A New Year

I'm still somewhat under the influence of the crud so I didn't even stay up to ring in the new year, and the champagne is unopened in the fridge. I managed to give the crud to Stephan, in spite of my best efforts to keep it to myself. We're flying to Cancun on Thursday, and we may do more lounging and recuperating than sightseeing. Actually aside from the cough I feel great. I just sound like a cross between Katherine Hepburn and Carol Channing.So I'm going to attempt a look back at the year that was. In the performance category, I was a soloist in Bach Cantata #36 and in the Monteverdi Vespers at Christ Church Cathedral. I was in the chorus of Falstaff with Indianapolis Opera. The userpic is me as a fairy in that production. I continued as the cantor at St. John Catholic Church.In teaching, I continued my busy schedule at Earlham College, the music magnet at Broad Ripple High School, and Fairview Studios. For the first time this year, I directed a cabaret featuring my voice students at Earlham.In writing, I did a substantial revision to a short story, For the Love of Trees, turning it into a novelette. I had this workshopped at The Never-Ending Odyssey (TNEO) to some very positive feedback and feel I am a draft away from having something of which I can really be proud. I declined some nonfiction writing opportunities to concentrate on my fiction, but I can't say I've made a lot of progress aside from the novelette. Novel revision continues to be slow, and I've sketched out another few stories that I don't consider finished products. I wrote very detailed critiques of novel chapters by other TNEO attendees, considering how I could best be helpful. The experience has helped me become a much better critic of others' work. No publications to report in 2007, but this could be due to the fact that I submitted a grand total of 0 works anywhere. Really, I don't feel that anything I have is quite ready yet, though I know in a few cases I'm close.In travel, I started off 2007 with Stephan in Jamaica, our third trip to that lovely island. As usual, we rented a car and drove around to some off-the-beaten-track places that many tourists don't get to. I went to North Carolina in July for my sister's wedding and had a lovely time afterwards spending a week in a beach house with both families. Next was TNEO in New Hampsire, and in August, Stephan and I went to California for Mythcon, visiting my uncle, and spending time along the central coast. We had our usual Christmas visit with my family in North Carolina.In family life, I gained a brother-in-law who is a great addition to the family, and lost a beloved cat, Varda. Stephan and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary.In health, after finding out I had a herniated disc and unsuccessful physical therapy in 2006 (not to mention big medical bills for all of this--it's amazing how little insurance really pays), I pretty much gave up and resigned myself not to spend any more money on things that didn't help. But toward the end of 2007, I finally started seeing a chiropractor who is also an athletic trainer and the exercises I've been doing twice a day are paying off.That was 2007, a good year for the most part. In 2008, I'd like to get back into more regular exercise, something I was negligent about in 2007 due to back pain and due to just plain laziness. I'd also like to lose a few pounds I put on, and be in good enough shape for some high-altitude hikes in Hawaii this May. I will continue to consider whether I want to start on a path that will lead me to going back to grad school for a doctorate in music. I need to put some more serious effort into editing the novel, and develop more of my short material. Really, there's no reason I shouldn't have at least a couple of things submission-ready by next year. I would like to spend quality time with friends and family and maybe get out more and find some fun new activities.