Happy 2012! Can you believe it? I can’t. Last year flew by — and good riddance to it.

There was no Studio Tuesday last week, but I didn’t expect there to be what with the general chaos the holidays bring. We usually celebrate Christmas even though we aren’t Christians. I like the idea of a winter feast, a gathering of friends and/or family, something warm and inviting to break up this cold, slow season.

This year was a little different. We hardly noticed the holiday approaching. We have a pile of boxes where the tree should have been, and we didn’t bother hanging lights. It also happened that close friends of ours experienced a great tragedy early in the week before Christmas, one that hit very close to home. Tomorrow we have a funeral to attend. The coffin will be very small. Our hearts are well and truly broken, and I still don’t trust myself to communicate much. I have not been well at all.

As for the studio, forget it for this week. Until a few minutes ago I couldn’t even get to my desk. The other day I made the biggest pile of stuff ever. Today we finished packing it all up, so tomorrow I’ll be back at the desk and the binding table. As expected in the weeks before a big move, everything is a mess. And that’s okay.

We are so looking forward to this new year and with it, our new life in France. I’ll be spending the next few days getting caught up with work that got put aside through the holidays. If you’re waiting to hear from me, don’t worry. I’ll be back with you soon.