By any meme necessary, 2023

[wombat_socho]

 By Any Meme Necessary, 2023 Edition

 

1. Was 2023 a good year for you?

By and large, 2023 was the best year I've had since moving to Nevada.

 

2. What was your favorite moment(s) of the year?

a) Seeing (almost) all of my DC-area friends while on Son of the Not-Balticon Excursion. 

b) Getting rehired by the Reno District with a stupidly huge draw.

c) Mad Mike's Emergency Holographic Convention (Confinement IV) in Lebanon, TN

d) Founding Son of Silvercon in Henderson with Maggie Hogarth, Sarah Hoyt, and about 50 of our closest friends. 

 

3. What was your least favorite moment(s) of the year?

a) Driving from Reno to Provo for LTUE, only to spend less than an hour there because it was woke af and none of the authors I wanted to see were there.

b) Discovering on Saturday of Balticon that unless I wanted to wear a face panty, I couldn't attend panels, enter the art room, or patronize the dealers' room. A strong letter to the concom and several artistic mockeries followed; will not be going back to Balticon 

in 2024 since their reply was less than satisfactory. In fact, it was nonexistent. 

 

4. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before?

I've started conventions and parent companies for a convention before. Doing it almost single-handedly, though, that's another thing. 

 

5. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't do New Year's resolutions because I suck at following through on them.

Having said that, I made serious attempts to:

a) stay rested and on track dietarily (not very successful)

b) especially during tax season (horribly unsuccessful) 

c) keep better track of my money and put more of it away (very successful) 

 

6. Where were you when 2023 began?

At home in Tonopah

 

7. Who were you with?

Nobody

 

8. Where were you when 2023 ended?

At home in Tonopah

 

9. Who will you be with when 2023 ends?

Nobody

 

10. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not that I'm aware of. 

 

11. Did you lose anybody close to you in 2023?

My Aunt Corinne died in August, but we weren't particularly close. David Drake, William Hoge, and Michael Flynn all died this year as well. 

 

12. Who did you miss?

Most of my friends and family, from time to time.

 

13. Who was the best new person you met in 2023?

Maggie Hogarth, Sarah & Daniel Hoyt, and a whole bunch of other folks who came together to make Son of Silvercon happen. 

 

14. What was your favorite month of 2023?

October, easily. 

 

15. Did you travel outside of the US in 2023?

No. What for?

 

16. How many different states did you travel to in 2023?

Arizona, Maryland, New Mexico, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. 

Winslow, Arizona sure has changed.

 

17. What would you like to have in 2023 that you lacked in 2022?

A new pancreas. A sugar mama. The usual.

 

18. What date from 2023 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Friday, October 13

 

19. What were your biggest achievements of the year?

a) Not dying. 

b) Having my best tax season since I left Virginia in 2015. 

c) Son of Silvercon

 

20. What was your biggest failure?

I got sloppy about changing bandages in August and wound up spending a long weekend at the Las Vegas VA with a nasty bout of cellulitis.

 

21. Did you suffer illness or injury?

See #20

 

22. What was the best thing you bought?

Fudge from the Uranus Fudge Factory. Go ahead and make the obvious jokes - they do.  

 

23. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My staff artist for Son of Silvercon, Caitlin Walsh, was amazing and did a lot on the publicity side as well. Maggie Hogarth was a great Guest of Honor, Sarah & Daniel Hoyt were also wonderful Special Guests, and D.J. Butler came down to do the Baen Roadshow but did so much more. 

 

24. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Do we have to talk about politics and international affairs?

 

25. Where did most of your money go?

Son of Silvercon, in one way or another.

 

26. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Son of Silvercon.

 

27. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2023?

No.

 

28. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2023?

Despite recreational marijuana being legal, and stupidly inexpensive at the Shoshone tribal dispensary north of Beatty, no.
I had too much going on all year to get stoned. 

 

29. Did you treat somebody badly in 2023?

Not this year.

 

30. Did somebody treat you badly in 2023?

No. 

 

31. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? - I'm happier, because I'm still not dying. 

ii. thinner or fatter? - Thinner. I put on a lot of weight over tax season and while I was in Maryland, but it all came off in November and December. 

iii. richer or poorer? -  I sank a lot of money into Son of Silvercon, so in terms of cash & other assets, I'm poorer. 

 

32. What do you wish you’d done more of in 2023?

More cleaning and clearing out the boxes. I got rid of some over the summer, but there's still a shitload of them. 

 

33. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Video games are terribly addictive. So is Twitter. 

I could stand to spend a lot less time on both of them.

I probably won't. 

 

34. Did you fall in love in 2023?

No, but I lusted in my heart after a fair number of women, mostly of the 2d variety.

Come home, Guam! Your commander misses you!

 

35. What was your favorite TV program(s)?

I didn't watch hardly any TV in 2023, so I didn't really have a favorite. 
If forced to choose, Sh0eOnHead had some pretty hilarious (and occasionally sobering) videos this year. 

 

36. What song will always remind you of 2023?

"Run Through The Jungle" by CCR

 

37. How many concerts did you see in 2023?

None. I was thinking about the Gary Numan/Ministry/Front Line Assembly concert in Reno back on April 20, 

but I was so exhausted at the end of tax season that I blew it off and just went home. 

 

38. Did you have a favorite concert in 2023?

See previous question.

 

39. What was your greatest musical discovery?

I rediscovered Creedence Clearwater Revival and Cheap Trick, two bands I've always liked but never bought anything by. 
I also really liked "Dancer" by Idles, which was recommended by Jim Treacher; not as excited by their other music. 

 

40. What was the best book you read?

Man, this was a tough choice, Larry Correia's Tower of Silence was amazing, Kurt Schlichter's Overlord was excellent, but I could not stop reading & rereading Ralts Bloodthorne's Behold: Humanity! books. 

Special mention to Leigh Brackett and Cirsova for The Illustrated Stark, three volumes of solid sword & planet adventure. 

With regard to manga, Komi Can't Communicate continues to be outstanding, as does Spy x Family. 

 

41. What was your favorite film of this year?

I rented Zulu and thoroughly enjoyed rewatching it. Meant to see Oppenheimer, but missed it in the theaters.

Finally got around to buying The Death of Stalin, and it was hilarious. 

 

42. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I ate way too much cheesecake and ice cream cake, but my stomach was merciful. Later in the week I went to Fogo de Chao in Vegas and ate ALL THE MEATS...then went to Sonic to hydrate before picking Maggie Hogarth up at McCarran. 

 

43. What did you want and get?

I got the windshield on the Kia fixed during tax season, and the a/c repaired while I was out east. 

Aside from the convention, those were the big ticket items. 

 

44. What did you want and not get?

I have no complaints, honestly. 

 

45. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

[REDACTED]

 

46. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2023?

"The Festive Color Of My Tribe Is Black". This really hasn't changed. 

 

47. What kept you sane?

Realizing that being unhappy is not the same as being depressed. 

 

48. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Most of the celebrities and public figures that came to my attention this year 

were fairly appalling people, although Keanu Reeves continues to be an awesome person. 

 

49. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2023.

No valuable life lessons, unfortunately.

 

50. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

"Yeah, don't look back..."