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09 September 2010
I haven't been here in a long time... ...so I'm going to make a request that may fail utterly, but here we go.→[More:]
I'd like to know two awesome things that have happened to each of you this year.
I made really yummy, healthy meals for my kid and housemate and housemate's kid and various guests almost every night. And I learned to make sourdough.
I went "part-time with benefits". I work the same hours I always did but get health insurance through my employer instead of private paying.
I read some great books.
My boss and I have become quite fond of one another. We were always fond but now that we work together on a regular basis we are quite friendly and have a ton of fun.
I stayed in a nice hotel and had a fun vacation with my family.
A celebrity was sitting behind us at a baseball game and he gave my kid a figurine. I did not recognize the celebrity but a lot of VIP stadium employees were fawning over him and he looked familiar. The celebrity wasn't the awesome part, the figurine was. We wanted that figurine and here was a celebrity asking us if we would like his.
My first spa day (at 44!) this year, and it was all I'd hoped.
Therapy that taught me to value myself more, and be more in touch with my feelings, leading to a relationship re-examination and couples therapy. It's been good, though.
My wife and I moved into our first place of our own first house with a fireplace (it's a rental, but it'll do :)
We visited Albuquerque and I applied for (but never heard back about) a job there, so leaving California seems like a possibility in the near-ish future.
Future awesomeness in November: I am having a significant birthday this year and have people I love who are scheming to make it a night and day and night and day to remember - involving exploring Oregon wine country and several nights on the coast. I know exactly how lucky I am.
I have a partner who is currently encouraging me to go back to school and find something I want to do rather than go back to the burn-out that was my last job.
While I need to find people to connect with here (where I'm from), my friends from where I went to school visit me so much that we are going to replace the windows in the guest room before we replace them in our own room. I'm super touched that people miss me and that's something I need to remember when I get blue.
Hrm, for someone who has had somewhat sketchy events this year (car nearly totaled by uninsured driver, credit card stolen, health insurance jerk-around due to their error), I'm pretty damn lucky in the end of things.
I started a new job in early June that makes me stretch my brain and body. This is good, as I'm 42 and need both kinds of exercise. I'm getting paid to do both, so that's a bonus. I was worried that I'd be answering phones and sitting at my desk too much. Rather than getting the desk-spread in my hips , I've actually gotten more fit and trim by hauling computers around and going on other service calls. I get to learn something new every work day.
My kids are 13 and 12, and they both understand that extra freedoms come with extra responsibilities. They voluntarily do their house chores, and because they understand the value of payment in money, they understand that school supplies and extra fees mean a temporary hiatus with the allowance for a short bit. BUT, they have bicycles back (long story short, we figured out an apartment storage option with ceiling hooks, so the bikes don't get vandalized or stolen) and great bike/walking trails to explore within reason. They also don't think I'm totally clueless... yet. So far, my little proto-adult experiments are going well. Yay!
I was diagnosed with melanoma almost a year ago (9/17/09). However, since that day, when it was cut off me, they have not found any trace of it anywhere else on or in my body.
Spent a week on San Juan Island, and saw lots of orcas swimming by.
(not quite "this year," but got to go to NYC and meet and hang out with senyar, gaspode, jason's planet, eideteker, tps, brujita, jonmc, rmless, and others!)
I got down to within a few pounds of my pre-children weight. I won't get that pre-children body back - and I'm okay with that. But it's a nice feeling, where I'm at.
An extended stay with my parents turned out to be a sort of therapy boot camp, allowing me to process a lot of childhood baggage, accept and move on, and get along with my family better - on my terms. Breakthroughs are good.
I completed a very difficult and draining court case after at least two years of litigation.
A course of acupuncture treatment finally ended my agonizing back pain.
Also wonderful:
I feel at peace in my job.
Our rescue dog started smiling constantly this year.
Our oldest kitty, who had lost so much weight she was skin and bones, made a come back and is her old self again.
I ran a half marathon.
I had - am having - a photography / painting exhibition and so far six things have sold and two other galleries - well, a restaurant and a hair salon - have contacted me about showing my stuff.
Otherwise, this year has SUCKED to a level of SUCKAGE I can barely, even for me, believe.
I went on a two week road trip with my mum. I got to see several of the Laura Ingalls Wilder homesites which is something I've wanted to do for 30+ years.
That's really it for this year but it was pretty spectacular.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
