I am not a spambot

How does one condense six years into one post that nobody will ever ever read in the history of reading, ever? Bullet points, friend. Bullet points.

Since 2011, in no particular order, I have:

• Moved several times. From the mtns. down to the foothills. I am currently still in the foothills and enjoy the easier proximity to Denver. Less culture shock here, but living in the mtns. was an experience I wouldn't trade. I will probably fall into some reverie about this from time to time, as is my wont.
• Relaunched my participation in music, mostly by singing with numerous choirs. I started with a local volunteer choir and now find myself a staff singer for a Catholic church. Which is fulfilling musically and happily remunerative, but (often) politically frustrating. There will also be more on this, I am certain. 
• Begun pursuing my childhood dream of learning to play the piano for real. I insult Bach daily.
• Come out of my crab-shell somewhat, from a poetical standpoint. I have a chapbook coming out this spring from Finishing Line Press (The Naughts) and have gradually begun submitting to journals and presses on the regular once again. But this alone cannot nourish or guarantee me a seat at the table. Simply, I need to speak out and get out more. Goals.
• Gotten married! M. and I finally made it official last summer. More than a bullet point's-worth of joy, but you know. Brevity is the soul of wit. 
• Bought a modest townhouse. A miraculous thing, as the Denver metro is swarming with newcomers and consequently very low on housing inventory, esp. in our modest budget. But with the help of an amazing realtor and some patience, we persevered. It's nice to not have a landlord anymore.
• Gotten a dog. 
• Retained a cat. 
• Become vegan. Yeah yeah, I know. How trendy of me (I hate being trendy.) Look, it's not a religious experience. And I will not bash my hypothetical readership over the head with it. But, as with any conversion experience, religious or otherwise, it has had a huge impact on how I feel, look, and interact with the world (of food.) You just don't realize just how much people want to love you with meat and dairy until you start refusing them. They tend to get really confused and microaggress like all get out. However, discomfort has ever been my catalyst for creativity, so I say bring it.

OK. Now that that's out of the way I feel like I've more or less explained my absence from this space. Life happens. But I feel compelled to return to it because - well, reclaiming space for creativity, critical thought, &c. is important in general and particularly in the age of Tr*mp. I feel like I've missed out on opportunities to practice and partake in community, and support my fellow artists and thinkers in their (re)claiming similar space. And, finally, I recognize the need to diversify my writerly output. It will take me a minute to stretch my brain muscles. No apologies. Brains are for epic responses.