A few numerical milestones for New Years Eve 2015

1100/100 -- This year I "ran" (well, ambulated rapidly) 1100 miles over trails and asphalt paths. That was what I'd hoped for. Since 2008 when I adopted my current record keeping software, I've run over 8000 miles. This past year I also "hiked" 100 miles, by which I mean I wore boots and carried a light pack. Some of that was in the mountains of Montenegro, the rest on California hills. All of this was a delight and I'd sure hope to traverse similar distances next year.

81 precincts walked and photographed. "Precincts" are the small areas into which cities are carved for the purposes of organizing polling places. In December 2012 I started the 10-year project of photographing all 596 San Francisco precincts. Having completed 201 (not all posted on the site yet), I'm slightly ahead of schedule and still fascinated. Almost every time I venture out, I think something like "Oh, this one has nothing interesting -- what can I shoot?" Then I bring the pics home and work through them and discover, "yes, that was quirky" and less frequently, "Nice shot!" Given the extremely rapid changes happening in San Francisco, I'm glad that the 20 or so shots from each precinct that never go up on that blog are documenting sights and neighborhoods that could be swept away any day by the new economy. Maybe when I finish walking, I'll do something with those kinds of pictures.

480 posts at this site this year; 5080 since 2005, some serious, some silly, and some in between. What a world! I continue to think it worth modeling that we can practice political and ethical engagement with the country and the world we live and love in. When new acquaintances ask me, "what do you do?" I sometimes answer "I AM a blog." Not true, but I do try to produce coherent, researched, and thought-provoking content in this space. I learn a lot from doing it. I don't expect all my subjects to interest anyone but me, but some people do seem to appreciate the variety of topics.

Happy New Year to all who visit here!