The End Of 2013

So we come to the end of 2013. There are just so many entries posted this year, on so many different topics, that I can't possibly do this blog justice by posting links to them all. So I'll just focus on the here and now: and here and now is me sitting here, with the TV off, a fresh diary at my side ready to record my dreams and my folks planning the end of the year.

Some things about this year, I can't say I will ever miss. The swollen gall bladder, for one. This awful UK government, for another.

But some things I will cherish. My birthday; my friends, who turned up for it; my f'lists on tumblr, Facebook, G+.

A 50th anniversary Doctor Who special that was worthy of the best, and the Christmas special last week which saw Matt Smith leave the scene and Peter Capaldi to begin his reign.

Pick TV (later just Pick) showing Stargate Universe, Stargate Atlantis and the final two series of Stargate SG-1, letting me see the episodes I never got the chance to and giving me some closure. Also, showing The Dresden Files, and letting me see that wizarding drama for the first, and last, time. And Pick is not the only channel which has been memorable this year - Agents of SHIELD premiered on Channel 4.

Camp NaNoWriMo, for giving me that one chance last Spring to write a full novel this year - The Shadowed Art, featuring a scene between two protagonists - Osric and Seren Mai - that is one of my favourite scenes. I very nearly had to drop out of Camp NaNoWriMo due to that aggravating gall bladder; I did have to drop out of NaNoWriMo in November, due to the surgery to remove that gall bladder being far more aggressive and complicated than the surgeons had thought it would be.

That gall bladder. It was the bane of my existence for most of this year. Even its removal became a disruptive source of aggravation. It was meant to have been a simple laparoscopic cholecystectomy. I woke up with a long scar across my upper abdomen that will be there for the rest of my days. But at least, I guess, there will be no more gallstone worries - certainly not next year, when I hope to have novel projects going for Camp NaNoWriMo next year, not to mention next November's NaNoWriMo, including the rebooted novel The Empty Shadow, not to mention my third neuro story and "Island of Stars."

I will always remember the joy I got from writing this year. Writing for Mongoose Legend, for NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo, and writing for the Chester Fantasy Writers club - which I joined late this year. I just love imagining the shocked expressions on their faces when they read the likes of "Scarred" or "Hypnotrice," with their heavy sex scenes.

This was a year for hard politics, too. The government are hell-bent on ruining this country, then running off with all the money. And we're going to have to stop them, even if it does end up with troops being deployed in the streets and cars being overturned.

Still, among all the downbeat news about the tories, there was a real cause for celebration. Margaret Thatcher died, at long last. 2013 03 08 will be a day marked with joy for a generation.

New Year's Eve has always been a bit problematical, at least regards getting online. I'm scheduling this thing to post at midnight, but chances are I won't be online to see it come on because of all the internet traffic. However, in 2014 I may well do a few minor retrospectives of the past year's blog posts - not just here, but on Hypnotic Erotic and elsewhere.

All I can say right now is, even if you don't see me online tonight at midnight, I wish you all a very Happy New Year for 2014. See you all there.