Beth Dolgner, Writer and Editor

The Atlanta Thrashers host a Casino Night each year as a fund-raiser for the Thrashers Foundation, which supports various charitable efforts. I’ve been begging to go for three years now, and finally, this year, I wore Ed down. I knew I wanted to go with a 1950s/pin-up girl look, and by some miracle I found a gorgeous vintage dress at Frock of Ages: it’s black velvet and celebrates my curves. A trip to Pin-Up Girl Cosmetics here in Atlanta took care of my hair and make-up. For two hours I was curled, plucked, brushed and made-up, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

We finally got to Casino Night at Opera, and it was a crowded house. Most of the gaming tables were full, so we made a tour to see where the players were dealing. Ed and I met up with our friends Steve and Brandy, and of course the guys made a beeline for the craps table. They lost their money in short order: thankfully, it was only play money, redeemable at the end of the night for raffle tickets.

Meanwhile, Brandy and I realized the party table was roulette with Jim Slater. He had us clapping, cheering and generally acting up as the rowdiest table at Casino Night. When Ed told Jimmy that I’m “the girl with the Slater banner,” I was rewarded with a high five and a stack of chips. Jimmy even called me “the biggest Slater fan in Philips Arena.” Yay!

I was actually fortunate enough to have a lot more interaction with Jimmy, and he was very gracious. (He also made Ed kiss the roulette ball at one point: priceless!) He seems to get a kick out of having such a big fan (which is better than thinking I’m a crazy stalker). All four of us forgot our cameras, so a big thank you to Virginia for getting a picture of me and Jimmy. She has more great Casino Night pictures on her blog, Getting Pucks Deep.

Me with Jim Slater, my favorite hockey player.

I got my picture taken with a few other players during the night with Ed’s phone. I had an absolute blast the entire time. We’ll definitely be going again next year, and next time, I won’t forget my camera.

Me and Brandy with Zach Bogosian.

With defenseman Christoph Schubert.

The economy finally caught up with me this year. On January 1, 2009, I had a full roster of clients and was slated to have a great year in terms on income. By February 1, cutbacks by clients had me wondering how I’d ever pay my bills. But I survived the year, and, in all other respects, 2009 was great. Here are a few highlights:

My first book was published: I finally became a published author in the spring of 2009 with the publication of “Georgia Spirits and Specters.” I still get excited when I go into a bookstore and see my book on the shelf.

DragonCon Thriller: This was my second year at DragonCon, and it was better than the first. I was there all four days, but Sunday was especially memorable because of an attempt to break the Guinness World’s Record for the most people dancing to Thriller. I was an instructor, and after four exhausting hours of rehearsals we had over 900 people dancing. We didn’t get the record, but teaching Stormtroopers, pirates, Aliens and other assorted creatures is a singular experience.

Yes, that's the Flying Spaghetti Monster behind me.

Denmark: The perk of Ed’s often insane travel schedule is that sometimes I get to tag along. At the end of his “tour of Europe” in the fall, I met him in Copenhagen for a quick vacation. I already wrote about the trip, and it was typical of our vacations: good timing, interesting chance encounters and a lot of fun.

A cute camel at the Copenhagen zoo. I swear he was watching me.

Two Girls’ Weekends: One Girls’ Weekend in a calendar year is a perk, but two is even better. In January, we went to California, where we invaded Hollywood and Disneyland. In October, we met up in Savannah for some Halloween fun. Whether I’m meeting Mickey Mouse or dressed up as Manslaughter Munchkin, I always have fun with Mom, Aunt Bonnie and Elyse.

Mom, Aunt Bonnie, Mickey, Me, Elyse

I met my favorite hockey player: In April, we went to practice for the Atlanta Thrashers for the first time. I took my great big Slater banner with me, and had Jim Slater sign it. Ed and our friend Rusty had to practically (okay, literally) push me over to him when the players came off the ice. What a terrible time for shyness to strike! Fortunately, I got the autograph on my banner, and Jimmy was super nice. He took the time to ask how I’d made the banner, and told me he expected to see it waving at the games. Between the last few games of the 08-09 season and this year, he’s definitely seen it waving.

Slater (#23) at warm-ups for the Thrashers season opener

How could you NOT see this waving?

My sewing skills improved: I started sewing a little over a year ago, so improvement was inevitable. I gravitate toward costumes, even though I don’t get much chance to wear them. I’m very pleased with the fairy and princess costumes I made for Rusty’s daughters to wear to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, and I can’t wait to debut my Italian Renaissance dress at the 2010 Ren Fest.

My Italian Renaissance dress in progress.

So what will 2010 bring? More DragonCon, more traveling, more Girls’ Weekends, more hockey and more costumes, to be sure. Happy New Year, and here’s to a fun and adventurous 2010!