billytea - Ryan continues to be v. amusing.

He surely is. He's also reached an age where we can actually reason with him. With mixed results, but fairly often he'll listen. (Like the night I explained to him how the food he eats sends nutrition to all of his body, so it was important to eat good things, and he actually agreed to eat his vegetables. Refused again the next night, but it's something.)

Kat, if you haven't gotten the address yet, you can ask your giftee an anonymous question. If they respond, everyone will be able to see it, but it they don't mind that it'll work.

yeah guys, I've actually been working on this, just getting no response. There are multiple issues at play.

Kat got the address for her giftee from Suzi, just FYI.

perfection.

I can echo most of Sheryl's post - same job, house, and cat. Also, while nothing much happened to me, the year was far too cruel to far too many of my friends.

For me, I feel like 2011 was mostly spent laying groundwork for 2012, in terms of identifying some long-buried issues that I need to deal with, and finally taking steps to move my job into more of a career path.

I do hope that in 2012, I can get some F2F time with at least some of y'all.

To follow a motif: Same house, new job, new cat.

Chez ch, this was one of those years that will prove to have been a major shift. I got out of a brain-numbing job and into my own business, which is at once terrifying and exhilarating. It remains roller-coastery, but much less so, and I'm utterly certain I want to keep on this path. I'm also utterly boring on the subject. Sorry, y'all. S got out of a dreadful dead end gig into a much better job that he rocks at. Re: cat, see paragraph 1 above. Traveled to new places, entirely by virtue of my so-called athletic career (a phrase that continues to CRACK MY SHIT UP). Saw buffistas I haven't seen or haven't seen in a long time. That part rocks without reservation.

Most of the changes have been very much for the good, but damn, I could use a nice year of more steady improvements and less massive upheaval.

I'm sneaking this in quickly, as my first set of NYE guests arrive in an hour, with M's 2 buddies and All Will Be Happy Chaos.

I wrote a blog post that recaps a lot of my year here: [link]

But let me add for your delectation, because y'all are my extended family. This year has been both hard and great. Dan and I celebrated our first year of marriage, and you guys know I never thought I'd BE married, so that's a wonder. Despite being perenially broke as hell, we still love each other very much, and are quite happy being geeks together.

I wasn't asked back to my teaching job, and I wouldn't have gone back to that snake pit anyway. I started freelancing full-time, and while money has been very, very tight, it is going well.

And let me just say this, and know it is a true, true thing: I NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT WITHOUT YOU ALL. People have been my clients, have helped me with web design, with graphics, with tech, with networking, with testimonals...with love, encouragement, cheers and good criticism. I cannot, cannot ever thank you all enough. I love you.

Despite Dans ex continuing to be a PITA, my relationship with M is strong and good and more satisfying than I ever would have imagined. I never wanted to be called mom; somehow, I am now, and it fills my heart.

I continue to have fantastic friends I have know forever, and the relationships and good and sustaining. My family is in good health, and we love each other.

Despite a couple of rough patches, this has been the best year in a long time for my depression, anxiety and insomnia. Also, I lost 40 pounds, and am the slimmest I have been since my sophomore year of high school. Which was 1987.

I'll be 40 in 2012. 2011 was a hard year, but basically, a good one. Stuff will continue to be hard, but good, I hope. I am willing to, and I WILL, work at it, but I would like very much for my business to pick up and for us to be more financially stable, and therefore, less stressed, in 2012.

Yay Erin! Go you!

As for me, 2011 was okay. The big issue is my mother, who continues to trend gradually downhill, but refusing to admit she needs help. My dad's beginning to suffer some cognitive difficulties as well, and I really don't know how this is all going to play out.

I got shafted by my employers' incompetence and end the year in the exact same place I started it: looking at a looming deadline that they seem incapable of preventing. I spent the month of February sitting on the couch, and lost a great deal in benefits I would have been accruing this year.

OTOH, I did finish a novel, and while it can't be sold, it's likely been read by more people than anything else I've written. The rest of my family appears to be healthy and employed, and my brother's restaurant is doing very well.

This year I plan to: hire more help for my folks, go to Spain, and buy a new house. And do more running. I don't think that's too much to have on the to do list.

I covered most of this ground in the Delurking thread, so I'll try to be brief.

Same cats, same dog, new job, new home! I love the NOLA crazy, most of the time, and just roll with the bad bits. You gotta laisser les mals temps rouler, too. My new house is fab, my new landlady is fab, our combined water bill this month is $22 (instead of $250) and will only go down since she's fixed the leaky toilets and is leaving for a 3 month gig.

Love life continues to be a practice in radical acceptance. We shall see what 2012 brings in that department.

I'm feeling so much better and energetic that it's hard to remember how depressed I ever was, though PMS gives me a little refresher now and again. I am finally tackling my financial woes, and hope to be out of credit card debt by the end of 2012.

I miss my NC peeps, but am making good friends here. Silver, gold, all that Girl Scout sing song stuff.

Like Erin, the events of this year would not have been possible without the Buffistas. Thank you, one and all, and let's hope 2012 is a better year for all of us.