2011 isn’t technically over yet, but it’s been a great year with a lot of fun work-related travel. For anyone who’s curious, I give you…the year in pictures.

I started the year like this…so I knew it was going to be a good one.  Forgive the mirror shot, but it was late and the photo was an afterthought.  Roller Disco NYE FTW.

I went to a clown camp hosted by the infamous Wavy Gravy.  Some people might find this odd, but the thing that really got to me was sleeping outside in a teepee.  That’s an experience I won’t hurry to repeat.

I visited the Alamo (and yes, I asked about the basement)…

More trapeze…

I semi-successfully flooded sugar cookies…

I explored a haunted old hotel with my sister and her husband…

Went sailing with my baby sister and her husband…

Fostered some adorable kittens…

Rescued an injured turkey…it had to stay in overnight until the wildlife rehab facility opened.

I dined by the bay in Sausalito (gnocccchhhiiii!!!)

Kissed a camel…

Saw The Turtles, The Association, The Grass Roots, Mark Lindsay, and The Buckinghams…along with a bunch of 50 and 60-somethings.

Then saw Kenny G and Michael Bolton…

I talked a private industry gathering and people didn’t laugh (except when I wanted them to)…

Learned to juggle…

And took up the accordion…

I was pursued by a mob of hungry ducks and geese…

And I made it my  mission to visit as many exotic animals as possible…

The pomeranian-fiend at the bottom is my mom. I'm behind her, to the left.

I realize it’s a little late to be writing this, but I just got finished reading through dozens of trite, tired Mother’s Day greetings and I had to say something. If it’s the thought that counts, most people apparently have very little regard for their mothers and their happiness on this day. Some examples:

• Happy Mother’s Day! Thanks for all your hard work, love, and support over the years! You’re the best!”
• It’s such a blessing to have a mom like you! Thanks for putting up with me and making so many sacrifices!
• Happy Mother’s Day! I love you so much and thanks for all you do!

 
First off, let me say that there’s nothing wrong with these messages. And of course, we can’t dismiss the fact that all of these people *might* have also included much better messages with the cards and gifts they gave. Still, they’re totally impersonal and…well, just plain boring.

So, what should you do if you don’t want your mom to spend Mother’s Day lamenting the fact that her kids are totally unoriginal?

• If you have special nicknames or silly words you used as a kid, include them.  For example, my sisters and I used to call my mom “Mama Llama”.  It’s much more personal for me to say, “Happy Mother’s Day, Llama!” than a plain old “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!”
• Be specific.   Like they say in writing, “Show – don’t tell.”  Instead of “Thanks for all the hard work and sacrifices,” I might say, “Thanks for not killing us the time we coated the entire bathroom in baby powder so we could “skate” on the floor,” or “Thanks for making us all those awesome custom Halloween costumes that were so much cooler than the lame plastic ones all the other kids had.”  If you’re like most people, you spent 18+ years living with your mother.  If you can’t find some good material from that kind of timespan, something’s wrong.
• Use your own voice.  I am NOT a sappy or emotional person, and if I sent a message that sounded like the average Mother’s Day card, I’m quite certain my mom would think something strange was going on.  She’d probably start wondering if I had been abducted by human traffickers who sent the message to prevent her from realizing something was up until it was too late and they had smuggled me across the border.   Really – she comes up with scenarios like this – the excessive concern is endearing, though occasionally frustrating   The point is that you should write what is natural for YOU, not what’s natural for the writers at Hallmark.
• Don’t forget the current stuff. Is there something you admire about your mom?  My mom is a nursing home activity director who totally pours herself into keeping her residents as happy as possible.  There was a time a year or so ago that she was planning a huge “Teddy Bear Picnic” and my sisters and I must have all heard about this party a million times.   When we wrote her birthday announcement for the local paper, we poked fun at this a little bit, while letting her know how much we DO actually admire what she does for her residents.   Similarly, she took up guitar this year, which was totally out of her comfort zone but my sisters and I are all super excited for her and proud that she decided to go for it.

 
If you have more tips, feel free to add them in the comments! There’s still time to give your mom the Mother’s Day message she deserves – and don’t forget all of these points when Father’s Day rolls around.  Dads like personalized messages, too!

I was definitely a little sad to hear that Comic Con tickets sold out in just a few hours (with technical difficulties during those few hours), but what a lot of people don’t realize is that the very nice folks behind Comic Con also put together a fine show in San Francisco – WonderCon.  Unlike Comic Con, WonderCon doesn’t sell out in mere hours.  I grabbed a couple tickets and my best nerdy friend and  we were off…

A view of the hall from above…

A run-in with ghostly pirates…

The Adventures of Unemployed Man…what’s not to love about that?

Lou Ferrigno!!!

Meeting up with an old friend…

Chewbacca…

Slave Leias…

Amazing Alien Costume…

These guys made me a little jealous that I hadn’t planned far enough ahead to arrange a costume…

The only downside to the whole thing? Finding so many cool new comics and graphic novels that I won’t be done reading for quite a while

Every couple of years, it seems like I delete everything from my site and start over.  I just have better things to do than post here all the time – but I still like to have SOME presence for when people Google me

Anyway, for those who are curious…here’s my 2010 in pictures.

I finally took those trapeze lessons I had always been meaning to take…

I frightened some people…

I visited the graves of Thoreau and Hawthorne (and narrowly escaped falling into zombie sludge waters)…

I got pretty good with a hula hoop…

I visited a one man band…

I enjoyed the fresh ocean air…

I did NOT hit any cows while learning to hang glide…

And I spent lots of time with family…

I have several huge things going on behind the scenes right now, and I fully expect 2011 to be the best year yet – many more pictures and updates to come!