I haven’t done a generic “Thanksgiving” post in years, so let’s give it a whirl.
2024 has been a hell of a year. It kind of feels like we are close to a decade removed from anything resembling normalcy, with the 2016 U.S. election and its interminable lead-up serving as the end of the fun, cordial world of early social media. We’ve had a little of that back on Bluesky (you can find me here), but it took a total breakdown of decency on Facebook and Twitter/X for that to happen.
Above and beyond the internet — which is, sadly, a huge part of my day-to-day life — things haven’t been easy for the last month or so. I was laid off from a job where I had worked for over 13 years, and just a few days later, my nation elected a totally unqualified madman to be its president — a move that stands to seriously endanger my industry. Financially, things are going to be dicey until I either find a day job or get serious about moving forward with my plans for ECV Analog.
That’s all to say, things have been a little…crazy.
I do, however, have quite a bit to be grateful for. I’m going to talk a little bit about that stuff, in no particular order, while I sit in my office on this chilly Thanksgiving morning, snow falling outside my windows and the dog keeping vigil for my wife, who should be returning from her 5K run anytime now.
That, I suppose, is the obvious place to start.
Without getting into personal details, things with my wife have been incredible this year, and particularly in the second half. I’m always thankful for Cali, my “co-captain for life,” but we have had a lot more time to spend together lately, and we’ve been taking advantage of it in a way that has made me very, very happy. It’s helped me keep my sanity through all of the recent turmoil. We have three amazing kids, and I’m very lucky to have all of them.
In the last few weeks, I have had a number of both personal and professional friends who have reached out to me, checking in to make sure things are good post-ComicBook. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate those people. I don’t want to get into the business of naming everyone, but you know who you are.
My professional friends, in particular, have been appreciated because after years of having a fairly large platform from which to promote your wares, it’s nice to hear from people for whom there is no guarantee I can be “useful” anymore. After so long at a big outlet, that was something I had thought a lot about — who would actually be there on the day after I left ComicBook? — and I appreciate everyone who answered that unspoken question with “me.”
I’m also incredibly grateful to the fan communities that make my online life tolerable. As someone who cares passionately about political issues, it’s incredibly difficult to spend time on the internet without being sucked into a series of pointless screaming matches with idiots. I have been lucky enough to be embraced by the fandoms of Josie and the Pussycats, Savage Dragon, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, and most recently, the Ernest (as in “Ernest Goes To…”) fandom. More on them another time, but surely soon.
Existing in online fan spaces is a challenge, and you have to be pretty aware of what kind of people inhabit that space. I have been lucky enough to choose to be a part of some fandoms that are nothing but kind and warm.
I’m thankful, too, for the new friends I’ve met this year. That includes Corey Perkins, whose upcoming comic Ernest and the Dream Stone brought me into the Ernest fandom, and Philip and Christopher Booth, whose “lostwave” song I covered, and who turned out to be a couple of the nicest guys you would ever want to know. Everybody should definitely check out their album, Ulterior Motives, on whatever your favorite streaming platform is. On Tuesday, their next record comes out. That one is titled Animal In Me. Look forward to an interview with Phil and Chris coming up on this blog soon.
That’s it for today. No great revelations, but a lot of warm feelings on a cold day. Please be excellent to each other, and always remember to rewind your cassettes.