Personal
Vegas, baby. Vegas!
Sorry, couldn’t resist with that title. Of course, if you’ve never seen the movie Swingers, you probably won’t know what I mean. At any rate, as you might be able to tell, I’m currently in Las Vegas.
Yes, I know I should be in Park City at the Sundance Film Festival or in San Francisco at Macworld, but I’m not. Instead, I’m out in the desert.
Don’t get me wrong, I sorta like Vegas. I used to like it more when I was younger, thought I could do anything and had no real responsibilities. But those days are behind me now that I’m so responsible and stuff.
That’s what happens when you get older, you get more responsible too. Even if you don’t want to be. It just happens.
But that’s okay and here’s why: I don’t have anything to prove to anyone. I know what I’ve done in the past, pretty much who I am now and where I want to go in the future. It’s a great feeling and one you can’t really appreciate until you have it.
I’ve already had my great Vegas adventures and done a whole bunch of things (most good, a few not so much) and I don’t need to do it again. Now I “do” Vegas in a different, more mature and respectable way.
It’s time for new people to take over and have their own adventures here. That’s the way things work.
I’m not upset about it in the slightest. In fact, I’m happy the burden has been passed to others because my back is killing me, it’s after eleven and I need to get to sleep.
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Oh, before I forget. As I said before, We are staying at The Palazzo and it’s pretty great. The suite is nice and the staff is very friendly.
Plus, and this will only concern some of you (especially those who’ve traveled with me), they give you a power strip to plug things into. If you’ve ever traveled for business you know the lack of a power strip in a nice hotel room is especially annoying – particularly when you’ve failed to bring one.
They also have, wait for it, an actual fax machine . . . in the suite. Come on, it doesn’t get much better than that.
Monday Blues
It’s Monday. To most people that means heading back to work after a weekend that was too short during which they probably didn’t get to do what they really wanted to do and instead had to clean out the garage or (insert chore you’ve been avoiding for months here).
For me, however, Monday is pretty much just another day of the week.
Why do I say that? Well, I’m a person who works “freelance.” As in, I go from project to project, job to job, gig to gig and get paid for that gig. Once it’s over, I’m done and I move on. Or, hopefully the same people hire me again to do something else for them or, in some cases, more of the same.
I’m also a person who, if I don’t have someone paying me to do something right that moment (which happens, believe me), is probably doing something anyway. That means I pretty much work every day. I’m not complaining, mind you. I chose this way of life long ago and I’m sticking to it.
Monday, Friday, Thursday, Sunday, it doesn’t really matter. Chances are if I’m even marginally awake, I’m doing something. These days, most of that time is spent writing.
That doesn’t mean I’m sitting at the desktop or with the laptop pounding on the keys and actively writing a story, script, comic, blog post or whatever. To me, writing also encompasses all the stuff I do before and after the actual process of inputting the thing.
Outlining, breaking a story, thinking about characters, brainstorming, research, pre-writing, whatever. I don’t really have an “official” name for that time, I just lump it in with writing. That, in turn, I consider working.
I’ve heard a saying that goes something (or exactly) like this: “If you love what you do, you work every day of your life.”
Yep, that pretty much covers it.
Couple Things
Happy Friday. I hope you have some great plans for the weekend. I don’t really but that’s okay, I’m going to Vegas next week for several days so that should be relaxing enough.
We will be staying at a hotel I’ve never stayed at before (I mostly stay at THE hotel at Mandalay Bay) called The Palazzo. From what I’ve heard from a few friends and seen online, it seems nice and should be a fine choice. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I’ve got a couple things to tell you before I let you go off for the weekend. First, I saw Steven Soderbergh’s new movie Haywire earlier this week and enjoyed it. I’ve got a full review of the film up over at The Flickcast.
Second, we’ve got the Kickstarter campaign going full swing for our first comic Believer. If you’ve been reading me here, you probably already know that.
What you probably don’t know is that Rich Johnson over at Bleeding Cool gave us a nice mention today and I just want to thank him for that. So, thanks Rich. You are a man among men.
That’s pretty much it for me today. I will be taking it easy this weekend and trying to save my energy for Vegas next week. I know it’s tough, but somebody has got to do it.
