2014: The Year In Review

2014: The Year In Review

December 30, 2014 / No Comments

At the end of the year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced, both personally and professionally. What follows is my accounting of 2014:

* Produced hundreds of breaking news stories, including Boko Haram’s kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls, three aviation disappearances, numerous police killings and protests, the battle against ISIS, the Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar, the Veteran Affairs scandal, the Ebola epidemic, the conflict in Gaza, the dangerous California drought, the midterm elections, the cafe hostage-taking in Sydney, the vote for Scotland’s independence, the ALS ice bucket challenges, the Sochi Winter Olympics, the World Cup and the Philae’s successful landing on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

* Blogged for The Obituary Forum, The Blog of Death and Afterthoughts.

* Passed the 36,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker)

* Penned 64 journal entries.

* Worked on my novel.

* Walked 1.2 million steps (more than 500 miles) and climbed more than 1,000 floors.

* Read 50 books and countless magazines.

* Watched more than 35 films.

* Took classes in terrorism, astrobiology, social media and forensic science.

* Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse.

* Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group and the Journalism & Women Symposium.

* Went house-hunting in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine.

* Dyed my hair red.

* Traveled to New York City and Seattle.

* Tended a garden of basil, oregano, catnip, romaine lettuce, mint, thyme and flowers.

* Saw Bill Cosby, Hal Holbrook and Christopher Kimball in concert.

* Shot off a large cache of fireworks.

* Gave a talk to a writers group in Keene, NH.

* Tried a new drug to limit my migraines.

* Attempted several “firsts” (chased by zombies, letterboxing, vegetarian for a day, took virtual French and piano lessons and stood up for a cause I believed in).

* Celebrated my 5th wedding anniversary.

* Lost my eldest cat, Brat Child.

* Turned 41.

Goals for 2015

* Save up enough money for a down payment on a house and move.

* Work on my fiction.

* Write more obits.

* Read at least 50 books.

* Walk 15,000 steps in a single day (previous record is about 13,000)

* Experience fewer migraines.

* Win the lottery.
Hark! Yule is here

December 21, 2014 / No Comments

I’m just about to head out into the Seattle night to watch the sun rise. Those of you who regularly read this blog understand my mixed feelings about this holiday.

On the one hand, yay winter solstice. Bring on the snow! No, wait. Bring on the snow after I’ve returned to New Hampshire on December 26th. Then, snow, snow, snow! Jingle bells, and hot cocoa and ho ho ho and all that winter wonderland stuff. I live in New England for a reason, friends, and it’s because the changing of the seasons — particularly the cooler ones — fills me with joy. So winter, welcome!

And then there’s the other hand…

The winter solstice is the longest night of the year. Prior to the invention of electricity, extended darkness was not a pleasant experience. Cold had to be fought with firewood and peat. The falling temps and lack of light kept people homebound and had a detrimental effect on their moods. To counteract this, many cultures celebrated Yule on this day with religious and secular activities, such as lighting the Yule log, decorating homes and trees, placing candles in the windows, kissing under the mistletoe and feasting.

I follow many of these traditions, and like the druids at Stonehenge, I also take the time to go outside and begrudgingly acknowledge the coming of the light. Yes, the sun is required to make others happy. And yes, we need sunlight to grow plants and flowers and food. But as someone who prefers darkness to light and moonlight to the day’s vicious glare, I curse a destiny of longer days and extended solar illumination. Yule also marks the coming end of the holiday season, and since this is my favorite time of year, I can feel melancholy looming on the horizon like a January sunrise.

Ah well, nothing to be done for it. Time to head out, watch Ra’s return and to make the most of the holiday time we have left. In between shifts at work and flights home, I shall enjoy my time with family and friends, open presents, eat, drink and be merry. May you also have the pleasure of such Yuletide activities.

(Photo by Andrew Mayovskyy)
My top 10 favs of 2014: A year spent reading and watching some truly intriguing stories

December 14, 2014 / No Comments

This year, I consumed 48 books, 37 movies and numerous TV programs. Herein are my favorites.

(Note: Not all were released during the past 365 days.)

