(Warning: spicy (but hilarious) language.)

This is so true. Writers, don’t work for free!

A very dramatic storm around here today. Lightning and thunder and pouring rain.

This is the rainbow that formed in my backyard a few minutes ago.

I’m glad to see it’s okay to use your fingers and I hate when people bite sushi in half. On the other hand, I am guilty of putting the wasabi in the soy sauce. But I like doing that, so nanner nanner boo boo.

From The World’s Best Ever via Swiss Miss.

Look at the awesome apron I made. It is fancy. Don’t you wish you had such a fancy apron?

So here we are in a new decade. I just looked back on the last year of this blog and realized that very little of my personal life is making it onto the Internet anymore. That’s a good thing for my sense of privacy, but I do like the highlights to hit the web. So there’s a small resolution for next year–make sure this blog has at least the highlights of my personal life, as well as the professional.

For many people I know, 2009 was a dramatic year. People lost their jobs and got new ones. Loved ones passed away. Other people got big promotions or new career opportunities. Oh and babies–there were so many babies born this year, I’ve lost count.

By contrast, 2009 was a rather introspective year for me. I spent most of it focusing on fiction writing and managed to publish several short stories (most of them still forthcoming) and a poem. I also published articles and judged a book contest. I generally wrote and read lots and lots. I spent a lot of time on the computer.

Also, 2009 was the year of Kyle. He turned 30, published a successful book, spoke at many conferences, wrote lots of articles, and had a great year at QuinStreet. I am proud of him!

I started out 2009 saying I wanted to be more active, but then the snow mobiling trip I was planning got canceled, which sort of punctured that ambition. Still, it’s not like I did nothing all year. Here are some of the highlights:

* I went to Puerto Rico with Kyle.

* I went to Portland, Oregon with Kyle and Marcia.

* Kyle published a book with a new publisher called The Official Ubuntu Server Book.

* I played hooky sometimes with Marcia. We went to the King Tut exhibit and a day trip to Monterey and so on.

* Kyle turned 30 years old and we had a 1979 Party to celebrate.

* I went on hikes.

* I saw my friends and had them over to my house.

* Kyle spoke at 6 or 7 conferences, as well as the North Bay Linux Users Group, where he is still president.

* He also got a raise.

* And published articles, mainly for Linux Journal.

* I published articles and short stories, as mentioned above.

* I judged a book contest.

* Several of my photographs are being used in promotional campaigns. For example, the Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation is turning one of my photographs into an art postcard.

* We painted our house all by ourselves.

* We also finished our guest bathroom.

* We started composting and planted a big garden.

* Of course, we made a lot of food, like our own homemade sausage, beer, and smoked salmon.

* I turned 33 and we went out for Basque food in San Francisco. I heartily recommend Basque food.

* I went to a few shows and readings, including a comedy club for the first time.

* We rang in the New Year with a Spanish Tapas Party at my house, which was delicious.

* I read 91 books in 2009.

Much to be thankful for. And of course, I have lots of plans for this year that are already making 2010 look better than 2009. Here they are:

* I am taking a photography class at the junior college to get better at using my camera.

* I’m planning a trip to Spain in May.

* I hope to put on a literary reading for the Word Pirates in San Francisco.

* I want to go to a book or writing conference.

* I want to go camping on the Lost Coast.

* Kyle is going to be writing an update to The Official Ubuntu Server Book.

* We will be remodeling the bathroom, an even bigger project than painting the house.

* I want to attend a symphony or opera in the near future.

* I want to go hiking more and maybe try something new, like ice skating.

* I plan to take my mother to some art shows in San Francsico, such as the upcoming birth of Impressionism exhibit.

* I want to start going on walks around the neighborhood in the evening, as part of a routine.

* I will start a new blog called LitTripper–coming soon!

* Maybe I will read 100 books in 2010 … ?

Lots to do. Better get started.

Happy New Year!