Man, this was tough.

It's closing in on midnight, and I haven't annotated anything yet. I was waffling between what I have now, and trying to come up with a top twenty list instead. I've got a lot of days I want to mention, but... I think I'm going to stick with just ten.

On looking back over things, I realize how great it is that I can... well... look back over things. I know that I don't want to miss out on the moment (on the present tense, the here and now) by constantly taking pictures and trying to "record" things. But on the other hand, it's really wonderful to have some sort of record of things.

So here it is: the best ten days I've had in the past year. For those of you who may have seen some of these days as they happened, I hope they bring about a laugh or a sense of reverie. If you're new to this blog, feel free to settle back and take a look around.

Everyone has good days and bad days. I just happen to be lucky enough to be able to point out some particularly good ones. :)

RECIPE FOR CHINESE DUMPLINGS
September 1, 2002

I had a lot of fun trying to make these, and also trying to capture each step along the way. I also had a lot of fun drinking beer while making these and trying to capture each step along the way. :)

TEACHING FLASH: UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
October 21, 2002

I was contacted completely out of the blue, and offered a week-long stint as a visiting professor. I got to combine my love of teaching, my love of Flash, and my love of creative writing.

As if things couldn't get better, I got to meet a ton of fantastic, talented folks... and the stipend I received helped me get out of debt!

I had a lot of fun working with everyone, and felt a tremendous sense of inclusion. If there was any one moment where I sincerely hoped to return to Academia, this would be it.

HALLOWEEN: RED MOON THEATER
October 31, 2002

Soon after I got back from Alabama, I decided to go to an annual event sponsored by Red Moon each Halloween. I ended up meeting some friends, but struck off on my own and just took photos the whole time.

All in all, I think I love Halloween. I liked the fact that I left a group and just wandered on my own.

NAKED DAY
December 15, 2002

I lost a bet, and I paid.

Dearly.

SENSORY DEPRIVATION TANKS
January 17, 2003

Aahhahahahah! What a great day this was!

At work, Justin, Ben and I were talking about this for a long while. Eventually, I called and set up a date for us to all go and try our hand at sensory deprivation.

Floating in an isolation tank filled with salt water. Fun takes some surprising forms that you'd never think about. Yeah!

CHINESE NEW YEAR WITH ALEX: CHINATOWN
February 2, 2003

I had a day planned with my friend Alex, to go to Chinatown for Chinese New Year's and take photos all day. We got some great stuff, and he took (in my opinion) some really killer shots.

The whole day aside (dragons, firecrackers, Raeleans), I remember our conversations the most. I talked with Alex about a lot of shit, and we hit some big topics and shared a lot of stories. The conversations were as good, if not better, than the day.

BIRTHDAY PARTY
March 9, 2003

A day all about me? How can this go wrong?

I got a great party, hung out with my friends, ate some fantastic pizza and dug into some of the best fucking cheesecake I've had. EVER. On top of that, I got a ton of great gifts, including whiskey, video games, and artwork.

I ran into Liz and Steph by chance, and an already great evening got even better.

PS: The link is to March 10, which has photos. But my birthday is actually the 9th. :)

TWELVESTONE GATHERING: CHICAGO BOOZIFICATION
April 26, 2003

A ton of the folks I talk to online congregate, to meet one another, to talk about common interests, and to consume beverages like the problem drinkers they are. I've had a few occasions where I got to meet online cohorts, but this particular meeting stands out overall.

I had a great whiskey lunch, and we passed the afternoon just talking and geeking out on shit together. We all went to Iberico for dinner, and had a blast at Exit after hours.

Around 4 AM, when people was sprawled on my kitchen floor, everyone was laughing nonstop and I could NOT stop smiling. Great, great time.

JIM AND MEGHAN'S: MUSKINGHAM, OHIO
May 6, 2003

Alright. MFA parties from my writer friends are always fun. But this one takes the cake. Fireworks. Random dogs. Akhim passing out before 10 PM! Rhubarb pens! Boilermakers! Deep-frying hamburgers!

I know a lot of wonderfully talented folks who are skilled at what they do, and who happen to be fantastic people to boot. These folks, the writers that I met in grad school, are the first ones who made that list.

KELLY: EXIT
May 23, 2003

This day is notable more for what I did, than for what actually happened.

I went back to Exit, a few weeks after meeting Kelly. I was interested in her, but found out she had a boyfriend. But all of this is rather immaterial. What's important is that I met her randomly, we talked, and I actively made it a point to go back to talk to her again.

This may not be a big thing for most people, but for me... it was. And is. I went back to a bar by myself, with the full intention of talking to her and risking making an ass of myself.

It doesn't matter at all that she had a boyfriend. It doesn't matter at all that things didn't go as I had hoped they would. What matters is that I went back, I showed up at the bar by myself, and tried.

Given how prone I am to introversion, I am particularly proud of this day, and proud of myself.