Come On, Party People (2009.12.31)
Xen goes to parties and, as always, overthinks them.

Left 2 Breed (2009.12.29)
Kei and Dan need to take good care of their zombie hunter.

On Writing and Dissection (2009.12.28)
Xen writes about writing and Christmas demons.

The Road to Hull (2009.12.27)
Stevehen leaves both Dutchess County and Suzie for a new life in Hull.

To Love and Honor (2009.12.23)
Hannah and Arthur get married.

Twenty-Nine (2009.12.21)
Xen turns twenty-nine and suffers from fiscal responsibility.

Tributaries (2009.12.04)
Xen and Melanie go to Ilana's art opening.

Thanks Having (2009.11.30)
Xen is grateful for his blessings and, to an extent, his setbacks.

The Other Option (2009.11.13)
Xen wants Melissa to stick around.

How Far One Can Go (2009.11.09)
Hannah and Arthur are getting married.

Rick Ghastly (2009.11.08)
Xen, Melanie, Clio, and Daniel have a good, old fashioned Halloween together.

The Hermit Crab and the Phoenix (2009.11.07)
Melissa succumbs to her illness trying to blackmail.

Zombie Pin-Up (2009.10.28)
Zombies precipitate a relationship conversation.

Party with Intentions (2009.10.24)
Xen and Melanie go to a party so the former can corral some new friends.

Quantum Entanglement (2009.10.18)
Daniel and Clio become friends.

Between Sobriety and Oblivion (2009.10.09)
Xen and Stevehen go out bar hopping.

More Love and Less Paperwork (2009.10.08)
Xen wants to be employed again, no matter the bureaucracy between him and his eventual classroom.

When I Was a Girl (2009.09.27)
Xen was never really a girl, he just liked stuffed animals.

On Coupling (2009.09.23)
Xen muses bad reasons for relationships.

On Bromance (2009.09.16)
Xen muses male friendships in regard to Daniel.

The Importance of Being Earnest (2009.09.11)
Xen and Melanie see Jess in a play.

Of Corndogs and Raoul (2009.08.30)
Xen, Melanie, Daniel, and Rosie go to the Dutchess County Fair.

This First Night (2009.08.29)
Melanie returns to Bard.

Same River Twice (2009.08.21)
Melanie joins Xen and his family on their annual trip to Lake George and is initiated.

How I Met Your Mother (2009.08.16)
Xen reunites with Melanie and meets her parents.

The Ward (2009.08.10)
Melissa is hospitalized for a suicide attempt.

I Want to Believe (2009.08.05)
Xen visits UFO enthusiasts.

Dragonslaying (2009.08.04)
Xen doesn't care for emotional conmen.

Abdication (2009.07.25)
Xen just wants you to know that, if you are his friend, it is because he wants you to be.

Creativity Without Discipline (2009.07.19)
LSD won't make up for laziness.

Waiting for the Path (2009.07.13)
Xen is doing okay, you don't have to tell him to run.

Dance Anthem of the 80s (2009.07.09)
Xen does not really like any place where strangers try to molest him.

Tao of Boom (2009.07.05)
Xen and his brother watch the Tao explode.

Dress Rehearsal (2009.07.03)
Xen notes the exotic costuming of 80s Night.

Paradise Found (2009.06.30)
Dan Kessler, Stephanie, and Xen wander Vanderbilt Estate.

Schroedinger's Cat is Not Dead (2009.06.29)
Stevehen goes to Jamie's party with Xen and meets Suzie.

Pants-On Dance-On (2009.06.27)
Xen dances over his fears.

Radical Excision: A Biff in the Snoot (2009.06.23)
Kevin dumps Jacki hard.

Rosemary and (a Good) Time (2009.06.21)
Xen rocks out with Jess at Rosemary's housewarming.

Damocles (2009.06.18)
Xen is laid off.

Little Everyday Miracles (2009.06.16)
Xen loves his family and, possibly, your family.

The Tale of Mr. Morton (2009.06.14)
Xen plays a game with Jess, Rachel, Finn, Dylan, and Loren. It's okay if you don't know most of those people, but they are great.

