Hi everybody! I hope you had a great 2004 and that the missing christmas card from me did not totally ruin your holiday season! Here's what I was up to in 2004...

Early in the year I began work on a new show that should start airing very soon on CBC. It's a music show for preschoolers called THE DOODLEBOPS, and it was the first live-action (ie. non-cartoon) show I've ever worked on, which was a real treat but an insane amount of work. I'm not sure what possessed me to agree to do it, but over the course of four short months I wrote sixteen half hour scripts and edited all twenty-six of the first season's shows. It was a pretty ridiculous workload, mind-numbing, really... no, more like mind-crushing...

I did manage to take a breather for... wait for it folks... my FORTIETH BIRTHDAY. Luckily two little birthday angels named Jan and Tamara flitted into town to help ease my sorrow and assist with my little birthday bash.

Then it was back to work, work, work. Except for a couple of spring tournaments with my cohorts the 'Killer B's'...

Note the snazzy uniforms! Apparently the striped socks are extremely distracting for the opposing centre during faceoffs!

At the end of May I made the move from the big old house on Evelyn to a more modest apartment just west of the Annex. (46 Garnet St., Toronto, M6G 1V5, for those I failed to notify.) After a year with roommates, it was great (FABULOUS!) to get back to having my own place again. And it's a very nice place, with a back deck and a great third floor loft I use for my office:

Hmm? What's that in the corner, you ask? Which corner? What?

Oh, that! Well, you can chalk it up to a mid-life crisis, or a Keith Moon obsession, or both, but I started learning to play the drums this summer. And is it ever fun!!!!

Soon after my move I finally handed in my last Doodlebop script, and was able to relax a little and visit the set where they were shooting the show. Here I am with our main characters - Rooney, Deedee and Moe.

In July I flew out to meet Mom in Winnipeg and camp out at the Winnipeg Folk Fest. As usual, the music was wonderful and the weather was hot hot hot!

In August I made a trip to BC to visit the family, first Sean, Rachelle and little Ben in Vancouver, then Mom, Dad, Jan and her new dog Jack on Saltspring Island.

This is my adorable nephew Ben:

Could a child BE any cuter? I think not!

Working like an insane fool for the first half of the year allowed me to lounge about for the final few months. In November I visited the lovely and talented Megan in New York City, where I toured art galleries and museums, explored the South Bronx, and did some serious shopping.

Then I came back and had LASER EYE SURGERY! That's right, after 34 years I bid farewell to the glasses! I'm afraid I have no photos of the event, but they gave me a videotape of my procedure, if anyone would like to watch it? Anyone? No?

In December I was off to BC again for a big family reunion as Kerri returned home from two years of epic travels. You may remember I spent last Christmas with her in Australia. Since then she's been teaching English in Vietnam, and then she and Jan travelled around together for a few months in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand before returning to Vancouver for Christmas. First the doting aunties spent some time playing with Ben...

...then we ferried over to Saltspring for the first fully attended family Christmas in three years! The weather was a little cold and rainy, but Ben and the dogs insisted on a few family walks.

Kerri, Rachelle, Sean, Ben, Mom, Jan, Dad.

I am glad to report that everyone is healthy and doing well... and Rachelle and Sean are expecting another happy addition to their family this spring!

After eating my allotment of goodies and lounging about I flew back to Toronto ... and got sick just in time for New Year's. Yahoo!

So that's my year in review. At the moment I have a few jobs shaping up, not the least of which is a (cross my fingers) possible second season of the Doodlebops. As soon as I get rid of this miserable cold I will be back at work on the many projects and nefarious schemes I have planned for 2005.

Happy New Year everyone!

Kim