Hanging At the Grove
The Grove in Los Angeles is one of those great, outdoor shopping areas that attracts all manner of people. It’s situated next to the famous Farmer’s Market, which has been a fun hangout for hipsters, and non-hipsters alike, for many years.
I was at the Grove tonight to see a screening of director Steven Soderberg’s latest movie Haywire. It’s an action extravaganza starring MMA sensation Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas.
I will be doing a full review later this week for The Flickcast. For now, just enjoy the above picture I took at the Grove this evening.
Yes, it’s actually even nicer than it looks in the picture.
On a related note, we’ve made the decision over at The Flickcast to make the site dark in protest of SOPA and PIPA. We firmly believe in stopping piracy but we don’t want to give up liberty to do it.
For more on how you can get involved, go HERE.
Because of my personal disgust with SOPA and PIPA, i won’t be posting here at all tomorrow either. Be back Thursday.
Have a great day off from me.
Big Is the New Big
Over the weekend I had the fortune (misfortune?) to be in the Inland Empire. We went out there to go to a furniture store and also stopped for a bite of lunch at what passes for a Sushi restaurant in the IE.
I also had a chance to go to the Bass Pro Shops “Outdoor World” store. If you’ve never been and are a fan of any of the following: hunting, fishing, guns, knives, fishing boats, ATVs, camping (or any combination of the these) you owe it to yourself to go there as soon as possible.
I’ve been to a lot of stores in my time, and big ones too, but this one is the most massive devoted to the “outdoorsman” I’ve ever been in. I’ve been told by those in the know that they have an even bigger store near Las Vegas, but I can’t confirm that info at the moment.
And no, I didn’t buy anything. I don’t hunt, I don’t fish and I haven’t camped since I was forced to when I was Boy Scout. I prefer to get my food the civilized way, by ordering it in a restaurant.
I didn’t find any furniture I wanted either. I did, however, manage to overpay for some mediocre sushi and teriyaki chicken, so I don’t consider the trip a total loss.
The Eagle Has Landed
I found this while at my Mom’s today. It’s a Dinky Toys Eagle from the TV series Space: 1999. Made in England, circa 1979.
I wonder if it’s worth anything? Even if it was, I doubt I would sell it. Of course, now that I found this I have to wonder what else is hidden in those closets. One day I really need to find out.
That day is not today, however.
Enjoy your weekend.
Breakfast Anytime
For the record (and what better record than a blog post?) I love breakfast food. Pretty much anytime of the day or night I will eat it. Toast, eggs, omelets, pancakes, breakfast burritos and everything else that is traditionally thought of as breakfast food I will eat at 3AM on a Thursday.
I also fancy myself as a bit of a food person. As in, I think I know the difference between good food and that which is best served to dogs, pigs or other animals with less discerning palettes.
That said, I’m not a snob about it or am I what is commonly referred to these days as a “foodie.” I just like good food and know it when I see, or rather eat, it.
So, when I come across some really great food I feel like sharing it with others who may appreciate it. That happy circumstance happened to me just today at a place called The Gypsy Den in Santa Ana, CA.
I had what I consider one of the top five breakfast burritos of all time (that’s a picture of it above). And believe me, I’ve eaten quite a few in my day.
If you are ever in Santa Ana or near their other location in Costa Mesa, I highly suggest giving them a try. Oh, and if you get the breakfast burrito, spring for the Avocado inside. Trust me.
You won’t regret it. And hey, the coffee is pretty darn good too.
The Joy of Books
I’ve read quite a few books in my time and I still enjoy reading them today. Over the last few years I’ve spent more time reading them digitally on the Kindle or iPad than reading actual, physical, bound bunches of paper.
It’s a trade off. I love physical books but I also love being able to take ten of them on vacation with me in a device a bit larger than one of them. I’m sure there will always be books printed and bound for collectors to purchase. I don’t know if mass market books are long for this world, however.
That makes me kinda sad. To cheer me up, I found this video made by a husband and wife who obviously love books even more that I do.
Enjoy it. I know I did.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8&w=500&h=281]
The Importance of Doing Nothing
Unless you use a different calendar than I do (which is possible, I guess) you know today is Sunday. This day is also known as my favorite day of the week. You know this if you read my earlier post on that very subject.
