dcp! damn! you deserve all the ham flavor in the world!

That sucks so bad, dcp! Glad it seems to be working but sheesh! Nobody expects back pain to mean cancer?!?

I got my from erika and I am going to get mine mailed out soon.

dcp that is a LOT to go through. I hope that 2020 will be immensely better for you

So a lot has happened in 2019 for me. The biggest thing that happened was - I moved in with Matthew! This meant transferring to a different store. It's been a period of adjustment moving in together but mostly it's worked out.

In the fall his mother semi unexpectedly and with 5 days notice moved in as well. The house we live in is technically hers so I guess we live with her but she moved in so that makes it kind off odd. We had to vacate the master bedroom and took over the smaller bedroom but there is a front bedroom that is an "computer/office" area I use for my computer and the living is more ours than hers. She does a lot of house work becuase it helps her anxiety and mental health so that has been a bonus.

Matthew rescued a cat last year. The cat hated Penny (my cat) so Penny got moved back to Mom's . We have finally integrated his cat, my cat and Scrappy the Cat. Scrappy the cat bonded with his mom so that helped.

Also this year Mom had a mild stroke. She recoverd very quickly and has made some big life changes including getting rid of a lot of stuff and taking better care of her overall health. I discovered that I can handle an emergency situation like this pretty well.

This summer work cut our hours back so I was only working 30-35 hours which gave me more free time. I started to do more stuff after work but since it's Xmas season (I work in retail) I'm back up to just over 40 hours and so I am pretty much going to work, coming home from work , recovering from work. I started off in the shoe dept and had to move out of there because I was getting overheated and on the verge of heat exhaustion running up and down stairs (iut has a 2 story stock room) and moved to the mens' dept. This meant a decrease in pay but it was still more than I was making at the other store. I have made a reputation for myself as being good at training new people so that has been nice.

I have some goals for 2020, not resolutions but goals. Those are to chip away at the debt I had reduced by then increased because of various medical expenses, car expenses and some lack of self control. Also get out and do some kind of thing at least once a month that's not just in my small town or just doing errands when I'm off.

dcp, that has been a wild ride! Wishing you a more sedate ride in the coming months. Also, thank you for the card!

I received a card from Erika, too! I love this time of year.

Zen, that is a pretty heavy year to cope with. Job~ma and/or school~ma for you.

Sophia, that is some major adulting. I need to do more of that around my condo. Especially my bedroom.

askye, sounds like this year has been challenging, but in a fairly good way. Goal~ma!

DCP, I hope that 2020 has far fewer surprises.

I've also received an Erika card—yay! I did all my cards yesterday, so they're hitting the post today.

I just want this year to be over. It's been ... trying. My office started a rule last year that if you had a "needs improvement" on your annual review you wouldn't get a raise. So, no raise last year ... and with one (down from multiple) "needs improvement" ratings, probably not this year. Also, the building I've been living in for 30+ years has been sold, I won't be able to afford the new rents - they're doing a major (supposedly) renovation and the monthly rent on a one-bedroom will be $3,990 ... which is about what I take home each month. I have to be out by the end of April, so I do have some time, but most of the building's residents are also moving out ... that's a little over 150 apartments, a number with children and it's been one of the few in town that allow dogs. I've been under rent control, so any apartment (unless it's a real dump) will be more expensive. In addition, I had the old owner fix my bathroom ceiling, since the damage from a water leak was pretty extensive. The leak's been there at least 10 years, but they've never actually fixed it. Then, over the weekend, sections of my living room ceiling started coming down ... I reported it Saturday but no one seems interested.

What with the constant barrage of bad news in the world in general, I am more than ready for this year to be over.

Good lord Toddson! Where do you live again, DC?

good god, Toddson! apt ~ma!

That is terrible, Toddson! I hope you find a much better and yet affordable living space than you expect.