I can’t believe that 2006 is almost over. It’s been a crazy year for me both personally and professionally. Between releasing both Theater Hopper: Year One and Theater Hopper: Year Two, pressing the flesh on the convention circuit, doing tons of interviews, getting regionally syndicated in Juice and generally running around like a chicken with his head cut off, I’m amazed I’m still standing!

Of course, there’s more to my life than just the comic. My personal life saw a lot of upheaval, too. A European vacation, a car burglary and – most excitingly – a baby boy on the way in Februrary, my first child.

A lot has happened this year and when I look back and take stock, I’m really quite amazed that I came through it one piece. It feels good to end the year with a comic that kind of plays things quietly. It feels like a pretty ribbon has been wrapped around the year.

This is kind of personal, but I’m in a reflective mood, so I’ll share it. I didn’t think 2006 was going to be any good for me. In fact, I thought it was convinced it was going to be devistating. I was convinced I was cursed.

Back in 1996, I had a really hard year with a lot of difficult transitions. I graduated from high school. I started college. I lived away from my parents and my hometown for the first time in my life. Most horribly, I lost three relatives that year – my Great Aunt, Great Uncle and my Grandfather. Sadly, the only thing he wanted to see before cancer took him was me graduate from high school. He didn’t make it. 1996 was a year that haunted me for a long time.

In December of 2000, I took my first real job after completing an internership the year prior. In March of 2001, Cami and I bought our first house. By July of that year I had been fired. A four-month job search proved fruitless and I had to swallow my pride and take a job at a credit collection agency for 6 months to make ends meet. We didn’t know if we were going to lose the house or what was going to happen. It was probably the most stressful period of my young adult life and it took place almost 5 years to the month that I was previously besieged with more than I thought I could handle.

I became convinced that I was cursed and that every 5 years I was going to loose everything I had built up and be forced to start all over again. You know how some people talk about having a "5 Year Plan?" I was living my life like I wasn’t going to make it past Year 6. I thought for sure that 2006 was going to be another bad year.

But that wasn’t the case at all. I had a spectacular year and I feel like I’ve broken the curse. I can’t wait for 2007.

I sometimes go on what I like to call "Thank you rants" here on the site where I thank you profusely for supporting what I do. I don’t ever want to diminish the sincerity of those feelings. But this time around, I’m just going to keep it simple and say "Thank you for supporting me in 2006." Particuarly as it involves the two books – you guys showed me that anything was possible. So, thank you.

I have some pretty big plans for the site in 2007. You’ll want to be sure and check the site on New Year’s Day next Monday. We have a few treats in store.

In the meantime, come back later in the day and I’ll post my FOR-REAL Top 10 list of movies for 2006.

See you soon and may 2007 be as wonderful for you as 2006 has been for me!