Seeing as this is my favorite day of the week, what am I going to do with it you may wonder? The short answer, for this week at least, is nothing.
I’m a big fan of doing nothing, at least once in awhile. With all that goes on during the days and weeks and months of work, deadlines and life in general, when you have a chance to just sit, watch mindless TV, read a book or comic or write blog posts, I say take it.
I don’t have all that much to do right at the moment, especially today. I have work that needs to be done and deadlines coming up, but right at this moment, today, they are not urgent. I also don’t have any pressing social engagements, things I have to do for Heather or any children to worry about (at least not yet) so none of that is vying for my time today either.
These times don’t come along all that often, but when they do, it’s wrong to just ignore them. Plus, doing nothing has a lot of benefits.
It helps you recharge and get ready for the days and weeks of work ahead. It also helps you unplug from the computer, social media and all that that entails.
And, it helps you discover and explore new things like books you haven’t gotten to, comics you needed to read, all those neglected episodes of Firefly on Netflix or The Wire on HBO Go or any number of other pursuits that seem to always get relegated to “someday soon” due to life’s relentless pressure to do something else.
So, with that in mind, I choose to seize this opportunity and do nothing. It won’t last long, but it doesn’t have to. The trick is just to enjoy it while you can.
Doing nothing is kinda like life that way.
Two notes for those of you who’ve read this far down.
• Believer, my comic book project at Kickstarter, is doing pretty well after only a couple days. Check it out if you have a minute.
• I will not be going to CES this year for many reasons, but mostly because I just don’t really want to. I’m pretty sure if you asked most of the people at CES they would say they don’t want to be there either. Trust me, it’s not as fun as it seems.
One of My Favorite 70s Conspiracy Movies
I’m a big fan of movies. Some of you might already know that. I have a particular fondness for movies from the 70s and in particular, conspiracy/thrillers.
One of my favorites is the Peter Hyams sci-fi conspiracy thriller Capricorn One. It stars James Brolin, Elliott Gould, Sam Waterston, Hal Holbrook, Brenda Vaccaro and O.J. Simpson. In case you’re not familiar (and we could get into a bit of spoiler territory here), it concerns a group of NASA scientists who, along with some astronauts, fake a mission to and landing on Mars.
The astronauts go along with it until something goes wrong with the spacecraft sent up as part of the fake missions and the entire world ends up thinking they’re dead. So, in order for the conspiracy to keep going they have to be dead. . . for real.
Knowing this, they escape and try to survive long enough to let people know they’re alive and it was all a big hoax. It’s a fun movie and well worth watching. Give it a try.
For fun I’ve included the trailer for the film below. It’s fun to watch trailers made before MTV and before people’s attention spans dropped off to nothing. The editing style is so very different.
[youtube www.youtube.com/watch
My Favorite Day of the Week
Welcome to Friday. I like this day quite a bit. It isn’t my favorite day of the week, however. That honor actually belongs to Sunday.
I know what you’re thinking, why Sunday? Well, Sunday is pretty much the only day I ever sleep in because I don’t really have to do anything. Saturday (and every other day) is always full of plans, work and the like.
Plus, I really like breakfast food and there’s a whole industry devoted to it specifically on Sunday called “Sunday Brunch.” So, Sunday is my favorite day.
Actually, my ideal Sunday goes a bit like this. I sleep late (which for me these days is at least 9AM). Then, I roll outta bed, get ready and head to a favorite brunch spot near the beach. After a nice spot of breakfast I take a nice, long walk by the shore while avoiding any short piers. Pretty simple really.
And yes, I just said I like long walks on the beach. I’m fine with that. It’s a great way to burn a few calories (and get more steps on my FitBit) while also getting some fresh air and taking in some beautiful scenery (including a few bikinis to be sure). In fact, it’s so great, why don’t you like doing it?
For those few hours I’m able to forget (almost) the troubles of the week, running a business, all the deadlines I have coming up and pretty much everything else except having a bit of fun. It’s the next best thing to a vacation and can be done right here in river city.
Give it a try sometime. I’ll bet you end up having a great time too.
