Lots of good in 2010 for me, especially in the last few months. With the help of my loving Buffistas, and most especially Vortex, I finally washed that KBD right outta my hair. I went to NOLA three times, one of which was the best and longest date I've ever been on, and hope to call The Big Easy my home in 2011. I changed jobs, and the new one is still exhausting but so much closer to what I want to do and I'm much happier. My little sis graduated from college, and I'm hopeful that the new year will see her get a job and out of our parents house for good.

The romance front is still tumultuous, but at least B is not a controlling asshole. He's honest and affectionate, if only in my life sporadically, and we'll just have to see how that evolves.

As always, I am so honored and lucky to call you insanely smart and loving people my friends, and I wish you all a fabulous year to come, full of dreams fulfilled and happiness and family and friends.

So I want to get all this out before the year ends, in the hopes none of the shit-tastic epic fail of the last part of the year follows me into 2011.

2010 started out acceptably, but devolved into a mess of ridiculous and scary proportions. My father had a cancer scare in May that hit me much harder than I anticipated. I learned that I will not cope well when the inevitable happens. My mother had her fair share of medical problems, culminating with the loss of sight in her left eye, and the eventual regaining of said sight after an essentially miraculous surgery.

Then in October I was told that my division is shutting down because the program we run is being terminated. Oh, and I couldn't tell anyone for two months, including my employees, until it was determined that some really bad stuff we'd be threatened with was just that--threats. I was asked to stay on for the time being to manage the wind-down, but there is no guarantee of future employment. I've been told I'll be taken care of, but that and $3 will get me a grande cappuccino.

My father's brother managed to get himself in money trouble (again), and had to sell his business as part of bankruptcy proceedings. He's now out of a job, and can't collect his Social Security for another two years. My father has no room to bring him on at our place without letting someone go, and the whole situation is placing an incredible strain on him. I'm having trouble letting go of the anger that he could put my father in this position again. It's a catch-22 that has no good resolution right now.

Around Thanksgiving we found out that my other uncle has lung cancer. If the X-Ray tech hadn't goofed while trying to get pics of his hernia, it wouldn't have been discovered for a long time. Two days before Christmas we finally got good news--it hadn't spread, it's a slow-moving strain, and chemo/radiation should be able to treat it. Prognosis still unknown.

Yin and yang are still not in balance though, and the universe wasn't done fucking with us. One of my father's closest friends, and a man L and I considered as another uncle, collapsed on a Friday morning and was rushed to the hospital. He died the following Thursday. Inoperable brain tumors. We all thought it was Parkinson's. Funerals four days before Christmas really suck.

I haven't told my father about my job situation because I'm afraid that will be the last straw. (Hell, every time I tried to mention it we got another piece of lousy news that trumped mine. I'm a jinx.) He is not coping well, and is in fact making himself physically sick with worry. We're really concerned and I don't know if there's any way to make it better.

For the last three months, I've perfected the art of putting on a mask. I smile and laugh when appropriate when I have the energy to drag myself out into society, and I'm sincere when wishing others the joys of the season, but right now, there's little joy for me. There are small snippets, when I remind myself that I have fantastic family and friends.

That leads me into the good. After a rough 2009, DH and I are on much better footing. We can communicate displeasure without shouting at each other, and while things aren't perfect, there's no doubt we love each other. We made it through eleven years of togetherness, five of it married, and I want more. Definitely couldn't say that this time last year. My parents and sister continue to be my touchstones and some of the most important people in my life, yet they still have that magic ability to exasperate me on a level only surpassed by my husband. And I say that with all of the love and affection in the world. We'll get through this bad patch, not without a few scars, and we'll do it together.

Which brings me to you, my friends. You have been my counselors, my cheerleaders, and my partners-in-crime. When I disappear, you let me know that I'm missed. When I drift too far into the self-pity, you yank me out and remind me why I'm truly lucky compared to many others. When I need you, you are (continued...)

( continues...) there, no matter the time. I know I've taken a lot from my friends this year, and I can only hope I've given you half as much love and support as you've given me. If I haven't, please set me on the straight and narrow. I don't ever want to be a user who only takes.

I also need you to know that I am constantly sending out the ~ma to those that need it. I don't always post (my own issues), but I try and keep up with what's going on in Beep Me. I cheer your successes and ache for each of you when things are tough. Actually communicating that isn't necessarily my strong suit.

My wish for 2011 is that it treats us all better than 2010. May we have all the love and laughter we can take, and when the inevitable tears come may we all know that we're not alone.

2010 has been a really great year for us too! Yay for good years!