MY FAVORITE BOOKS

1. “One Summer: America, 1927” by Bill Bryson
2. “The Golem and the Jinni” by Helene Wecker
3. “Coming of Age: The Story of Our Century by Those Who’ve Lived It by Studs Terkel
4. “The Yoga Store Murder: The Shocking True Account of the Lululemon Athletica Killing” by Dan Morse
5. “Mr. Mercedes” by Stephen King
6. “Altitude Sickness” by Litsa Dremousis
7. “Revival” by Stephen King
8. “As You Wish” by Cary Elwes
9. “I Dare Me: How I Rebooted and Recharged My Life by Doing Something New Every Day” by Lu Ann Cahn
10. “Blackbirds” by Chuck Wendig

(Honorable mentions: “Thank You, Mr. President: A White House Notebook” by A. Merriman Smith, “Love Life” by Rob Lowe, “City Room” by Arthur Gelb, “Lexicon” by Max Berry, “Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys” by Billy Crystal, “10,000 Steps Blueprint – The Daily Walking Habit For Healthy Weight Loss and Lifelong Fitness” by S.J. Scott, and “Die Trying” by Lee Child)

MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS

1. Supernatural
2. Leverage
3. Person of Interest
4. The Americans
5. The Good Wife
6. Grimm
7. White Collar
8. CSI: NY
9. The Following
10. House of Cards

(Honorable mentions: NCIS, Castle, Haven, Chuck, Forever, Once Upon A Time, Sleepy Hollow, Covert Affairs and Agents of Shield)

MY FAVORITE MOVIES

1. About Time
2. That Guy…Who Was In That Thing
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
4. John Wick
5. The Impossible
6. The Hundred-Foot Journey
7. Chef
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
9. Saving Mr. Banks
10. Page One

(Honorable mentions: The Monuments Men, Interstellar, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Dracula: Untold, Maleficent and Edge of Tomorrow)
These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things This Year

December 7, 2014 / No Comments

The holidays are here again, and everyone is crazy busy. My shopping is done for the year — as usual I finished early — but if you’re still looking for that perfect gift, let me offer a few suggestions, à la Oprah. Dear readers, these are a few of my favorite things:

FOR THE TEA DRINKER: Melitta 40994 1.7-Liter Kettle

Our last electric tea kettle, a perfectly serviceable Proctor Silex started to die in January. M picked up this new kettle after reading some excellent reviews and I certainly put it through the paces. Unlike our last kettle, the Melitta can fill two large mugs of tea and still have hot water to spare.

FOR THE PERSON WHO LOVES AFFORDABLE, YET BEAUTIFUL JEWELRY: The Rose and Petal 925 Sterling Silver Ring

I decided to upgrade my look this year, and since we were saving for a house, I focused on accessories. This ring was my favorite item.

FOR THE GADGET GURU: Zak Designs E-Z-Rol Garlic Peeler

This gadget is so easy to use! Just pop in a garlic clove, roll and voila! All of the sticky paper is removed. For just $5, you’ll never have to deal with the odor of garlic on your hands again. Best of all, it’s dishwasher-safe. Also comes in festive red and green.

FOR THE COOK: Paprika Recipe Manager

For years I have searched for ways to collect all of my online recipes in one place. After trying archived emails, PDFs and numerous apps, I finally discovered Paprika. With this app, you can “organize your recipes, make meal plans and create grocery lists.” It’s a very handy tool and one that you can use on a Mac or PC, iPhone or Android, iPad, Kindle Fire or Nook.

FOR THE PET LOVER: K&H Thermo-Pet Mat

I bought two of these mats last spring for my eldest cats because their old bones just couldn’t take the cold anymore. The mats were so popular that I decided to pick up two more in the fall. I’m now the most popular kitty mom around. One small note: If you do end up buying one, cover the mat with an old pillowcase. This will make cleanup super easy.

FOR THE FASHIONISTA: Signare Tapestry Handbag

Big enough to carry everything you need, compact enough to not look like you’re Mary Poppins. More importantly, this purse is sturdy, which as most women can attest, is not always the case with bags in this price range.

FOR THE LONGTIME FAN OF “THE PRINCESS BRIDE”: “As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride” by Cary Elwes

Elwes, who played Westley in the film, has penned a wonderful behind-the-scenes book about this cult classic. While I have no doubt the print/ebook versions are great, I highly recommend the audiobook to hear Elwes, Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Mandy Patinkin, William Goldman, Norman Lear, Carol Kane, Andy Scheinman and Rob Reiner share their favorite stories about the making of the movie. M and I listened to “As You Wish” in the car over several weeks and had a blast.