I Believe In 'Believer'
I “borrowed” the title of this post from my friend Joe Dilworth but that’s okay, we’re working on the project (and others) together. What is that project you may ask? Well, I’m pleased to announce we’re launching a brand new comic book publishing initiative and a Kickstarter Campaign to, well, kick things off.
Our first project was written by myself and Joe and is called Believer. It’s a hard-boiled detective thriller with a supernatural twist and combines many of my favorite elements into one fun and exciting story. Plus, in addition to the writing, we’ve got some great art to go with it from Kris Carter.
He really does a terrific job and I look forward to seeing the rest of the pages as they are done. It’s an exciting time to be alive and doing creative things. My sincere wish is to see this as the first of many projects and the start of a larger publishing enterprise.
I feel pretty good about it.
For all the important details on the comic, the Kickstarter campaign and more, head on over to the official Kickstarter page for Believer. Also, and after many years in show business and elsewhere raising funding for projects I still feel funny about saying this, if you do feel like supporting us by making pledge of at any level, I would appreciate it.
Plus, you do get some pretty cool rewards for your support, if I do say so myself. Really, I shouldn’t feel weird about mentioning we’re looking to raise money. After all, if you don’t believe in something you’re doing and are enthusiastic about it, how can expect anyone else to be, right? Right.
Things are going to start happening to me now.
Ass, Cash or Grass
Today was one of those long days where I spent the majority of my time doing that stuff I mentioned in a previous post instead of anything particularly creative. In other words, the creative side of my brain had to take a back seat to the practical side.
I don’t mind too much when that happens, even though I bitch about it. I just don’t it when it seems like that’s all I’m doing.
The truth is I do like to help people and at the risk of sounding a touch immodest, I’m pretty good at it. I guess it must fill some need of mine to solve puzzles or something.
It’s probably the same reason I like doing Sudoku. I need to get to the end and I need to know the answers. So, I keep looking for them.
Of course, it isn’t all about helping people and finding answers. I also like paying bills, buying cool toys and generally making a living. So, it’s off to the proverbial salt mines I go.
Don’t feel bad for me though. Even if I have experienced a lot of unpleasant things in the past few years, my life is still pretty good. Plus, there’s a whole bunch of people in the world with far bigger problems than I have so when I feel like bitching, I’m often compelled to keep my pie hole shut and just move on.
Obviously, that didn’t happen this week. These were extraordinary circumstances and I needed to get some stuff out. I don’t know if it will happen again but I don’t want this site to have that kind of focus too often.
I want it to be a happy place. Not the happiest place on Earth (I think that’s already taken anyway), but at least a place where people feel it’s okay to stop over for a bit and not get too bummed out. I don’t think that’s too much to ask and I will do my best to achieve it.
I realize at this juncture it’s tempting to thank me. But please, there’s no need. I do it because I care.
On a somewhat related note, keep an eye out for a new project from me and one of my favorite collaborators. It will be announced this week. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but suffice it to say it’s going to be pretty cool and I’m very proud of how it’s going so far.
Watch this space (and a few other places) for all the details. Until then, I leave you in suspense.
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As sometimes happens, the title of this post has almost nothing to do with the content. My apologies. I will try to do better next time.
And Now For Something A Bit More Uplifting
To help make up for the last post which, let’s face it, could have been perceived as a bit of a downer, I present to you something far more uplifting and, dare I say it, cute: Puppy vs. Robot. Enjoy. Once again, no need to thank me.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dneLQY6ZVk?rel=0&w=480&h=360]
A Few Words About Loss
I don’t want this post to turn into anything overly maudlin or depressing, but given recent events, I just wanted to say a few words about loss. I will try not to kill your buzz too much.
For the most part, I’ve been very fortunate in my life. I almost always get to work with great people, have a lot of good friends and caring people in my life, work on interesting and fun projects and generally speaking, up until recently, I’ve never had to experience any type of loss of a family member, friend or other generally catastrophic event.
Then, a few years ago, my father died.
A month later, one of my best fiends since childhood died. Then, I got divorced and had to completely change my living arrangements, how I viewed and lived my life and my feelings about the future. Two months ago my favorite Aunt died followed, this week, by my favorite Uncle.
But wait, there’s more. During the time my father was ill and around the time my childhood best friend died, I also had a brief period where I thought I was sick. This is something almost nobody knows.
