2014 and Deonandia 4.0

Check out all my Facebook profile pics from 2013.

First day of a new year.  Inasmuch as these things mean anything (and they don’t; it’s an arbitrary designation of a single point on the Earth’s orbit around the sun), I have a tradition on this site of beginning the year by listing the things in the previous year for which I was thankful.  So here we go.  In 2013, I was thankful for:

• The continued love and existence of my parents.  In the annals of human history, it’s actually been a rare thing to be able to enjoy the company of one’s progenitors well into one’s advancing middle age.  It’s a pretty special thing.
• Having stumbled blindly into a career that I adore.  It was my 5th year as a full-time university professor.  As I’ve expressed many times, I never ever wanted, planned, or fantasized about being a full-time educator, let alone one at the university level.  But the fact remains that I literally stumbled into this path, and simply love it.  It’s a blessing to love what you do, and a further blessing to have the introspection to realize how lucky you are to be able to do so.
• The continued company, support, and warmth of a certain young woman.
• The great fortune of living at a time, and in a society, that has afforded me all the great opportunities upon which I’ve attempted to capitalize.  This year, I wrote two textbooks, experimented with podcasting, expanded my journalism activities, all while working full time on my academic career and enjoying a full social life.  This has only been possible because of the technological advancements of recent years, and the magnificent social and physical infrastructure of the nation of Canada, in which I proudly work and reside.
• Having survived the Mayan Apocalypse, only to now look forward to Ragnarok….

In other news, you’ve probably noted the new design of the site.   This is the official launch of Deonandia 4.0.  This website is now 21 years old, and is thus legally allowed to drink in most US states.

I’m planning some big things for 2014, which may or may not manifest.  So please stay tuned and see if I manage to accomplish my goals, or self-destruct in a blaze of glory.  All I can promise is that I will try to be entertaining.