book with my dear friend who shall not be named.
• Oh it will be spectacular, we've got an outline, and it practically writes itself. In FACT we've technically already WRITTEN the damn thing, it's.... a matter of POV and formatting - well, you'll see, anyway. 
• Re-Do my impromptu paper blinds and decorate them with fun stuff like I originally planned. 
• This is more of an insider information one, but I have these sliding doors (that we do not use as doors) and instead of physical curtains, I've cleverly used packing paper to make the illusion of curtains. They are brown. I would like to make them more fun. This is an attainable goal. 
• Get new soil for my one, poor, lonely plant. 

I'm sure over time I'll accumulate more, but I think that's a perfectly respectable list. 

Happy New Year, all of you ghosts out there!