Happy New Year 2023!

Much can change in a year, and 2022 has seen substantial turbulence thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in the Ukraine. The latter has probably been the most unprecedented event of recent times, whereas I find myself forgetting about the pandemic often. Masking and social distancing haven't been pushed as heavily lately, and my day-to-day routine has felt lax in these regards. It's strange how these worldly problems can be so close, but so far out of mind as well, especially since there are undoubtedly thousands who still suffer daily.

Despite these issues, I managed to see and do much more this past year. My mother had a quilting retreat at Hickory Knob state park, and it was an opportunity for us to see some of South Carolina's natural beauty. A little later, we visited the city of Savannah, where we visited the Prohibition Museum and gained some insight on those troubling times. They even had a small bar there offering one free drink, and I had quite a delicious cocktail there. We also participated in a walking ghost tour near the city center. 

My dad was always interested in Civil War history, so we took the chance to see the battlefield monuments near the town of Ninety Six (that is literally the town's name, weirdly). In the summer, we took a trip around Georgia and Tennessee to see the Atlanta cyclorama, which is a 132-year-old painting that shows a 360-degree view of the Battle of Atlanta, with 3-D figures to help bring the scene to life. We visited Kennesaw Mountain, but were rather underwhelmed. Chickamauga, however, is a major site that has a staggering number of monuments. We saw Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain, which is a fantastic view (and also a Civil War site), and on a whim we visited Ruby Falls--the largest underground waterfall in the country. 

Driving to Alabama, we also visited the Space and Rocket Center at Huntsville, Alabama. It is quite an impressive sight to behold the massive Saturn V rockets, towering over the husk of Skylab, a replica of the lunar lander, and the space shuttle boosters (the shuttle itself was removed for renovation). The site boasted many impressive exhibits that brings a renewed appreciation of the history of space exploration.

My life tends to be split into neat little 3-6 year chunks based on where work takes me, and indeed, it was time for the next biggest change in my life. About halfway through the year, I left the state of Georgia and moved to Germany for a three-year stint as a logistician. It's been nine years since I last lived overseas, and probably eight or so since I last saw foreign land of any kind. I had lived in Deutschland twice before, once when I was an infant, and again as a young adult in the 2000s. The latter phase of my life left pleasant memories of exciting experiences and beautiful sights, so I had yearned to return to the area for a long time. 

Setting foot in the Rhineland again was a surreal experience, insomuch as much of it was familiar, like returning home again, but I had forgotten many small details. Some things have changed, naturally--some roads are closed, some shops and restaurants have changed, and there's more graffiti around than I remember. The most sobering sight was probably seeing the Rhine in the midst of a prolonged draught in August, and the river had dropped so low that parts of the riverbed became visible. An ungodly amount of rain followed in the next month. Fortunately, the monuments, castles, cathedrals, and natural beauty of the area remains standing. The fests and markets still thrive and still offer delightful treats, drinks, and wares. In the few months I've been here, I managed to revisit the cities of Mainz and Wiesbaden, Rheinstein Castle, and a few Christmas markets.

I've gradually become re-accustomed to this lifestyle again, perhaps more engaged than before as I become more familiar with the roads, the trains, and the language. Plans to visit parts of Europe bubble up in my mind. Who knows what I'll see in the next few years?

I wish I could say I accomplished the goals I established last year. The move has disrupted my routine substantially. It's not really a good excuse to slack off on exercise, writing, or anything else. I know I've become undisciplined again, so I have the goal this year to re-established a stronger routine of working out and achieving my writing goals. It will still behoove me to improve my character through gratitude and meditation.

Writing in particular has been frustrating this year, since I've had my fair share of fresh ideas, but no drive to commit them to paper. All of my older projects remain in a rough draft form. Only in the last few days have I taken steps to turn things around. It struck me that I haven't accomplished anything because I am unfocused, so I created a roadmap for one of my novels and started the revision process. It's strangely refreshing to approach the revision this way. Even though I've tried outlines and templates before, I never really consolidated everything this way before, and it's helped visualize clearly what the story should become. If I can successfully complete the second draft of this project, I hope to re-apply this technique for other stories and finalize them. Maybe something can be publishable, who knows? I'm pretty sure the process is turning me into more of a plan-driven writer instead of simply "pantsing" it all the time.

The past year has been quite eventful, and perhaps bittersweet since there are friends and family I'll miss while living overseas. For better or for worse though, my feelings might be best expressed on the recent Slipknot song: I know it's a shame, but I gotta stay, cause I like it here.

There is much to look forward to in 2023, and I'm looking forward to being productive in my new home. I wish everybody a Happy New Year and I hope good things happen to everyone.