I am thankful for all the people I have found in 2018.

Also, I loved meeting and spending lots of quality time with my nephew, chopping wood with my father, laughing really really really hard with friends in the city and my hometown, floating in a canoe among the stars, reading more books, writing, visiting Europe and some new countries, enjoying whiskey in an Irish tavern and singing along to traditional ballads, and my four months (thus far) journey listening to all the best rock music from 1965 to 1974 in chronological order, which, thanks to Wikipedia and Spotify, has greatly expanded my knowledge of the genre, if there is such a thing.

I look forward to 2019 and what enthusiasm I will bring

My favorite experience of 2018:

I've got to run for some New Year's festivities, so I'll share more of that day in the New Year...

About a year ago my friend decided to invite a bunch of us over for a poker game, and we had so much fun that we did it again at another friend's house in October.  This is no small feat, as four of the attendees have children, and the fifth bought a house with his girlfriend this year.  I have the most flexible schedule of all of them, although I don't live in the area anymore.

There's a line from that song where they say "I lost my money playing poker..."  Thing is, I haven't.  We had another game Saturday night, and for the third straight time, I finished second and got my money back.  As Seinfeld would say, "Even Steven!"

I wouldn't say that I'm always Even Steven, as I did win the one poker game I played with my friends in the city in November.  That time I got frustrated early and went all in on a mediocre hand because one of my friends kept harassing me and criticizing my every move.  But they let me buy back in after my other friend went out, and I had more patience, rallied and somehow managed to come back to win.

I decide to stay upstate in my hometown with my family another night, and my brother-in-law wants to redeem a gift certificate and get some cognac at Black Dog Wine & Spirits before they close.  So we get there right before closing time, and I pick up a bottle of Old Crow whiskey on a whim, mostly just because my favorite song is still Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show.

Then we head over to our local microbrewery, Argyle Brewing Co., which is in the old train station across from the Cambridge Hotel and down the street from the food co-op my mom ran for a few years.

As we walk in, I hear those unmistakable first chords of my favorite tune...

The previous time I'd come there was a local bluegrass duo on the stage whom I'd happened to meet while dining there in the summer.  It's also a minute's walk from our family friends' home, which I painted in 09 to earn money to travel in India and Asia.

When I emerged from the underground around 5 today, at the beginning of vacation, I heard a large amp across the street blasting "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" by James Taylor.  But by the time I reached the corner, it had ended and the next song began, which also put me in good spirits.  People near my apartment are always blaring music that I don't really vibe with, but for the 1st time since I've been living in Harlem I got to return home to the theme song from Shaft!  Masterpiece.

Granted

1st of all, I'm not a huge fan of last week.  My schedule for the next session got switched to nights, but it doesn't go into effect until I get back from my Christmas vacation, so today and tomorrow I have free afternoon's.  On Thursday I got to relish in another session completed, wished numerous students well in their future endeavors, and was happy to be listening for the first time to this great song by John Mayall called "The Bear" when I got to my car and noticed someone had smashed my window... again... and they didn't even steal anything!  All they accomplished was making a mess... and carrying out the grand workings of destiny, I would suppose.

So today, because I had the afternoon free, I was able to meet the glass technician by my car and read Ron Chernow's biography Grant for an hour while he repaired my window.  As fate would have it, I read about Johnson getting impeached, reconstruction and Grant being sworn in as president all while viewing his tomb, the largest mausoleum in America, in the background.

When my window was broken in the spring, it took the company four tries to actually bring the correct window, but today the first time was the charm.

Thank you for the food, extremities, and shelter today