My Cardboard Balcony

Well. Here we are. My last introspection of 2018. Christmas was nice this year. To be fair, it's normally nice for me, save for the times in which I've been ill. But I especially liked how my in-laws came up for the holiday, so that they got to celebrate it with me, my wife, and my family. I loved the presents I received, the traditions we kept, and the company. The quieter moments were honestly my favorite. Having the relatives over was lovely, and the food was fantastic. But it was the walk we took around my hometown, the Scrabble game with my mother-in-law, the chat with my wife and my mom after everyone had gone back home or to their hotels or just off to bed - those small, intimate moments meant the world to me. It made me feel settled, at ease, for the first time in a long time. Of course, now I'm nearly done with my first out of two weeks of break, and I've honestly haven't done much. That's not a bad thing, obviously, though I do poke fun at myself...

Older, But Not Wiser by Belinda Roddie This year has felt like a century. I'm so tired.

Zebediah's retribution was swift, and yet, it was completely inefficient. For the rebellion continued, and the blades were sharpened by sunrise, and the entire swarm of the disenchanted soon took over the palace of golden bricks. The emperor, at this point, was pointless. He sat on his throne and watched as the windows of his fortress were shadowed, accepting the fact that the edifice would ultimately become his tomb.