In with the new.

Back in the day, I was a big fan of Star Trek: the Next Generation. It was a great show, really well-written. But I always thought there should be an episode where nothing happened to threaten the future of somebody's civilization:

Captain's log, stardate 41174.2. Cruised around space. Played cards. Took a nap.

Just for credibility's sake.

In the same vein, I keep thinking that one of these January mornings, I will reflect on the year past, and shrug it off as uneventful. In the ten years since I boarded the bus that took me away from my previous life, that has yet to happen. Every single year has brought major changes. When I bought my ticket at the station, I knew I was stepping up to the next difficulty level of play, but I didn't dream how breathless the pace would be.

2006 doesn't seem over. Patrick and I both poured enormous amounts of energy into getting our respective creative enterprises off the ground this year. It would have been nice to end it with a tidy little flourish:

Captain's log, stardate 200612.31. Design studio a runaway success, with solid client base. Dream agent fell in love with my book proposal. Can hire a nanny and finish manuscript. Mission accomplished.

I wish that were the coda. But it looks like episode 2006 ends with "to be continued" instead.

Will hard work and perseverance pay off? Will the mortgage continue to get paid? Will an essay collection by a complete unknown ever see the light of day? Will the site meter break out of the double digits?

Stay tuned.