In the end, it turned out to be nothing. But let me tell you, the time between when you first discover something and the Doctor tells you it’s nothing can seem like a fucking eternity.
I don’t recommend it.
My Uncle dying this week has brought to the surface a lot of feelings about death and loss. The sad fact is we’re all going to die someday. I hope for all of us that day is a long, long, long time from now. However, we just don’t really know.
This time two days ago my Uncle was planning a vacation with his family. He had gotten a diagnosis of Leukemia last year but it had responded to treatment and he was doing well. Then, he got sick. At first, it seemed like a cold but it got progressively worse. 48 hours later he was gone.
This is the part where I roll out the chestnuts and tell you that every moment of life is important. I don’t care if countless people have said it before, and better. Doesn’t make it any less important.
So, for those of you who still need to hear it (and the rest of you who think you don’t) here it is:
Make the most out of life because you never know how long you, or your loved ones, have. In other words, life is short. Get it? Good.
I know I promised not to be overly maudlin or depressing, so I’m trying to end on a high note. The good news is most of us will have a lot of years to live our lives to the fullest and every day is a new chance to do something great and wonderful for yourself, for others and to live your life to the fullest. Take that chance and run with it.
See, that wasn’t so bad.
In Search Of A 'Great' Keyboard
If you’re a person who uses a computer and, more to the point, an input device known as a keyboard on a daily basis for hours at a time, having a good one is highly necessary. In fact, not having one can often lead to bad results for hands, wrists, back and more.
So, over the years as I’ve written and done other work requiring long hours using a keyboard (I currently use an Apple Wireless Keyboard or the one on the MacBook Air), I’ve always been in search of a good one. Notice I didn’t say a “great” one.
I hesitate to use the word “great” because I’ve yet to find one I even consider good. Sure, many of the ones I’ve tried over the years have been decent. Some could even be considered close to good. None were even close to great though.
This brings me to the problem at, well, hand. Or, hands as the case may be. I need to find a great keyboard. I say a great keyboard because I think at this point only a great keyboard can help me.
It’s the hands, you see, they are hurting. Yes, over the years I’ve developed some pain in my fingers from all the oh so important typing. So now, I need to do something about it or pretty soon I won’t be able to type at all. The horror!
I really don’t care at this point how much it costs, just that it helps and helps me keep working. Although, as someone who’s paid both very little and quite a bit for keyboards over the years, I’m not entirely sure price is the total arbiter of “great.” If it was, I would probably have found that “great” keyboard long ago.
Given the above, I’m now in search of the perfect keyboard. If you have any thoughts on the subject, feel free to let me know. I will also be doing my research and buying several to try out over the next few weeks.
I will, of course, report on what I find out, if anything. I know there’s a lot of choices out there but based on past experience, I’m not all that optimistic.
Still, miracles do happen and I’m the kind of person who tries to keep an open mind. So, let the search commence and may the best keyboard win.
By Way of An Apology: Some Notes About This Site
Happy second day of 2012. No, I don’t know how long people are allowed to say “Happy New Year” or what I just said. I’m just going with it, okay?
That kind of statement brings me, in a not so direct way, to this website, blog or whatever you want to call it. I will call it a blog or, more precisely, “The Personal Blog of Chris Ullrich.” See, it even says that up there at the top.
In other words, this is my blog and these are my thoughts, such as they are. They are not to be confused with anyone else’s or with those of anyone or anyplace I have worked, am working now, or will work in the future. These concepts are not that hard to understand so I will rely on you, good readers, to figure these things out. I feel confident you can.
Now that the disclaimer part is over, let’s talk about some other facts. I started this blog in 2004 (here’s a link to the first post ever) and it has been continuously published since that time. It used to have a decent amount of daily readers, but for various reasons, that readership has dwindled.
This is probably mostly due to the neglect it has suffered at my hands. That’s changed and this blog will now be updated regularly again.
Another reason readership has dwindled is due to this blog being moved around and hosted at various places using various hosting software. That is also done. This blog, along with the rest of my sites (including The Flickcast) is now housed permanently on it’s very own virtual server provided by the folks at Media Temple.
