I'm ambivalent about 2006--but I worry this might be ungrateful (in a generally anxious, atheist way).

The decidedly excellent:

I saw my family AND I got my parents to travel with me to Rome, a special place for them, and the first trip together they made in almost ten years (the first trip for the three of us in 17.) My mom especially was so happy... She hadn't travelled since her accident in 2000.

I bought a condo, small but pretty.

The not-sure-how-it-will-turn-out:

Mortgage! Loans! Being tied to one place at least for a few years!

The sad:

My parents are selling the summerhouse. My grandfather built it, it's been there all my life. It hurts to think my niece and nephew won't have that. It hurts to think about the pomegranates in the garden, and that sea... And I can't help blaming myself for not being rich, or having married rich, and similar crazy stuff.

[link]

Dear Secret Santee, uh, your gift is going to be late, no two ways about it. I'm sorry; I got really sick last week and fell way behind in getting gifts for everyone on my list, but I hope to get it out to you by New Year's.

My 2006 was generally awesome. I took some fun trips, I met some great people, I got to see lots of Buffistas, a bunch of people I love got married or had babies, I didn't fail out of school, and I got a great job. I wish, as always, that I'd had more luck with dating people, but otherwise, I really can't complain.

• I took a bunch of classes and am now halfway done with my MLS. Though one class was horribly dull, the others were pretty great, and I'm still really pleased with my choice to go into this field. A lot of my friends are still struggling with figuring out what to do with their lives, and while I certainly don't have all the answers, I feel really lucky to be so happy with the work I'm doing.

• Relatedly, I started a great job in May. I work with terrific people, I have a fantastic boss who is really supportive and has been a huge inspiration to me personally, I'm learning so much and getting lots of experience, and I think I'm doing some good work. I had my six-month review a couple weeks ago and got some nice compliments and some good feedback, and am looking forward to what I can do in 2007.

• My family are all basically happy and healthy. We're a little worried about my grandma (my dad's mother), whose memory loss has become much more obvious since my grandfather died; for 2007, I hope that she allows us to give her the help she needs.

• I got to spend a lot of time with a few close friends in 2006, and not nearly enough time with other friends. School brings out the worst of my poor time-management skills, and I've been worse than ever about staying in touch with friends and making time to see them. This is something I hope to improve on next year.

• I got into swing-dancing in the first half of 2006 and discovered how much I love it. It's also a good way for me to incorporate regular exercise into my life, which is something else I am pretty bad about. Dancing took a back seat to other stuff in my life in the second half of the year, so next year I hope to start doing it again more regularly. I also started kayaking with my dad this summer, which was super fun, and something I want to do more often. I try not to get too bothered about my weight, but if I could lose maybe 10 pounds in 2007 and build up a little more muscle, I would be pretty happy.

• This was also the year of my fannish renaissance. It's sort of a silly thing to put up alongside these other big things in my life, but it's brought me a lot of joy, so I think it deserves a mention. I'd sort of fallen off the fannish radar over the last few years, but I got sucked back in this year; from SGA to Doctor Who, from Veronica Mars to Heroes, from SPN to BSG, I've really loved following the stories that they tell, and getting my geek on with other fans.

Yeow, this got long. So to sum up, I'm in a really good place right now, making good progress and doing good work, and I hope to continue that forward momentum in 2007!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Allieann sent me gorgeous candy from Krema Nut Factory. (www.krema.com) I have peanutbutter carmel corn and coffee beans and covered pretzles and a giant covered pretzel and tiramisu carmels and various dark chocolate patties. And a stress squeezy thing shaped like a peanut which will live on my desk and save the lives of lawyers.

And if that isn't enough...

If my love of chocolate and regional delicacies isn't enough...

She also sent me a Hello Kitty Pez dispenser in a little purple stocking. Oh yes she did. Hee!

t covers Allieann in kisses ::smooch smooch smooch smooch smooch::

Little did I know you had a love of regional delicacies!

I'm so glad it got there in time!

• does happy present-giving dance*

This would also be an excellent time to give a shoutout to my Seekrit Santa! I got an email today from Defenders of Wildlife (defenders.org) letting me know that my Seekrit Santa (who may be trying to retain anonymity, but has a telling email address) has "adopted" a penguin in my name! Not only do I love penguins, but the money for penguin adoption goes toward efforts to reduce emissions and slow global warming, thereby preserving penguin habitats. Two great causes that go great together! I also squee!!!!!!1!!one!!

t runs back to make out with Trudy some more

Yes, well, when I started filling things out, it looked like maybe the email address wouldn't show.

Since the whole anonymity thing is gone, let me add that you should watch for more to come, although I'm not sure if it will get there before the 25th.

eta the most important part, which is, I'm so glad you liked it! I wasn't sure, but I hoped it would be a good choice.

No worries! I am so very happy, it definitely made my day today. And I'm going to get a stuffed animal, which is AWESOME.

Ahh, the Circle of Presents. Seekrit Santas are awesome!

t makes out with everyone

Little did I know you had a love of regional delicacies!

I do! I do!

Teppy has introduced me to other Ohio wonders. When I go South I seek out sweet tea and grits. In Utah I had fry sauce. In Portland I had salmon that made me weep. In Las Vegas someone offered me a hooker but I was too full.

I braved the post office today to send out gifties to my sekrit santee. I went at about 9:45am and there was only 6 people in line. Woot! Not bad for less than a week until Christmas.

In Utah I had fry sauce

We have fry sauce in the supermarkets. I can't guarantee how well it would survive shipping, but if you ever have a yen for some, I could help provide.

I will admit, fry sauce is not among the things I have subsequently craved.

Though if anyone in Indiana wants to ship me a Posey County melon...