Jer on '05
Funny how it seems just a little while ago that I was doing this very thing for ‘04.
Huh. Well, I’m not so sure that I was especially insightful in my assessment of last year, so for the '05 version, I'll stick to things I know--namely me.
I should also mention for the record that I am grateful for these occasional opportunities to write in the first person, rather than the "collective we" as is usually mandated here at the 'Fist.
It's sort of like when you come home from after a long day at work and accidentally dial "9" to make an outside call when there's no need -- I find myself thinking, writing, and, most especially, thinking about coffee in that "collective we."
Since the shackles are temporarily off, and Eve and Rita have more or less given us carte blanche with these "year-in reviews", I'm going to write about '05 through the lens of being a contributor to SFist. It's only fair; it's usually through the lens of SFist (and through the additional lens of writing about coffee) that I'm allowed an opportunity to write about my silly life. As with many things I end up writing, I'm not sure how "appropriate" this is--but who cares. This is something of a open thank you letter.
Writing for SFist started as something of a lark, but it's become more; somewhere between an opportunity to do something kind of cool and yet another g.d. deadline hanging over my head. It's certainly improved my social life; I think the only time these past few months that I've gotten cocktails have been with Eve and Krissy to talk about the podcast we're theoretically doing (do I hear '06 for the year when I get laughed off the Podwaves? Boy I hope so).
But that's just the point of participating -- the greatest thing about such a small operation as SFist is that change can happen so damned fast.. You think it, you propose it, it happens, not a lot of B.S. Ideas for columns. Features. Awards. Whatever.
So 2005, for me, was the year that SFist took a huge step towards viability. And, truthfully, it'll probably be one of the better years so far as the site is concerned, because the larger something gets, the harder it is to change. The more success you have in one direction, the harder it becomes to go in another. Less dynamic. I'm thankful -- for the opportunity to contribute (thanks Jackson). For the opportunity to brainstorm (thanks Wonder-Twin Editrixes). For the chance to read and do a bit of copyediting on some great writing and interesting opinions (though obviously not enough; see the recent slew of commenters dissing our word choices and grammar. Oh, well, the price of success I suppose--and the result of post-publication copyediting practices). The chance to meet some cool people. To give advice and information. To drink hell of a lot of coffee and espresso drinks . . . . And to have people read the shite I write (thanks readers!) -- and then give me crap about how stupid I can be sometimes (thanks commenters).
As guiltily thrilled as I was at the kind reception I got when talking about the passing of my wife's grandmother, I was just grateful for the chance to get it all out there into the ether. It made me feel better about the whole thing and I hope it helped me to be a better husband.
And, sh*t, maybe in some way being affiliated with SFist will make me a better father come March. You'll probably have the chance to read about it in the context of me drinking some coffee or going 'cookie monster' on some chocolate or telling someone how to spend their Easter or ranting about some of the very, few things that piss me off.
So, I guess I'm saying thanks for '05, and thanks in advance for bearing with me in '06.
(Now back to your regularly scheduled stuff--I'm sure my fellow 'Fisters will have some substantive news reviews or whatnot in their year-end recaps).