Yes, I’ve been quiet. But if there’s any day to break the silence, today is it.Yesterday, November 14, was my two-year blogging anniversary. Here’s my very first post, and here’s my one-year anniversary post.

Have you ever heard of the 2 Year Blogging Curse? I’ve always thought that if I could just reach that two year mark, my blog would be in the clear. By that point, it’d be habit to blog three times a week.

Of course, it’s pretty clear that this hasn’t happened. It’s been a year full of change for me. Last November, I was working as a part-time cashier and had plenty of time to blog. Now, I’m a full-time journalist, part-time professor, and year-long convention volunteer for Anime USA and Anime Boston. As a result, I’ve only blogged regularly for about nine months of the year.

But even with all that on my plate, I think constantly about blogging. As long as I have something to say, I’ll keep aiming for that three-a-week blog post goal. And now that I’ve had a nice long break, I think it’s time to start writing again. I’ll have lots to say (and lots of time to say it) as soon as Anime USA is over!

For now, I want to focus on reflection. Here are my six favorite posts of the year:

• Welcome to the NHK, work and life. I couldn’t have picked a better time to marathon Welcome to the NHK. I was living with my parents because that’s all I could afford. I was working a part-time job that didn’t measure up to my potential just to feel less guilty about it. NHK reminded me that making the effort is what counts.

• Katsucon from a wheelchair. This was a perspective from with I never thought I’d be writing! I fell down a Metro escalator and hurt my foot pretty badly (it’s okay now, I can even run a 5K!) and was in a wheelchair for three days until my MRI results came in. (After that, I was on crutches, and then in a walking cast, for two months). Being in a wheelchair made Katsucon different, but it didn’t dampen the experience one bit.

• How I ended up writing about cat ears, maids and furries for Forbes. Writing a column for Susannah Breslin was the most significant highlight of my year. It changed the course of my life. I got a job offer at the Daily Dot and, days later, was invited to teach at American University. But nothing can top the one day the article came out — I was a minor Internet celebrity.

• How a Civil War reenactment is like an anime convention. After working with Susannah, my writing style shifted on the blog. I wanted to be more open about my personal experiences. I had been pretty reserved ever since getting trolled by 4chan, but I decided to stop living in fear. As someone who makes my living online, I’m always going to be a target. So why worry about it? This post was as much about me as its subject.

• On being a fan and a journalist, part I. (Part II is here.) After writing about sex offenders at anime conventions, I became a source for the Washington Post’s Otakon story. Maybe you’ve heard about that one. Working with Mr. Dulac forced me to test one of my deepest beliefs — that my interest in fandom only makes me a more dedicated reporter, not a more biased one. The experience was more complicated than I ever expected, but I was stronger for it.

• The Otaku Journalist Manifesto. I wrote this one on a plane to San Francisco, intending for it to be part of a free e-book download. (You see, I really do have tons of plans for Otaku Journalist. I’m constantly thinking about ways to improve it, even when I’m not writing). That of course didn’t happen, but it got me to sit down and finally explain what I’m about.

I’ve actually written 96 posts this year (counting this one) since my last blogging anniversary post. If you’d like to go down memory lane with me, check the archives or refresh the random post button on the sidebar. It’s been quite a year.