The tough stuff has been my nephew's injury in Afghanistan, but he is home and okay and has a purple heart, and my former student's death. Still kinda dealing with that, I think, but I hope to do something in his memory this year.

But the good stuff has been continued joy in our relationship, in our work, in our house. Lots more private lessons for the SO, which has been good financially, but I'd like to get us out of that with fundraising on the day job part. I quit teaching privately, which was tough on my identity, but ultimately good for me musically and otherwise.

We got the awesome new-to-us car, the swag wag. I did a lot of new stuff, like the Becoming an Outdoorswoman stuff and this year will hold more like the astronomy.

It's been a good year. Hope next year is good too.

Well, 2010 was the year that I decided to take action in my own life and find what I needed for fulfillment and happiness.

I got my Masters' degree in the mail (edit: it wasn't a mail order degree, they just mailed it to me after I passed the comp exam in December of 2009) at the start of 2010. I'd worked hard for it, and tried very hard to parlay it into a new professional chapter. Easier said than done, of course, with the state of the job market.

In March, I went to New Orleans to work with Historic Green on projects in the Lower Ninth Ward, and continued to fall hard in love with this city. (it was my 3rd visit in less than a year.) A wise man told me I should move here, so I did.

Well, I told Tom we needed to move down here- we were both sick of our jobs and New England weather, and there was no good reason not to do it. He found a job almost immediately with a company that has turned out to be one of the best places he's ever worked- they love him and he really enjoys the work and the people. He accepted the job in April; we packed up and hit New Orleans on May 15.

After taking the summer off to get settled and network and do volunteer work, I started at a small non-profit here that does the kind of grassroots community work that is so important to me.

I love it here and feel so empowered by our choices that led us here, and so humbled by the amazing people in still awful circumstances here.

2010 is the year of New Orleans, and is one of the most important years of my life.

Oh, Maria. What a lot of hard stuff. I hope 2011 is better for you and your family.

Oh, Maria. What Jesse said. I've been quoting Counting Crows a lot this December: may next year be better than the last.

As for me, if it weren't for the situation with my parents, it would have been a pretty good year. But my mother's dementia has just put a constant low-level strain over everything, complicating everything. But the rest of the family is doing well: my nieces are doing great at college, my brother's wife had a second little boy, and everyone else seems to be pretty healthy.

The job situation could have been better, since they waited until the very last minute to arrange for my job to go permanent, and it's still possible I'll be out of work for a week or two during the transition, which pisses me off. I still haven't sold the house because I've been worried about the job situation, but hopefully that will happen soon in the new year, and I can buy a place in a better neighborhood without drug-dealers hanging out in front of the house all the time.

No big trips this year, although I did get sent to Alaska and I got my first float-plane ride. I'll be going to Providence in May and Colorado this summer, and that's probably it for travel this year, but I won't complain too much.

Things I want from 2011: health and peace for my parents & family (including additional emotional and physical support for my father); a good move that doesn't stress me out too much; a job transition that doesn't make me want to bite anyone's head off; a start on the long-delayed Secret Writing Project.

2010 was better than 2009 for me. I've run out of parents to lose, which isn't exactly great, but at least it's not a worry any more. My sister and I have become closer, and I'm finding I really like spending time with her. Work has been pretty good, and I really like my new manager. Mostly, though, 2010 has been the year of flying. Well, 11/12s of it anyway (insert bitching about IFR weather hosing every December lesson I could schedule).

Next year I hope to get my pilots license, get a promotion, and travel to the south of France in the fall. But even if 2011 was a rerun of 2010, I would be hard put to complain.

Maria, ye gods, that's a huge amount of stress and awfulness. Thank you for sharing it with us, and I hope that your 2011 pulls a complete 180.

Nora, I love hearing about how happy you are in New Orleans! You and Tom are an inspiration.

And Liese, thanks for your kind words. It's so lovely to hear about the good things in your life and the good work that you and the SO are doing.

Happy new year, my friends!

2010 was much better for us. the beginning of it still had Matt in an awful job, but that has changed. and while things aren't perfect in the job areana for him , they are way better and look to be going in that direction for him.

I had a good job, and now it is better , working with the teens and full time. Full time is going to an adjustment, but the right kind of adjustment.

We lost AndyCat - the most loving cat in the world, but we found Nathaniel, the brat cat. He's good for us.

A number of friends found better jobs, or started businesses.

while I still have friends in bad situations, there are more that are in better situations.

For 2011 I would like DH to let go of his old stress, let us transition smoothly, and for a few more loved ones find a little bit better places.