It’s four days into 2016, so I’m due to offer some reflections on 2015. I’m grateful for so many wonderful memories I made over those 365 days. The year was significant for me in several ways, some of which I’ll be sharing here, some of which I’ll be sharing over at altarwork.com (where I’m now blogging every Friday). In the latter venue, I’ve already written about my most important day of the year.
But now, in lieu of a more cohesive post, I’ll share some random “tops” and “favorites” of the year.
Favorite New Album: Shockwave Supernova, by Joe Satriani
Other Favorite New Albums: Hand. Cannot. Erase. by Steven Wilson.
Love, Fear, and the Time Machine, by Riverside.
Helios / Erebus, by God Is An Astronaut.
A Head Full of Dreams, by Coldplay
Most Important Book: Life Without Ed, by Jenni Schaefer
Favorite Book: The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway
Other Favorite Books: Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather.
Beyond the Bedroom Wall, by Larry Woiwode.
The Geography of Memory, by Jeanne Murray Walker
Love’s Labors, by Brent Newsom
Favorite Concert: The Choir (playing the full Circle Slide album)
Favorite Movie: The Peanuts Movie
Favorite Weekend Activity: playing keys and singing bgvs at Vista Community Church
Favorite “Athletic” Moments: running a 10k and two 5ks
Favorite Celebrity Meeting: Monty Colvin, bass player/vocalist in Galactic Cowboys, guitarist/vocalist for Crunchy.
Favorite Interesting Experience: sitting in on a Sunday-school class taught by Oklahoma Poet Laureate, Benjamin Myers @OKPoetLaureate
Favorite Teaching Moment(s): My summer Religion and Literature course (with works by Bret Lott, Tania Runyan, Gina Ochsner, Brent Newsom, Addie Zierman, Larry Woiwode, Jeanne Murray Walker, and Benjamin Myers).
Fun Trip Destinations: Minneapolis, Galveston Island, Kansas City, Lake Michigan, rural Minnesota
Favorite Publication: “The North-Central Iowa Spring Break Blizzard Tour” (published in The Cresset)
Favorite Photo I Took:
I’m looking forward to a good 2016, filled with good books and music, lots of writing, good classes to teach, and supportive friends and family.
Plainswriter 