A Few Things I'll Remember from 2010

New friend Ian Mayor pulling up a satellite image of an ash cloud on his monitor and saying "You may want to look at this." Later, a train ride south through the original Durham; leisurely walks through London with friends; a hotel out by Heathrow with rows of forlorn faces turned up to monitors that read "Flight canceled...flight canceled...flight canceled"A genuine Southern bed'n'breakfast meal with congenial strangers and seeing an unexpected friend walking up the stairs at the Cotton Exchange before a rescheduled book signing.Watching 4th of July fireworks over the roof of a terminal at JFK, en route somewhere else again.Standing on the street outside the Lincoln Theater, looking up at all the Raleigh equivalents of Lincoln Park Trixies hanging out on the patios of their condos drinking red wine and wondering how they're supposed to react to the Drive-By TruckersBull Spec's launch party in the downstairs room at the RegulatorStanding on Mt. Ranier, and seeing it go up and up and up from where we stood. Running into the work of Preston Singletary for the first time at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, and being gobsmacked. Getting up and walking out of a giant, unpleasant brewpub, and instead having lunch at a tiny local cafe whose walls were all painted up in classic pulp covers.Sitting with friends at Art of the Table in Seattle and hearing the entire room burst into spontaneous applause as the chef introduced a dish that was made, in part, with duck fat.Talking with a local artisan in Vancouver about sasquatch, and hearing that folks had apparently seen a pair of them not that far from where we stood. "Don't disbelieve the elders," he said. "They're out there."Playing the last scene in Splinter Cell: Conviction with Melinda on the couch next to me, and seeing her reaction. And then, much later, hearing the bit about the elephant during the credits.Losing my grandmother, a remarkable lady. And driving north with my mother, much later, and getting a lesson in family history through odds and ends and bits and bobs and things we took away. And, oddly enough, seeing my grandfather's roses for the last time.Taking a seat at the back of the Masonic Hall in Hillsborough and listening to live music accompanying a showing of Nosferatu. And not doing something untoward to the gents next to me who'd gotten liquored up - hey, it's a scary movie, right - and stage-whispering excitedly to each other, "I think that's a vampire!"Watching friends succeed, and being happy for their success. Amortals, Dapper Men, Dark Faith and more...Father's Day with the family at Five County Stadium, and Mother's Day at the General Store in Pittsboro and then a book signing at McIntyre's.Sitting in a hotel room in New Jersey, the night before my grandmother's funeral, editing game dialog at one in the morning.Unexpectedly connecting with Gary, Nancy, and Ben Frank in Durham and introducing them to Elmo's, because the lemurs were having none of it.My very own trade paperback.Walking in front of the room at GDC Online in Austin and riffing on game writing critique for an hour, and feeling the energy of the room as folks got into it. Later? Ginger Man, and drinks all 'round, and hearing the blow-by-blow of Write Club as told through many, many grins.Hearing Melinda tell a Cooper Mini salesman, with great calm and poise, that the car he was trying to sell her looked like a shoe.Watching my nephew play Little League on a USA Baseball diamond. The kid ain't half bad.Watching neighborhood kids alternately scream and squeal with delight on Halloween, and fiddling with trying to get glowing skulls into the trees.Nailing up my very own bat house, handmade by a friendAnd one hell of a party