XIX, diciannove, 19, dix-neuf, nineteen!

Happy 19th blogiversary, TTaT!

Looking back through 19 years of writing, drawing, and photography, I've chosen one post (or occasionally two) from each year from my Best of TTaT list (you can also find it in the header under Highlights).

So... of 2862 published posts (including this one), these are currently my favorites:

Nineteen years of Taller Than Average Tales, ultra-condensed
2005: 
One Year Ago

2006: 
Tacos and the bear

2007: 
Formalwear Claire

2008: 
To Be King Again

2009: 
20 self portraits from 1996, day 2 and Haiku: Irony

2010:
Gettin' My Groove On... (vol. xv) and Light It Up, vol. 1

2011:
Biggest Bear Yet

2012:
Temporal Transportation

2013:
Fleeting Diner Love

2014:
Evening Stride

2015:
Best Part of Winter

2016:
Sheep in Disguise

2017: 
Snow Falling and On Voicelessness

2018:
Spring Sightings and In the Category of Odd

2019:
Furries

2020:
Something big and black

2021:
Light

2022:
Captain America

2023:
Note to Self, vol. XXXII

2024 (so far):
He Exists

Thanks to everyone who has read and commented over the years!

10 years ago on TTaT: Nove!

He Exists

 While waiting for an appointment, I heard a man check in.

He said his name and then spelled it.

Moriarty.

Today's Sighting

The curtains were closed across from me at dinner to help keep the heat in. Towards the end of dinner, I looked through to the living room where the curtains to the sliding glass doors were still open. 

"Wow, that's a lot," I said upon seeing everything covered with snow outside. There had been none when I started eating. 

Just an inch plus so far really but enough to fully coat the ground and line the tree branches with more still falling.

A Theme for 2024

It's been several years since I chose a word or theme to guide me during the year, but over a week ago a word just came to me.

It was very early Christmas Eve technically, between 4 and 5 AM, still a whole day away from Santa making his run. Waking up after a few hours sleep is alas typical for me and often without cause. I'll get up a for a while, pee, do some low key stretches, and then try to go back to sleep.

In bed a second time, my mind wandered and settled on a word, a theme for 2024. I hadn't even been considering choosing one so I'm not sure what triggered it. Nonetheless I liked it and have already been keeping it in mind.

VARIETY.

Mainly I was thinking of changing up my workouts some if only in small ways for now. Add this, delete that. Do things a little differently.

We'll see where it takes me.

Do you have a theme or motto for 2024? If so, feel free to share it in the comments.

 

10 years ago on TTaT: Life of Art 2013: the year in review

A Redeeming Win In The Little Drummer Boy Challenge

Merry Christmas if you celebrate! 

I'm pleased to report that I won this year despite a long haul from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve this year.

I've been playing The Little Drummer Boy Challenge since 2011. 

The rules from the site:

It’s very easy: So long as you don’t hear “The Little Drummer Boy,” you’re a contender. As soon as you hear it on the radio, on TV, in a store, wherever, you’re out. 

The game begins the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) at 12:01 am and continues until midnight, Dec. 23. If you haven’t been puh-rum-pum-pum-pummed, you win. For this year, anyway.

Last year I was out almost instantly on Black Friday as I watched a West Wing marathon, so it was rewarding to redeem myself this year with a win.

In 13 years of playing, I've now won 9 times.

Happy holidays, y'all!

 

10 years ago on TTaT: Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others (Wow, I don't recall this book at all.)

Note to Self, vol. XXXII

Almond Milk + Carob Powder ≠ Chocolate Milk

It was okay, but I probably won't be trying that experiment again.

Previously on TTaT: Note to Self, vol. XXXI

TFW (aka 18 years of TTaT)

That feeling when you realize you missed your blog's anniversary by nearly a month, and you check your archives and see that you also missed it entirely last year. 

Pandemic time has really gotten into my head it seems. 

Here we are at 18 years, woo!

Some highlights from the celebration 2 years ago. 

(My leopard still has her ears on this year though it's well past Easter because they please me to see. My mom made the ears when I was a kid, so I've had them and the leopard a long time.)