2012, We Are In You!

Mid-January, is it? Why, it must be time for my annual I-should-be-blogging post!

Let's see, last time around I was... oh. Oh, I didn't even post until March. Well that's an improvement already! 2012 is shaping up nicely!

Actually, there has been quite a bit I've been wanting to post about over the last couple of months, but due to lack of time, or lack of interwebs, or just lack of motivation, I haven't gotten around to it. So allow me to summarize:

• I dedicated November to writing thinking about my novel, which stands right now around 5-6000 words of prose plus several thousand more of notes. The whole writing blitz approach just didn't work for me, and I pretty quickly reverted to note-taking and outlining in place of blind drafting. In the interest of just getting words down and not worrying about editing I declined to post any more excerpts anywhere, but the plot is really shaping up. I'm certain at this point that it will end up being a trilogy.
• Much of December was spent harassing Congress and my fellow citizens over the latest threats to the American way of life, namely the NDAA and SOPA/PIPA. As you are hopefully now aware, the NDAA includes a cleverly worded authorization for indefinite detainment of US citizens by the military, if they are suspected of potential ties to terrorism. Don't worry too much though; our trusty Commander-in-Chief only signed it into law reluctantly, and promises that he won't abuse this new power. In other news, SOPA and PIPA effectively hand executive power of the Internet over to corporate copyright holders, giving them unilateral power to shut down, sue, block, or starve off potentially infringing websites (read: the sites you visit every day) without due process. Thanks to a firestorm of opposition from the interwebs support for SOPA is failing, but some suspect that it was planned that way so that the slightly less draconian PIPA can then be pushed through under the guise of a reasonable compromise. Make sure your congresscritters hear from you on these ones.
• Speaking of politics, the 2012 primary season has begun and your friend Ron Paul is doing quite well. He took a very close third in Iowa and a strong second in New Hampshire, establishing him as the clear alternative to Bachmann Perry Cain Gingrich Santorum Romney. This whole election cycle has been baffling, frustrating, and at times maddening, but I'm glad to see Ron getting so much traction among the Republican base. And for the record, he's still not only the most sensible candidate, but the most electable, regardless of what the media king-makers may try to sell you.
• 2012 is going to be a momentous year. From my best friend's wedding to the London Olympics to the Presidential election to the end of the world on December 21, everything is happening this year. One week last month saw the release of theatrical trailers for both The Hobbit and The Dark Knight Rises. If those titles don't get me to a movie theater twice in one year I don't know what will. And of course, in the meantime we get to enjoy works of genius like this.
• On a more personal note, I have somehow recently acquired a girlfriend. I'm not sure why she insists on being associated with me, but who am I to refuse?

Well that just about brings us up to the present. If anything else happens, you'll find out here- a few months late.