the annual year-end post

I'm not sure how to count my publications for this year. Last year's issue of Tolkien Studies didn't actually appear until this year, and this year's isn't going to appear until next year. Sigh. In the one that actually appeared, I wrote the bibliography, part of the "Year's Work," and one book review. I also had one book review, of two books, in Mythlore.

That was it for that side of writing this year. I also published 24 concert reviews, not as many as last year, but except that five of them were in July, not too taxing a pace.

However, I did a lot more traveling this year than in most recent years. When toting it up, I was startled to realize that I took one (or in one case two) trips, all at least two nights' stay, in each month between June and November. Only one of those trips was by plane, however. Another was a road trip sufficiently rambling to require five separate overnight locations. But my first stay away from home was for an entirely different reason. Here's the cities where I stayed away from home this year:

Santa Clara CA
Ashland OR
Monterey CA
St. Louis Park MN
Glendora CA
Roseburg OR
Renton WA
Kennewick WA
Sherwood OR
Klamath Falls OR
Medford OR
Glendora CA (again: same motel room, even)

The other jurisdiction I set foot in this year was Idaho. But what was I doing staying in Santa Clara, the city next to my own, and at a location only two miles from here? That's when I was in the hospital for a week. Oh, my. Let's not do that again.