Tuesday, December 30, 2008

"It Was a Very Good Year . . . "

Another one gone by. I am looking forward to it being over. This year had one too many kicks in the teeth, right up to today, and I'm ready for it to be done.

A musical I know asks, "How do you measure a year?" If a year is measured in how much you stretched yourself, how much you felt, how much you loved . . . then it's been a very good year. It had a great start. It had some amazing times. It brought a few changes; some welcome, some not. And I can honestly say that the changes have made me stronger, more in touch with myself, and more aware in general. I've felt a million emotions very deeply; I cried, I laughed, I raged, I simmered, I loved, I loathed, I played, I played it safe. I fell off a wagon and climbed on another. There were firsts and lasts.

My, what a year can bring.

My new year's resolutions? Pretty simple.

  • GET NEW ASSIGNMENT AT WORK. Escape the clutches of evil and drama. Be free! But in the meantime . . .
  • Survive remaining months in office by taking as much time off and training as possible.
  • Avoid stabbing coworkers in face.
  • Get rid of people I honestly don't like that are cluttering up my life.
  • Keep up workout regiment.
  • VEGAS!

And most importantly . . . keep my soul intact. Keep my heart safe and strong, keep my love ready to give, keep the smiling little girl inside as the guiding force on how I see the world. I won't give in to a world that is trying to suffocate the good and break me down.

Happy 2009, folks! I wish you the best this year and always.


Sunday, December 14, 2008

Catch Up (or, Life Back In the Twilight Zone)

Hello! Time to bring you all up to speed on the holiday season and life in my alternate universe!

Thanksgiving at home was great. There was a snowstorm that created the perfect winter wonderland. Now, if only we could have such perfect snow at Christmas . . .

The class reunion was pretty much what I expected. Folks look pretty much the same, and mostly that is a great thing! There were only a couple people I didn't recognize immediately. It was really great to catch up and see people. I'm hoping it will reestablish some good old friendships.

In addition to the reunion, my old group of girls got together for a Friday night out to the new bar in our sleepy little hometown, which just a year or so ago approved allowing liquor licenses within the borough . . . consequently, it is no longer a "dry" town. And halleluiah! The bar was quite fun, and refreshingly inexpensive. Me and my girls had a hilarious time. There were shots, pictures, stories, dancing, and even karaoke. I was DD and got everyone home safely.

Stats from the weekend:
  • Social/family events: 3
  • Alcohol units consumed: 11
  • Questions regarding my relationship status: 7

Overall pretty good.

I drove back to VA in the rain and crappy traffic, listening to the Steelers whallop the Patriots (yesssss!). Got home and proceeded to have quite an odd night - which involved getting butt-dialed at 0200 and hearing some things I really could have lived without hearing. It was therefore NOT a good Monday. The week didn't get a whole lot better, but it sure ended oddly . . .

I was invited to a guy friend's place, he wanted to make me dinner. So I went, and we enjoyed a tasty meal and a dip in the hot tub outside in the cold air. He is an odd one, which I've known all along. But I absolutely did not expect we'd spend the whole night discussing . . . (ahem) . . . sex. He wanted to know everything about me and supplied the same information about himself. We even looked at less-than-wholesome internet material sitting on his bed. And while he never laid a hand on me except our hugs hello and goodbye, he gave me the most direct proposition I've ever received. Flat out: "If you decide you want to, I'm game" (in so many words). I responded that I was flattered, but I was absolutely not "there" with him, and I needed us to only be friends right now. As is usually the case with my boys, he's left the area not to return for a few months. I'm thankful for that because the whole thing just about knocked me off a cliff.

Oh - let's not forget that this is just another example of ridiculous incestuousness in my life: he is the ex-fling of one of my girlfriends . . . and the last guy Stupider dated prior to settling for Stupid. Can somebody please write me out of this ludicrious sitcom already?????

Speaking of whom . . . if I can trust my ears - the Stupids are preggo. There is simply no end to this insanity. Perhaps my wish that they will have triplets will come true, but I'll settle for both of them getting fat (well, him getting fatter that is).

This past week also kicked my ass across town. I worked like a slave and rewarded myself with a nice relaxing weekend. I had a lovely lunch with an old friend who conveniently owns a tux, and will be my date for the Inaugural Ball. I had pizza/movie night in with my cuddle buddy, who is simply damn adorable. He even went out in the cold to bring my car to the door for me when I left; how sweet is that? I hit the "Little Black Dress" party and got to hear a live acoustic set by GAVIN ROSSDALE!!!! It was great. He did his new single, plus "Comedown" and "Glycerine," and even covered U2's "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses."


I am looking forward to this week (my last full one at work for a while, yay!) to get my Christmas shopping done. I'm in the Christmas spirit for sure after going to a church-sponsored sing-along of Handel's "Messiah" this afternoon. It's a glorious and happy time of year and I'm going to soak up every minute!

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!