Pretty Great Year

Got this timely taggable from Ian. Tag yourselves like I did:

TEN THINGS THAT BRING ME JOY:
(There are more than ten, of course, but okay.)

1. Living in an age when entertainment and information are easily available.
2. My relatives, who continue to teach me life lessons and keep me grounded and grateful.
3. Being able to eat three decent meals a day.
4. Not feeling any emotional attachment when I see certain people from the past.
5. Really gifted, humble people, because, well, nobody likes untalented know-it-alls.
6. Cool weather and fresh air.
7. Others connecting with my words and/or pictures.
8. McFarlane, Marvel Legends, DC Direct action figures.
9. Intimacy (cough, euphemism!, cough).
10. Enlightened people who believe that spirituality needn’t be confined by one religion or faith.
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It’s that time of the year again when TV crew members, especially on news programs, get to show up on screen and wave for as long as the end credits roll. Yep, it must be the last day of the year. A time to be thankful and hopeful, and also when caricatures of the representations of the outgoing and incoming years-- the sashed old guy and baby--grace newspaper strips or editorial cartoons. Hmm. I wonder how that depiction originated. If the baby would grow, like, six years per month, by the end of the year he’s a doddery 72-year-old. Interesting.

This journal has had its occasional liner note thank you’s, because I’ve had many reasons to be thankful for in 2005. Most recently, I discovered, through Friendster’s search bar, that about 15 people listed LNA among their favorite (comic) books. So thanks to Aby, Butch, Bokee, Anjo, Aubrey, Jhoice, Jason, Vangie, Krizia, Sabog/Boom, Anne, Coeli, Bart, Chuck, and Arris Rivera!

Also, thanks to Benedict for the rare Sue Storm figure (nifty projectile gimmick!) and the Spooky Pop lollipop, Gumby for the new mix CD*, Paolo Manalo for bearing with my hunger-induced incoherence yesterday (was unable to eat breakfast and lunch) and Druid's Keep's Felix Cua, for giving me a nice discount on the cool Spike figure**.

My thanks as well to all the comics creators I was able to meet and communicate with in the past couple of months, for sharing their enthusiasm for the medium. To my occasional employers and editors, for being ever-generous. To those who talked about my comic book, you’re all over this blog.

And, last but definitely not the least, to my earthborn angels, for your patience, understanding and love.

Happy, prosperous and wonderful new year to all o’ ya. You’re the bestest!
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* (The Beloved- Found, Aimee Mann and Michael Penn- Two of Us, A Camp- Bluest Eyes in Texas, Madonna- Rain, Midge Ure- Dear God, Jeff Buckley- Hallelujah, Milla Jovovich- The Gentleman Who Fell, Amanda Marshall- I’ll Be Okay, Maria McKee- Show Me Heaven, Jewel- Life Uncommon, Pat Benatar- We Belong, Texas- Breathless, Eurythmics- Seventeen Again, Shakespeare’s Sister- Stay, Londonbeat- A Better Love, Martika- Love Thy Will Be Done, Tom Petty- Freefallin’)

** With Mountain Dew in a goblet, goggles, anti-Hellmouth amulet, mug of blood, cat (?), and trading card.