Monday, December 19, 2011

Snow angels



Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post! The first post here in a loooooong time. Special thanks to Holly, Susan's cat who gave me a mention here - This Week in Mentalists

I would put a nicer link but Blogger seems to have gone all minimalist on me and removed just about every formatting option short of posting a pic. Why, Blogger? Why?! (Edit: Think I have it sorted. Just Google and their endless mission to make stuff worse).

So it's Christmas time and, you know what? I'm feeling Christmassy. Wasn't the easiest year, not by a long shot. We're in a world of uncertainty and, for what is really the first time since the 2008 recession hit, my own work has been on the chopping block. But my latest project has just been given a last minute reprieve. My father passed away this year. That sucked on a few levels. We weren't close so part of me thinks I was protected from a certain level of grief and yet it just meant the whole thing was messy. What was unresolved will now stay unresolved forever.

So, yeah. Not the easiest year.

But a good year.

A year in which I realised just how much support I have. And not just that it's me and people supporting me or me supporting them. I really felt that a whole bunch of us are in this together. And I count many of you out there in the blogoshpere in that too. A unity. Not a perfect unity. But a strong one.

Life won't always be easy. Yes, a dog may take a piss on us while we make snow angels but who cares? We'll have made snow angels!

I hope you all make snow angels.

Have a very happy Christmas/holiday season/Winter Wonderland/Snowy Surprise or whatever it is you all celebrate. Stay well!

12 comments:

susan said...

Hello Bitter!

Glad you liked the kitty piece. Any chance there is a doggeh or kitteh in your future?

I am so sorry about your father's death. Don't say what was unresolved will stay unresolved. I believe you will find closure for it someday.

About the dogs and snow angels, please remember the words of the wise Frank Zappa- Do Not eat yellow snow

Bitter Animator said...

I'd love a dog but not sure it'll happen any time soon.

Red Pill Junkie said...

I'm sorry for your father's passing. There seems to be some techniques that allow closure on those areas, like Dr. Moody's psychomanteum.

But maybe instead of hocus pocus, you should just try to honor his passing by revisiting your experiences of him, and trying to view things from his perspective.

We tend to be too harsh on our parents when we're younger, but eventually learn that they just did the best they could, because God knows there aren't any parenting courses one can take.

I've never made a snow angel. One more thing to add to the bucket list :3

Happy Xmas, everyone!

susan said...

There is a lovely quote by Mark Twain that I think sums up parenthood perfectly.

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.”

RPJ- I think we are going to get a white Christmas. I wish I knew a way to send you some. Snow angels are very fun to make.

Bitter Animator said...

Thanks, RPJ. Really not sure about Dr.Moody though. I mean, it sounds nice and all but I can't help feeling he's just one step away from starting up a zombie apocalypse. Not sure I want that.

Red Pill Junkie said...

Moody is the guy behind the modern NDE (Near Death Experience) popularity after he wrote the seminal book Life After Life. A friend of mine who met and interviewed him for his book Magic Mysticism & the Molecule, told me he's a charming gent.

Incidentally, the psychomanteum was briefly shown in Clint Eastwood's film Hereafter. I really liked that movie, because it shows how obsessing with the next life won't let you learn the lessons of this one.

paz said...

Hehe. It's very difficult to make snow angels here in Houston since it only snows --very light snow-- every four to five years.

Remember, it doesn't get easier, you just get stronger.

I too believe you'll find closure.

And merry Christmas!

Sibat said...

a very happy new year to Bitter Animator and everyone else................... :-) ..........

Red Pill Junkie said...

Even though I couldn't pass the chance to yell "happy end of the world!" to my family last night --I've been teasing them about 2012 for the last 5 or so years-- I do hope everyone have a great time before lord Kukulcan returns to kick some serious ass ;)

Bitter Animator said...

Happy New Year all! 2012 has got to be better than 2011, right? RIGHT?!!!

Oh but then there is that whole end of the world thing... yeah, still better.

Hope y'all have a perfectly adequate year with no major disasters.

susan said...

I don't think the world will end in December. It will end in November after the US elections.

No, I hope the world does not end. I hope it's one of those bad cycles, things can get a little better, and I hope our children and grand children will have a better world than the world is right now.

Either that or dogs and cats can take it over. and be our overlords. That's fine with me too.

Red Pill Junkie said...

I'd certainly vote for a dog anytime over all the sorry sods that pretend to be presidents in my country!

To the Chinese, this will be the year of the Dragon. The god Quetzalcoatl is the feathered serpent, which is quite dragonesque if you ask me.

If 2012 is the year the world of mindless consumption, dull commercialism and political hypocrisy comes to an end, that would be all good to me.

I guess for that to happen we'll all have to get out of our comfort zone and do a lot of hard work. Like many editorialists have written, if in 2011 the Protester was the most important person, this year it has to be the Citizen.