FOR THE ADVENTUROUS, OR AIM-TO-BE-MORE ADVENTUROUS: “I Dare Me: How I Rebooted And Recharged My Life By Doing Something New Every Day” by Lu Ann Cahn

This is a compilation of Cahn’s many fun and daring “firsts” — activities she’d never tried or hadn’t tried in about a decade. I decided to give it a whirl and this year I enjoyed quite a few interesting experiences. I avoided saying anything negative for a whole day, bought a rubber stamp that symbolizes me, figured out a way to eat, and like, brussels sprouts, got chased by zombies, had a letter-boxing adventure, became a vegetarian for a day, studied French, took piano lessons, took sign language lessons, shared a migraine photo, revealed my Oscar predictions, sounded a barbaric yawp in public, spent a whole day without looking in a mirror, stood up for a cause I believed in, took classes in astrobiology, the nature of terrorism, social media and archaeology, took care of someone after surgery, tried a fondue dinner and used a Youtube video to learn a new skill.

FOR THE PERSON RESOLVING TO BE HEALTHIER IN 2015: FitDesk v. 2.0

I picked up a FitDesk as a Valentine’s Day gift for my husband and ended up using it more than he did. Not only is the bike easy to ride, the desk part allows me to work while I do it (or more to the point distracts me while I do it).

FOR THE PERSON WHO WANTS TO STAY HEALTHY BUT HATES TO WORK OUT: Zombies, Run!

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I love this app. The game’s tagline says it all: Get fit. Escape zombies. Become a hero. If you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot. It’s great fun.
La Reine Est Morte. Vive La Reine!

December 2, 2014 / 1 Comment

In the midst of grief, I’m unable to properly sum up the life of Brat Child.

Let’s just say she always made an impression.

Born Noel Ellena in 1997, Brat Child Walker Weir was adopted by my best friend Amy on Christmas. When Ames died two years later, I took in Brat Child and her sister Buddha (née Lily) and silently promised to make them feel safe and loved for the rest of their lives. Although I have cared for them longer than Ames did, in my mind, they were always her cats as well as my own.

Brat Child came by her name honestly (via former stepfather John Rodgers), which is to say she was a bit of a terror. Whether she was beating up our dog Duncan like a clawless prizefighter or fending off sneak attacks by everyone else, Brat Child always managed to cause havoc. She liked to lie in my lap, for as long as it suited her, and would crawl into it even if there was another cat already present. If Brat Child was there first, however, beware!

Brat Child loved eating tuna (but only from her own plate and not with those heathens we insisted on adopting), drinking from water fountains, hanging out on my shoulder while I worked, blithely stretching on the dining room table even though she knew full well she wasn’t supposed to, sleeping bonelessly (and sometimes falling off her bed/perch), stepping onto M’s laptop keyboard while trying to jockey for a better position in his lap, luxuriating in warm patches of sunlight or near heated radiators, kneading people’s jugular veins and resting on top of my desk chair. But her favorite activity was wraithing (see video below), a unique fighting game that involved rough-housing and making growling car engine noises.

What I’ll remember most about Brat Child was not her bratty demeanor or insistence on being the matriarch of our home. It was how how sweetly she loved and how loudly she’d purr when comfortable or triumphant. She was a champion cuddler, particularly during winter months, and while her “requests” for lovin’ were more like demands, I enjoyed every encounter.

At 17 years old, Brat Child was Ouiser Boudreaux from “Steel Magnolias,” Yzma from “The Emperor’s New Groove” and the Brain of “Pinky and the Brain.” Her Napoleonic dictates were the stuff of legend in our household, and her firm belief that she was born to rule the world seemed to appeal to all seven of her Twitter followers.

When, like her first mother, Brat Child’s kidneys started to fail, she took the decline in stride. So much so that M and I foolishly convinced ourselves that she would live forever. Alas, it was not meant to be. Brat Child died this morning with her loving parents by her side. Thanks to a kindly veterinarian, she died bravely.