Oh, it's the last day of 2012.

Hmm. It's been a stressful year. My job situation has still not been resolved. I have not sold my house and moved to a better neighborhood.

We did move my parents into assisted living. That was unbelievably stressful and emotionally draining, and while the drama has mostly subsided, the work is not done. My father's trying to move out, and I have to clear out the old apartment and sell it.

In better news, I spent two weeks in Spain with my nieces last spring, and that was wonderful. I saw Bruce Springsteen live three times. I had a lovely weekend in Chicago in September.

My employers appear to still like my work (other than My Nemesis). My family is mostly fairly healthy, and I got to see my brothers at Thanksgiving. My sibs are grateful enough for the way I'm carrying most of the burden with the folks that they teamed up to buy me a marvelous new bicycle.

So, that was 2012. Some good, but a lot of draining stress and emotional drama. One way or another, 2013 will bring a new job situation, more drama with my folks, and probably (finally) an opportunity to move to a better neighborhood.

Thanks so much to the Buffistas this year, by the way: the folks in Natter have really helped me keep my head on straight while I deal with my demented mother and aging father. I can't say how much it's meant to have you all there supporting and advising me.

Oof. Last day indeed. Let's see. I live in the same house, I have the same roommate. We started getting a cleaning lady monthly, which has helped some roommate issues. We fostered a cat, and she adopted it, and we also fostered adorable kittens a few times (and would like to do it again in 2013! SO CUTE). Took some sewing classes, and feel comfortable using my machine (though now I have a huge stash of fabric...)

I got a new job, which is so far not really an upgrade from my previous job (other than in money), but I keep hoping it'll get better. I got to take a week in Mexico prior to starting the job, and also went to see friends in Baltimore and DC in August. But my big 35th birthday trip to New Orleans was canceled due to hurricane, and my Christmas travels were rearranged via blizzards.

I did manage to keep a new year's resolution for the first time--I did one 5k race every month in 2012. 12 races!

So, for 2013, I'd like to do more (non-work) travel, I will be having eye surgery in the first few weeks of the year (eep! no more glasses!??) and would like to get the job on the right track. Hoping to run some more races and get better at it, since I'm still walking a lot and pretty slow. Roomie and I have agreed on a new plan of "one cultural-type event a month" (by which we mean something highbrow we wouldn't have done otherwise--theater? ballet? folk festival?). Not sure what I'm going to do when she moves in September, if I want another roommate or not! (Pros: helps me afford my house, is around when I'm gone a lot, another person in the house helps me sleep better. Cons: All the annoying things that come with having a roommate)

Dear 2013: Please be nice to me and even more so to other buffistas who have had a shitty 2012.

Ah, 2012.

Not much of note in the first half, I guess, but over the summer I found I had to move from an apartment which I LOVED, but could no longer afford. I moved into a crappier (but cheaper!) apartment much closer to my parents, which has worked out well.

At the same time, my cat was getting sicker, and ultimately I had him put down a week before Christmas. I'm still sad about it, but not as wrecked as I was the first week. So that's good.

Still in the same job, and feeling much better about it now that we have several new employees and no vacant positions in my department. So I went from feeling stretched too thin and ineffective to being the expert in many things and responsible for keeping many fewer people happy!

I finally feel a little more settled here, with a nice group of people I know, some of whom have really become friends. So that's good.

I'm looking forward to a good 2013, possibly with some changes. I may have to move again, and am thinking about looking for a new job. Also probably a new cat. And of course, I wouldn't mind not being single, as I have been for all of 2012.

Every year, I debate about whether to have a bunch of major resolutions"Love myself! Write a thousand words a day! Meet somebody so I, uh, don't have to, um, love myself quite so much." But the list doesn't change much, and one thing this year's struggles have taught me is how much of my life isn't really up to me to decide. But sometimes we can win if we come together and fight.

I CAN HAZ A PRESENTS.

first off, I am not sure how I got so lucky as to have quester be my SS again, she was my gifted 2 or 3 years ago.

first thing in the box was a magnet with an adorable vintage image of a little girl that says SMILE! love it.

then four gorgeous art nouveau bookmarks with artwork by Mucha. really lovely.

next, four colored glass bottles, red, teal, orangey-yellow and green. all different shapes. mac thinks they are the perfect potion bottles and we should put chemicals in them. hee.

hot pink tape, both duct and masking, as well as animal print duct and floral masking. FUN!

and there is still more. and btw, everything wrapped in shiny paper that glitters and PINK tissue paper.

ahem, apple butter and hot fudge (which may very well be sampled this evening!).

and tucked away carefully wrapped at the bottom, a lovely hot pink and glitter vintage glass ornament!

LOVE it ALL!

oh and I almost forgot (not really) possibly the best glasses ever. picture up on fb.

I'm so glad it arrived safely and that you enjoyed it!

And there is a bit more to come....

SailAweigh! I got the comics, I’ve just been slacking posting about it here. THANK YOU!

I started to write this long post about 2012, but suffice to say that I’m in a better place than where I was a year ago, but nowhere near where I’d like to be, so I’ll have to try much harder in 2013.

I also took some nice pictures in 2012, but there’s plenty of room for improvement there, too.

For all y'all: [link]

I only echo her sentiments.

That's great.

Oh, yay, Tom! To all three things. I love your photography and I think I'd add a lot more pictures to your "best of."

sarameg, that was a lovely post. I think I need to bookmark it so I can go back to it when I need to remind myself that "I can."