My year started under grim auspices as I was briefly an uncle and to one less person a nephew.  My grandmother moved from temporary care in a nursing home to permanent resident, a move that still haunts her and the words “this dresser and closet are all that I own” still haunts me.  I got fired along with some 95 other people I considered my friends and my weight loss slowed to a halt.  This was a year largely without affection for me and I seemed to have gone through two best friends in a span of 12 months.

But punctuating this gloom were some moments of joy and in two rare cases, stretches.  Each month held something fantastic:

January Chicago Visit

From 2012-01-07 Chicago

 

February Cincinnati Visit

From 2012-02-16 Cincinnati, Union Terminal and Melting Pot

 

From 2012-02-16 Cincinnati, Union Terminal and Melting Pot

March St. Louis Trip

From 2012-03-09 Missouri Botanical Gardens

 

From 2012-03-10 to 11 TI: St. Louis

Florida Trip, also in March.

From 2012-03-22 Atlanta Botanical Gardens

From 2012-03-24 Orlando, Fl Beach and Dinner

From 2012-03-25 Mythbusters in Raleigh, NC

April Trip to C2E2

From 2012-04-13 Chicago Architecture Walk

From 2012-04-13 Chicago Architecture Walk

From 2012-04-14 C2E2

May Trip to NYC and Memorial Day

From 2012-05-25 NYC

From 2012-05-25 NYC

From 2012-05-26 to 27 House Party

Oh yeah, and John Hewins got married as did Chris Sollars.

June Zombie Obstacle Survival 5k

From 2012-06-23 Run For Your Lives Zombification

From 2012-06-23 Zombie 5k

July Trip to Cincinnati

From 2012-07-07 Fireworks

From 2012-07-12 Ketosis Pictures

August Trip to NYBG

From 2012-08-22 NYBG with Janine

August Trip Road Trip to Dragon*Con

From 20212-08-26 Fountain Pictures

From 2012-08-30 Dragon*con Thursday

From 2012-08-31 Dragoncon Thursday

From 2012-09-01 Dragon*con Saturday

September Trip to Rochester

From 2012-09-26 Rochester Bridge Pictures

From 2012-09-25 Pat, Clara, and Cats

October Trip to New York City Comic Con

From 2012-10-12 New York Comic Con Day 1

From 2012-10-12 New York Comic Con Day 1

November Barcamp Philly

From 2012-11-10 Barcamp Philly

December John Roderick and Jon Coulton, One Christmas at a Time

From 2012-12-14 One Christmas at a Time Show

So by the end of the year, this was me:

From 2012-12-14 One Christmas at a Time Show

In the past 12 months I:
Lost 50 lbs
Got a better job
Took 35,000 photos
Put 45k miles on my car
Grew beard
Shaved beard
Grew beard
Passed first actuarial exam since college
Went to my first comic convention
Wore my first Halloween costume
Ran first half marathon
Ran first 10 miler
Ran first 8 minute mile
Had first case of blood pressure below 115/75
Sold my first photographic print

To 2013