New Years Breakdown
Dec. 31st, 2003 06:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
judecorpSo this is New Year's, and what have you done? Another year older, and a new one just begun.
I swore I wasn't going to do a wrap-up-type post, but here I sit with my fingers going clickety clack in the comfort of my office, doing exactly that. 2003 wasn't exactly a banner year for me on many fronts, but with hindsight being as rose-colored as it tends to be, it's seeming pretty darned good.
On the work front, I started the year working at the shelter. I had been there for almost half a year and had really settled into a good routine. I felt comfortable and confident and I knew what I was doing. I was making enough money to pay the bills and have some spending money. And then at the end of May I learned I had 30 more days of work. I tried not to sweat it, since I'm a money hoarder who plans like crazy, and I wasn't terribly freaked on the money end. Jen took care of a lot of extraneous spending, and I managed to budget my unemployment money and pay my bills. My ex paid a significant chunk of the money he owed me, and that padded my income big time. I remained unemployed for three months and drove myself batty with boredom. And then I started working for children's services, and wished I was unemployed again. Now I've been there for three months, am starting to get settled in, and already am getting burned out. Did I mention that I've been applying for other jobs? I actually had an interview lined up for January 5th, but opted to cancel it because my work history is already spotty enough.
On the family front, things have been pretty good. Everyone is healthy, my brother got engaged to a great girl, my father isn't dating anyone psychotic, my grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and my cousin stopped stealing cars. I went to RI in August for the first time since last Christmas, saw a lot of people, and tried to come out to my grandmother, who just wasn't getting it. She's old. Jennifer and I went to RI together over Thanksgiving and we got to do the first big Couple Experience, when I brought her to said 60th anniversary party with scads of my extended family. I think people started to get the message. Whee.
On the living arrangement front, I left the security of my one bedroom apartment on Neil/Buttles and took the giant plunge of getting a new, larger apartment with Jennifer. It is a gorgeous, spacious apartment that makes me feel like a grown-up, which is kind of scary. Never one to enter into commitment without becoming a neurotic mess, we went back and forth for months deciding whether we would move in together, and when, and where. We fell in love with the first place we looked at, moved in about a week later, and for the most part it's been happily ever after ever since.
On the relationship front, we stepped up the seriousness a notch when we got engaged. I didn't really want to make a statement like that at first because I didn't want to take the spotlight off of my brother, who got engaged in February. But when we picked out rings that we wanted to exchange privately, I got so damned excited that I had to tell everyone. So in October I bought a girl a diamond, we made it official, and I decided to give the committed-for-life route one more try. It's rocky, mostly because I'm damaged and a freak, but I'm glad I did it and I'm really happy with us and how we are. We're in lerf bad. And no, there's no ceremony in sight - 2004 is the year of the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
smurfbrother.
On the cat front, we combined the cats when we combined the households and it's been a mess ever since. Ralph took to peeing all over the house, and Grendel hid under the bed. Now Grendel's in the back bedroom forever and the peeing has stopped. I don't know what to do.
On the spiritual front, I don't think I managed to go to church at all this year, which I'm sort of bummed about. I need to motivate myself to go because I feel so good when I'm there. I've had a lot of time to reflect on myself and the world, and unemployment gave me even more time to do that, but I never got to a service. Must rectify.
On the financial front, I managed to keep my mitts on the large sum of money my grandparents gave me last Christmas without spending a cent, which really bulked up my house-buying funds. I started using my credit cards a bit and broke my "don't charge what you can't pay off in full" rule during unemployment, which I need to get back to. I never separated my accounts the way I wanted to, and Jennifer and I never got around to opening a joint account for household expenses.
On the medical front, I kept up with doctor's appointments, and finally got checked out for PCOS, which I don't have. This means that they have even LESS idea why I don't menstruate. I didn't go to the dentist, because I'm a big chicken, but I need to. I got really sick last spring and needed to go to the ER, because I got an abcess on my tonsil and it nearly closed my throat. I managed to dodge the tonsillectomy, though. PHEW!
In short:
+I bought a bike and went on lots of bike rides.
+I bought a digital camera and developed a love of taking pictures.
+I met lots of cool people, likenikongirln70, elspazz0, and whirledpeas.
+I kept lots of already cool friends.
+I participated in Via Colori with Jennifer.
+I got the gots to join the Columbus Women's Chorus.
+I am making more money than I did at the shelter.
+I came out to even my very extended family who don't know my name.
+I received five pounds of Dunkin Donuts coffee.
+I moved in with Jennifer.
+I went to a lot of Unemployed Alcoholic Happy Hours.
+I had a Mary-Kate and Ashley calendar for a whole year.
+I let Sean shave my head, which I've wanted to do forever and ever.
+I pierced my lip.
+I'm making plans about where to live, when to have a baby, and how to live.
+I got to go to San Francisco, Niagara Falls, New York City, and Disney World.
+I met Jennifer's brothers and sisters-in-law.