This blog is also now permanently run on Wordpress. It had previously been on other platforms, including TypePad, but now it’s Wordpress all the way.
It’s also been tough to find this blogs RSS feed because I’ve tried several ways to help that out too, including FeedBurner. Now that it is permanently on Wordpress, being served off of my own server and is not going to be moved ever again (if I can help it) the RSS feed is not going to change again either.
In case you’re wondering, the RSS feed for this blog is right up there in the top right corner. It’s also right here. Click on either link to subscribe and I will love you forever.
Why am I taking valuable time out of your day to tell you all of this? The answer is simple: I owe you an apology.
I owe you this apology because if you’re reading this blog, and have read this far, I should not have taken you for granted. I say that because people who regularly read a blog are often frustrated when it isn’t there when they go to find it. They are also often frustrated when they go to read a blog and find it hasn’t been updated in a long time.
I’m guilty on both counts, but I can change. In fact, I already have.
If you take a closer look you’ll see I’ve updated this blog more times in the last month than over the last several months. I realize that’s not a foolproof way to tell I’ve changed, but I just wanted you to notice.
I intend to keep writing here. Even though some have pointed out blogging is dying, I actually feel it has helped me immensely. I also feel there’s still an audience for quality (or in my case at least prolific) blogging.
So, I’ll keep doing it and doing it here (as well as various other places like The Flickcast) and if I’m lucky, people will start coming back to this blog and enjoying it. I think it’s possible.
Thanks for reading and feel free to check back here often. I’ll be around.
Obligatory "Best of 2011" Post
Even though I try to stop myself, I’m still a slave to some conventions. One such convention is the “Best Of” lists that invariably crop up at the end of the year.
Of course, I bowed to convention and did one. It was published over at The Flickcast. However, because I like to help and I like you, I’ve included it below as well.
No need to thank me.
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As is the usual practice almost anywhere were column inches or post counts matter, writers such as myself take to their keyboards and make lists. I am no exception and, with a great deal of difficulty and toil, have managed to cobble together a list of what I think are some of the best things of 2011.
I don’t really want to bore you with a lot of explanations as to why I picked what I did. Suffice it to say these picks are mine and mine alone. Also, they are not in any particular order, mostly because I find it hard to rank them that closely. Or, I was just too lazy.
Either way, here you go.
Movies
Drive The Artist Attack the Block X-Men: First Class Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol The Descendants Thunder Soul 13 Assassins Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 Hugo
TV
Game of Thrones Fringe Community Homeland Breaking Bad Justified Sons of Anarchy Archer Happy Endings Boardwalk Empire
Games, Gadgets, Software, iOS Apps, etc.
Apple iPhone 4S Apple iPad 2 Apple iOS 5 Wordpress Final Draft iA Writer Batman: Arkham City Cal of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Saints Row: The Third Forza Motorsport 4
Comics
Detective Comics Batman (DC) Justice League (DC) Green Lantern (DC) Irredeemable (BOOM! Studios) Daredevil (Marvel) Criminal: Last of the Innocents (Icon / Marvel)
Resolutions: Another Viewpoint
In a previous post, I expressed my desire to make at least one resolution to end 2011. Sounded like a good idea a the time.
However, there’s also this:
I’ll leave it to you to decide which one is more appropriate.
See you in 2012.
Resolutions, Smesalutions
As most of you are probably aware (unless you live somewhere that doesn’t reckon the calendar as we do here in the States) we are almost at the end of 2011 and will be well into 2012 by this time next week. Why am I bringing up the obvious?
I’m doing it because this is a perfect time to talk about resolutions. You know, those things that people always make at the end of the year and never keep? I’m talking about them.
I don’t make them. Haven’t in the past anyway. However, this time I think I’m going to make an exception. I’m going to make at least one.
What is this amazing resolution that will cause me to re-think my entire philosophy on resolutions? Glad you asked.
I am going to make a resolution to get more fun out of life. I know this might seem like an obvious one but I’ve realized over the last few years I’ve had less and less fun.
So, I’m going to change that – starting now. I hope you will all join me and get more fun out of life in 2012 too. I’m sure we could all use it.
Happy New Year and all the best for a healthy, happy and prosperous (and fun!) 2012.