Crushed (2009.06.07)
Xen acquires and squishes a crush on Jess.

Knowing Jess (2009.06.06)
Xen gets to know his new friend Jess a bit better.

Rehearsing Goodbyes (2009.06.03)
Xen has a last supper with Hannah.

Cementing a Star (2009.06.01)
Xen meets Jess, his new best friend.

Passion Plays (2009.05.31)
Kevin plays a show at Androgyny. He plays the hell out of it.

Carnies (2009.05.29)
Xen gets enlightenment at a carnival. It seemed tastier than fried dough.

Bouncy Castles in the Sky (2009.05.24)
Xen gets to know Jamie better and she offers to pass We Shadows along to a literary agency.

Sweet Sorrow (2009.05.22)
Melanie leaves for Ohio, and then Japan.

Zoological Equivalent (2009.05.18)
Hannah and Melanie see one another (and tapirs and giraffes and walruses and peacocks and monkeys!) for what may be the last time.

In Bloom (2009.05.15)
Xen also refuses to be depressed.

Twinges (2009.05.13)
Xen refuses to be jealous.

Seasonal Affective (2009.05.08)
In preparation for Melanie departure, Xen starts resenting gnats and sunsets.

Typhoid Virgin Mary (2009.05.03)
Xen is going to keep being full of faith, but he doesn't want to infect you.

Stripping the Clouds (2009.04.29)
Xen isn't going to lie to you if he actually loves you, no matter how easy that would make things.

Community of Strangers (2009.04.27)
Xen is alone on a mountain full of people.

In the Membrane (2009.04.15)
Xen muses about sanity. Yes, sir, he fears it.

Loving Kindness (2009.04.07)
Xen muses about compassion. Yes, sir, he likes it.

Poly Wants a Crack-Up (2009.03.30)
Xen muses about polyamory. No, sir, he doesn't like it.

Woodstock 09 (2009.03.21)
Hannah, Daniel, James, and Xen go to the site of the original Woodstock and are underwhelmed.

Social Ikebana (2009.03.10)
Xen tries to arrange his friends, despite their intentions of remaining dynamic characters with free will.

Weeps Week (2009.02.22)
Melanie gets a painful infection and Xen frets and blames the Screenwriter.

In the Cave (2009.02.18)
Xen and Melanie hunt the majestic Conor in his territory.

Intermediary (2009.02.15)
Stevehen and Melissa appoint Xen their intermediary.

Mystic Beluga (2009.02.11)
Daniel, Xen, and Melanie meet a whale named Inuk and pet stingrays.

Hope Personified (2009.02.06)
Aydan has his surgery.

Bits of Broken Hearts (2009.02.04)
Melissa and Stevehen break up and move out.

Place Settings (2009.01.28)
It in dangerous to underestimate.

Caste Party (2009.01.26)
Xen, Melanie, Daniel, and Hannah score points against geeks at Jenn's birthday party.

Bumps in the Road Remind Us (2009.01.25)
Xen and Melanie had bookend breakdowns and move past it.

A Fine Day (2009.01.19)
Xen sees Emily for the first time in a year.

Opportunity Knox (2009.01.18)
Xen is going to succeed as a writer, no matter what.

Possible Futures (2009.01.16)
Hannah enlists in the Navy.

Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself (2009.01.07)
Just who is this Xen fellow?

New Years Odd (2009.01.01)
Xen is late to New Years Eve, but it all works out.

Thomm Quackenbush is an author and teacher in the Hudson Valley. He has published four novels in his Night's Dream series (We Shadows, Danse Macabre, Artificial Gods, and Flies to Wanton Boys). He has sold jewelry in Victorian England, confused children as a mad scientist, filed away more books than anyone has ever read, and tried to inspire the learning disabled and gifted. He is capable of crossing one eye, raising one eyebrow, and once accidentally groped a ghost. When not writing, he can be found biking, hiking the Adirondacks, grazing on snacks at art openings, and keeping a straight face when listening to people tell him they are in touch with 164 species of interstellar beings. He likes when you comment.