2008 saw:

• my 33rd birthday, and since 3 is my lucky number I have decreed this to be "my" year
• my first relationship in 8 years
• wonderful continuing mutual support between my sister and me
• a drug combo that actually seems to be helping me
• continued work suck, now with added instability

I need to make some big changes, and 2009 may be that year. Then again, I've been saying that for 5 years now, so who knows.

I wish for strength to make the leap, and wisdom to recognize the opportunity.

my wrap up comes tomorrow because I don't like you 2008. I really don't.

My regret today is that with all the stuff that's been happening, my dear, patient, and very very deserving Seekrit Santa's package is just now going in the mail. I am sorry I dragged you to slacker status with my sad self!

Similar to what I said in my LJ ...

My 2008 can be mostly summed up with "Writing. Must write", with occasional sprinklings of "Iiiiieee, words gone!" Peoples, I wrote a book! I'm still a bit astonished by that thought. Oh yeah, and I turned 40. Which doesn't really feel any different than 30 did, so far.

2008 also included travel (mostly to Disney theme parks, which made me happy, but was not Pete's favorite choice of destinations), visiting friends, seeing a lot of concerts (MCR, Peter Murphy, Cobras, SOM, Amanda Palmer, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few), and feeling more comfortable in my day job.

2008 was also the year of ... oddball media opportunities for me. There was the Microspotting interview), the MSDN Channel 9 video interview, the photo in BUST magazine, and writing for the TOKYOPOP Gothic & Lolita Bible.

2008 included a lot of concern and worry about friends who were having rough times (and hoo-boy, is that an understatement).

So! 2009! The year my book is published! (Why yes, I am cherishing fantasies of the GCS book becoming a best-selling hit. I don't know how likely those fantasies are, but they're nice daydreams.) I fervently hope and wish that 2009 is better to all of us than 2008 was. Even if you had a pretty good 2008 (as I did), I hope 2009 is better.

2008 was fairly good to me...

It was my first full year in California. I've gotten more into the rhythm of life here, although apparently I'm still very "East Coast". Part of that rhythm meant walking a lot, and in San Francisco that often does mean uphill both ways; consequently, I managed to lose 20 pounds in the process. Yay, hills!

I also managed to visit L.A. twice (thanks Kristin and Drew!) and finally see Hearst Castle, which I've wanted to do since a family trip out here way back in high school. I hope to see a lot more of the state in the coming year, especially Yosemite.

I also reconnected with NYC friends by road-tripping through Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The National Parks there are true wonders of nature and a hiker's paradise. I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to get back to nature.

I continue to pay down my crushing grad school debt, but, through budgeting, feel a lot better about it and can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

After a major work crisis and a hashing out of issues with my boss, work has improved significantly and I'm hoping to manage a decent raise, even with this economy. We'll see.

Most importantly, my sister seems to have turned a corner and our relationship seems back on track. I guess she has finally forgiven me for moving out here. Another we'll see.

With the year ending, I find myself very thankful for the Buffistas, especially those here in the Bay Area who have made me feel so at home.

Hopes for 2009: a decent raise, a fabulous new apartment, and, most importantly, a date.

This year had one big dark event--the death of my niece. This put several months into a very sad place for ma and my whole family. There was also a lot of bad health--my FiL has severe lung problems, my Uncle is battling esophogeal cancer, and my mom has glaucoma and cataracts and is fighting to retain her sight. Failing health in older relatives was a constant worry and will remain so.

It also had many small but good events--my mother's 80th birthday party, getting another (and awfully adorable) dog, a Crowded House concert which was one of my favorite live events ever, making the decision to try to go back into teaching, and waking up next to my husband every morning.

And we also had one big great event--the election of Obama which I hope leads to a better 2009 for all of us.

My 2008 was eventful, both good and bad.

The bad:

• The biggest one was almost getting fired in July, and the subsequent closely-monitored "probation" I was put on, along with a cut in my hours and pay.

• I also had a lot of medical issues, mostly in the last half of the year. (Job stress leading to physical issues? Very possibly.) Prolonged wrist tendonitis; ongoing irritable bowel syndrome; panic attacks; vertigo and temporary hearing obstruction; a severe recurrence of back pain and trip to the ER for pain management; and a week later, a stomach bug so bad that I had to go back to the ER.

• The Boy had surgery for double hernias.

• My dad had a couple of hospital visits, which, although they've become regular occurrences, are still horribly stressful.

The good:

• It was my first full year of living with The Boy, and things continue to go very well. I don't know what I did to deserve such an amazing man in my life. He's my utter joy.

• After a few months of work probation, my performance was deemed acceptable to go back to full time and full pay.

• All the medical issues were either short-lived and resolved well, or are currently under very good control.

• I had the unexpected experience of being featured on the Web site of the clinic that performed my back surgery, followed by appearing on a billboard for them. While fame and glory have not followed, it was great fun.

• We had a lovely vacation at the beach, which was sorely needed.

• I've paid down a very large amount of credit card debt (not completely gone, but it's getting there) and paid my car off 8 months early.

• The relief I feel at Obama being elected is indescribable. For the first time in 8 years, I have some hope that we're not headed for utter ruin.

A few realizations:

• I tapered off Zoloft, which I had been taking for 4 years. It became clear in November that I needed to be on an antidepressant, so I started on Wellbutrin. It seems okay, but might need to be tinkered with.

• I'm still letting the memory of almost getting fired make me uneasy and unhappy at work. At this point, in this economy, I don't want to quit unless I have another job lined up. And at the age of 37, I don't know what I want to do when I grow up, so I have some soul-searching to do. And, for as long as I've decided to stay there, I need to stop obsessing about what happened and just move forward. (And cover my ass.) While my current job is no longer satisfying, the one thing I will say is that I'm very glad to be employed right now when so many people aren't.

• Despite ups and downs, I have a very, VERY good life. And I'm very grateful.

msbelle, you tease!

I'm not quite ready to sum everything up yet, but on the whole every year since my kids were born and since my mother died has been better than the one before. We still have big health issues threatening the future (esp for my MiL) but I try to live in the best parts of the present.

so it seems I may have met someone that I might find attractive and who might seem nice.

???????

There's not much more to say. Our paths cross almost weekly. We have a few things in common. We've talked a bit. It's hard for me to read people, but he seems willing to always stop a bit and chat, so you know, we'll see. I am trying to be more open in 2009.

My year has been more of the same. Same job, same apartment, same lack of relationship. I guess stability is good at this stage in my life (I feel ambivalent about having turned 35 last week), but I would love to make some changes in 2009, any of which would take more effort than I put in in 2008.

We'll see.

But, no major crises in my life or my family's, so I'm going to count the year as a win.