Late last night I ate a delicious green onion sausage. Unfortunately, I'm now awake with the worst heartburn of my life. I've been reading people's summations of 2012, mostly how crappy it was, and I realized that while I couldn't call this a wholly successful year, it definitely wasn't crappy. To wit:

I was, and am, poorer than I've ever been. But I started making visual art in a major way for the first time since my teens, and most of what I've made has sold. My beloved partner of 22 years moved out on January 1, but I've spent the subsequent time with a new partner who amazes me every day. I've lived a whole year as Billy. I've made loads of progress transitioning and am sometimes passing as male now; at the very least, I'm confusing people, which to me is way better than just being read as female.

My album of 2012 was probably Billy Joel's Storm Front. My most all-consuming reading material was George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. My viewing material was mostly old Jerry Lewis movies and Family Guy reruns. It wasn't a real highbrow year.

One thing I especially sucked at this year was social interaction. I've failed to comment on just about every issue of the year, I've been very neglectful about replying to comments here, and I haven't done much better at keeping in touch with real-life friends. It's a strange time and I'm feeling less verbal than ever before in my life -- some folks have suggested this may be a temporary effect of the testosterone -- but even if I have seemed to ignore you, it truly helps to know you are out there rooting for me.