Updatery

Two corrections need to be made to the previous post and they're important enough to warrant their own post.

1. Aunt Rena died in February and she was very close to me. There are a lot of reasons why, despite thinking and thinking, I didn't remember until after I'd published the post. She was a complicated lady and, in the end, perhaps as unhappy as anyone I have ever known. She taught me a lot of things, practical things, but the most important lesson of her legacy is going to be making sure that I am careful not to work myself into a place where I am both afraid to live and afraid to die. I want to be happy to be alive until I can't live anymore. I want to be like Quilting Muriel and Auntie Blanche. Without Aunt Rena I might not realize how important it is to keep that in focus.

2. I spent the last 90 minutes reading. I was about two thirds done with a book, Vaclav & Lena, and I just wanted to finish it in the old year. I didn't want it leaking over. You might think this is because it wasn't a great book. On the contrary, it is an exquisite piece of writing, melding cultures and characters in this deceptively light and seamless way. It's a love story and a love letter to Brooklyn. It's my favorite book from 2012. The meme doesn't ask for a favorite book. It should.

Happy New Year, you guys! Thanks for being here.