Here’s my version of the “positivity challenge” — you know, that annoying meme going around Facebook where you’re challenged to list five things that make you happy.

Yeah, right. Me, happy?

Actually, I feel motivated to say something positive here. I just scrolled through my blog and noticed my last three entries are all surly and stuff. And my last one about the persecuted novelist may have jumped the gun; he might be the subject of a routine “involuntary commitment” to a mental hospital for reasons other than his writing, not that we’ll ever know for sure because of HIPAA.

Wouldn’t want to give you the wrong impression about me. So here goes:

1. Thomas is potty trained and having a terrific first year in preschool. We all contracted the obligatory start-of-the-year crud but quickly got over it.
2. Owen’s start of kindergarten is going equally well. Every day, he draws demented pictures on his easel, leading me to believe he’ll one day be a great comic book artist. Demons, monsters, blood, all the usual stuff. That’s my boy.
3. I began a new novel in May and am on track to finish it very soon. That’s some lightning-quick writing for me. Oh, and it’s a contemporary fantasy story, not horror. (Not that I don’t still like horror, but . . . oh, never mind.)
4. I read a few good books this summer: The Man Who Folded Himself, On a Pale Horse, B.V. Larson’s entire Mech series, and Reza Aslan’s excellent, excellent Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. (I also filled up my Kindle’s “Bored Now” collection with a few dozen stinkers, but this is a positivity list.)
5. Deena and I are still kicking ass and taking names with our home business. I would love to brag about who we’re working with right now, but brag is one letter off from bag, and you don’t want to see my bag.

And just because I’m an over achiever, I’ll add one more:

6. I’ve maintained my healthier weight of 173-175ish and am managing some type of exercise six days a week, my favorites being boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I still suck at both but am having a good time.

So, there you go. Now resuming our normal, grumpy man programming. . . .