Stuff I did in 2014:
-Learned how to properly cook a steak.
-Learned to throw pots (very poorly, but still).
-Missed out on an amazing house due to a leaking oil tank, and missed out on Richie Havens's house due to someone having a lot more money than I did. Still trying.
-Got three Marvel ART OF movie books to press.
-Edited a prose novel adapting SECRET WARS.
-Launched seven more students into the world of Photoshop, but more importantly, did all I could to equip them for the world.
-Helped a past student and a temp get employment.
-Gave a talk in the UK, followed it up with a holiday in Romania and Bulgaria. Pissed off a Danish development worker in East Africa by making a smart-ass, intolerant remark about dental hygiene.
-Went through three health insurance plans. No, four.
-Made an umbrella.
-Packaged two Choose Your Own Adventure-style books about the Oregon Trail.
-I lost more weight without trying, without regular gym visits. My secret, same as last year, was to avoid processed foods which are full of sugar in the form of refined carbohydrates and corn syrup. Give it a try. Not just good for the waistline—also good for your outlook.
-Had a miraculous moment where I represented both major American comic book companies at the same time.
-And I went back to the workplace, which is full of ups and downs, and reminds me that the part I don’t like is delivering bad news to passionate creators.
Where I fell down this year is on anything social. I worked more than ever, which seems impossible, but I ended up in a job intended for two industry veterans. It’s only temporary, and will pass. I’ll be available for lunch soon enough.
Not too bad a year, especially when I look back at the hopelessness of past New Year's comments, but the whole construct of a year is kind of goofy. Tomorrow is just an extension of today, so I try not to put too much stock in noting the passage of one day to the next. Some years, I go to another country to be a tourist over New Year’s, just to avoid the superficial measure of success in a world where I’m usually able to overlook my solitary existence. It’s hard to do that when pop culture is bombarding me with messages about being with friends and family. Easier to be distracted by the challenge of sorting out a situation I don't understand.
It's funny how when you're young, you have so much life ahead of you—you dance, you go to parties and shows, you chase an elusive something through the night in Manhattan—and so much to look forward to, and then at some point it turns to despair, and then you wake up one day with that behind you, and instead it becomes about acceptance, and just getting through the days. Acceptance pushes disappointment aside, and here you are. Just getting by, having lost the hope of something amazing being right around the corner. What's right around the corner is more change, more transition, more ambition, and more day-to-day life as I fight back against the human predisposition toward comfort and routine.
-Learned how to properly cook a steak.
-Learned to throw pots (very poorly, but still).
-Missed out on an amazing house due to a leaking oil tank, and missed out on Richie Havens's house due to someone having a lot more money than I did. Still trying.
-Got three Marvel ART OF movie books to press.
-Edited a prose novel adapting SECRET WARS.
-Launched seven more students into the world of Photoshop, but more importantly, did all I could to equip them for the world.
-Helped a past student and a temp get employment.
-Gave a talk in the UK, followed it up with a holiday in Romania and Bulgaria. Pissed off a Danish development worker in East Africa by making a smart-ass, intolerant remark about dental hygiene.
-Went through three health insurance plans. No, four.
-Made an umbrella.
-Packaged two Choose Your Own Adventure-style books about the Oregon Trail.
-I lost more weight without trying, without regular gym visits. My secret, same as last year, was to avoid processed foods which are full of sugar in the form of refined carbohydrates and corn syrup. Give it a try. Not just good for the waistline—also good for your outlook.
-Had a miraculous moment where I represented both major American comic book companies at the same time.
-And I went back to the workplace, which is full of ups and downs, and reminds me that the part I don’t like is delivering bad news to passionate creators.
Where I fell down this year is on anything social. I worked more than ever, which seems impossible, but I ended up in a job intended for two industry veterans. It’s only temporary, and will pass. I’ll be available for lunch soon enough.
Not too bad a year, especially when I look back at the hopelessness of past New Year's comments, but the whole construct of a year is kind of goofy. Tomorrow is just an extension of today, so I try not to put too much stock in noting the passage of one day to the next. Some years, I go to another country to be a tourist over New Year’s, just to avoid the superficial measure of success in a world where I’m usually able to overlook my solitary existence. It’s hard to do that when pop culture is bombarding me with messages about being with friends and family. Easier to be distracted by the challenge of sorting out a situation I don't understand.
It's funny how when you're young, you have so much life ahead of you—you dance, you go to parties and shows, you chase an elusive something through the night in Manhattan—and so much to look forward to, and then at some point it turns to despair, and then you wake up one day with that behind you, and instead it becomes about acceptance, and just getting through the days. Acceptance pushes disappointment aside, and here you are. Just getting by, having lost the hope of something amazing being right around the corner. What's right around the corner is more change, more transition, more ambition, and more day-to-day life as I fight back against the human predisposition toward comfort and routine.
