Blogoversary bullets.

[Blogaversary? Blogiversary? Whatever.]

What's happened in one year? What have I done, during the many, many hours that I seem to have so much to do (--too much, it seems, to blog with any degree of responsibility/ regularity)?

* Guided Thing 1 successfully through first grade and into second; supported Thing 2 through the successive traumas of peeing AND pooping in the toilet.

* Reclaimed house of my own, painted many walls in orange, blue, melon.

* Reclaimed neglected garden, ripped out grass, prepared former lawny backyard nook for Sunset-magazinesque entertainment palazzo makeover.

* Wrote a fantastic and--I have faith!--persuasive scholarly book proposal, only half of which is speculation about a book not yet written.

* Saw the publication of festschrift I co-edited with two superstars, and had the opportunity to present it to the honoree at a surprise event with all sorts of Renaissancey bigshot scholars in attendance, and goofball me.

* Published a very orange book of poetry.

* Completed about half of next poetry book [qualifier: 26 pages of it is one very long poem, so I haven't actually written that many poems].

* Placed and contracted and proofed a translation of something very old, and secured the same press's interest in my translation-in-progress of something very much older.

* Completed at least a quarter of my quixotic project of uploading all CDs onto a hard drive, for use with iTunes.

* Filed tenure bullshit.

* Attended something like 12 conferences of one kind or another, either to do readings or present papers.

* Staged bloodless coup on Regional Scholarly Organization, of which I am now president and of which my brilliant mentee is now secretary.

* Filed divorce, only 2.5 years after separating.

* Flirted with Facebook, found it too intrusive and self-revelatory, remade Facebook page into a sort of professional self-promotion site instead, and beat a retreat.

* Got custom running shoes, whose backsides are embroidered in bright yellow, "CATCH THIS."

* Figured out a way to go running when I have Thing 1 and Thing 2 with me (one option involves two bikes and a high school track; the other involves a lot of pushing uphill--of stroller and weary bike--but is nevertheless or even therefore a great workout).

* Grew sensual Brandywine tomatoes in obscene volumes; bottled lots of homemade marinara.

* Found myself happy, if overwhelmed, with my life. Some days the emphasis is on the overwhelm. Some days it's on the happy. Discovered that the two are not mutually exclusive.

* Was repeatedly grateful for my blog-buddies, who continue to inspire me, and who've given me the camaraderie I hoped to find when I started this thing.