2018: All About the Me

Theatre

Any year review of me should probably start with theatre.  It's been something I've been doing since 9th grade, and it's a rare year when I haven't been in one thing or another.

From the picture above, you can see the highlight of the year for me was performing as Fester in The Addams Family.  Not only did I get to perform with my son, Benjamin (who played Pugsley), I was able to sing onstage.  The Moon and Me song was a career highlight for me.  It was in my vocal range and had some high notes that I DID NOT MISS!  Great comedic acting?  Check!  Enjoyable singing performance?  Double check!  Dancing?  Uhhhh...in a fashion, yes.  Best I can say about that is....nobody got hurt.

There were other good theater experiences.  I was able to do Love Letters with my good friend, the very talented Julianna Lacefield, for a Valentine's performance at my church.  I played multiple parts in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  I was the railroad conductor and narrator of The Polar Express.

2019 may be even lighter, as I am holding off and only doing shows with Benjamin (at least until he starts college in the Fall).

Travel

Regular followers of this blog will know about our trip of a lifetime to Ireland.  Above pictured were my traveling companions - Alison, Doug, and Paige.  I won't go into the trip here,, as that could be quite detailed.  Please follow the tag Ireland for plenty of great commentary and pictures from this sensational trip.

Later in the year, we were able to spend a weekend with my sister, Carol, and her spouse, Michael, at St. Simons.  Time with them is rare, and it was a great weekend just to eat and talk.

Writing

It was a good year in that I got two new things out for sale - Crowley Stories: Swamp's Edge and A Christmas With Pegasus (cover done by local professional actress Kennedy Brice, who is roughly the age of the lead character in the story).  I also won first place in both Story and Poetry in the Fifth Annual Okefenokee Heritage Center's Writing Contest.  The story was The Chicken Hut Changes Its Name, and the poem was Step by Step.  Both are available on this blog.

It was a bad year in that nothing I published sold well.  At all,  A real disaster.  And I spent $1600 with Bookbaby thinking it will help not only publish but promote my book.  The results were horrible, and I'm having a hard time coping with taking away so much money that could have been used for the family.

I'm a fair writer, but a lousy publicist.  It's a problem that will dominate 2019.

I've written a good chunk on The Extra Credit Club and I've been trying to market My Europa.

I need to reorganize my writing time, and this will be a significant 2019 goal.

Clubs and Organizations

I remain a participant in the Okefenokee Heritage Center Writer's Guild.  Pictured above is Grace Lee at her 90th birthday party.  Attendance this year has been down, but I remain committed to getting Grace Lee to the meetings.

As I am trying to move away from accounting, I an refusing Treasurer's positions, but Purlie Productions got grandfathered in.  Their commitment to socially relevant theatre productions is a real beacon for this area, and I hope they continue to do well.

Grace Episcopal Church continues to be a cornerstone of my life.  I am a lector and prayer reader there, and I went as a representative to Convention.  I hope to do more for charity in 2019, in conjunction with church activities.

Work

I worked part-time at Higginson & Paulk.  I'm having great difficulty making money creatively (which some of my more cynical friends are not surprised to hear), so I will probably be there for the foreseeable future, working about 40 to 50% work schedule compared to full time.  The people there are very friendly and easy to work with, as long as I don't express myself politically.  It helps make having to continue in accounting much more tolerable.

Politics

It was a tough year.  A lot of scary, dangerous things coming from the Trump Administration, but also glimmers of hope in a new Democratic House coming in, and the Mueller report moving forward.  I spoke out often on Facebook, my blog, and in newspaper columns.  I supported Lisa Ring for Congress and Greg O'Driscoll for State House.  Neither won, but it was an honor being able to vote for them and have choices.

I continue to be depressed by the Trumpeteers in my life.  How they can not see what a foul creature Captain Bone Spurs is, is beyond me.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

T. M. Stait