+I fell in love with Fisher Simmons.
+I made Jennifer a really cool scrapbook.
+I bought a washer and dryer of my very own.
+I acquired off-street parking.
-I stopped kickboxing.
-I gained some weight and got out of shape.
-I acquired a job I don't really like at all.
-I lost touch with some friends.
-I spent too much money going out to eat.
-I only went out dancing twice. All year.
-I didn't go to church at all.
-I took those progesterone pills and turned into a hormonal basket case.
-I don't know what to do with my hair.
All in all, I'd say it was a definite success, even with all of the bumps. Right? I hope 2003 was good for all of you as well. Thank you for putting up with me for another year! :)
I swore I wasn't going to do a wrap-up-type post, but here I sit with my fingers going clickety clack in the comfort of my office, doing exactly that. 2003 wasn't exactly a banner year for me on many fronts, but with hindsight being as rose-colored as it tends to be, it's seeming pretty darned good.
On the work front, I started the year working at the shelter. I had been there for almost half a year and had really settled into a good routine. I felt comfortable and confident and I knew what I was doing. I was making enough money to pay the bills and have some spending money. And then at the end of May I learned I had 30 more days of work. I tried not to sweat it, since I'm a money hoarder who plans like crazy, and I wasn't terribly freaked on the money end. Jen took care of a lot of extraneous spending, and I managed to budget my unemployment money and pay my bills. My ex paid a significant chunk of the money he owed me, and that padded my income big time. I remained unemployed for three months and drove myself batty with boredom. And then I started working for children's services, and wished I was unemployed again. Now I've been there for three months, am starting to get settled in, and already am getting burned out. Did I mention that I've been applying for other jobs? I actually had an interview lined up for January 5th, but opted to cancel it because my work history is already spotty enough.
On the family front, things have been pretty good. Everyone is healthy, my brother got engaged to a great girl, my father isn't dating anyone psychotic, my grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and my cousin stopped stealing cars. I went to RI in August for the first time since last Christmas, saw a lot of people, and tried to come out to my grandmother, who just wasn't getting it. She's old. Jennifer and I went to RI together over Thanksgiving and we got to do the first big Couple Experience, when I brought her to said 60th anniversary party with scads of my extended family. I think people started to get the message. Whee.
On the living arrangement front, I left the security of my one bedroom apartment on Neil/Buttles and took the giant plunge of getting a new, larger apartment with Jennifer. It is a gorgeous, spacious apartment that makes me feel like a grown-up, which is kind of scary. Never one to enter into commitment without becoming a neurotic mess, we went back and forth for months deciding whether we would move in together, and when, and where. We fell in love with the first place we looked at, moved in about a week later, and for the most part it's been happily ever after ever since.
On the relationship front, we stepped up the seriousness a notch when we got engaged. I didn't really want to make a statement like that at first because I didn't want to take the spotlight off of my brother, who got engaged in February. But when we picked out rings that we wanted to exchange privately, I got so damned excited that I had to tell everyone. So in October I bought a girl a diamond, we made it official, and I decided to give the committed-for-life route one more try. It's rocky, mostly because I'm damaged and a freak, but I'm glad I did it and I'm really happy with us and how we are. We're in lerf bad. And no, there's no ceremony in sight - 2004 is the year of the
smurfbrother.On the cat front, we combined the cats when we combined the households and it's been a mess ever since. Ralph took to peeing all over the house, and Grendel hid under the bed. Now Grendel's in the back bedroom forever and the peeing has stopped. I don't know what to do.
On the spiritual front, I don't think I managed to go to church at all this year, which I'm sort of bummed about. I need to motivate myself to go because I feel so good when I'm there. I've had a lot of time to reflect on myself and the world, and unemployment gave me even more time to do that, but I never got to a service. Must rectify.
On the financial front, I managed to keep my mitts on the large sum of money my grandparents gave me last Christmas without spending a cent, which really bulked up my house-buying funds. I started using my credit cards a bit and broke my "don't charge what you can't pay off in full" rule during unemployment, which I need to get back to. I never separated my accounts the way I wanted to, and Jennifer and I never got around to opening a joint account for household expenses.
On the medical front, I kept up with doctor's appointments, and finally got checked out for PCOS, which I don't have. This means that they have even LESS idea why I don't menstruate. I didn't go to the dentist, because I'm a big chicken, but I need to. I got really sick last spring and needed to go to the ER, because I got an abcess on my tonsil and it nearly closed my throat. I managed to dodge the tonsillectomy, though. PHEW!
In short:
+I bought a bike and went on lots of bike rides.
+I bought a digital camera and developed a love of taking pictures.
+I met lots of cool people, like
nikongirln70, elspazz0, and whirledpeas.+I kept lots of already cool friends.
+I participated in Via Colori with Jennifer.
+I got the gots to join the Columbus Women's Chorus.
+I am making more money than I did at the shelter.
+I came out to even my very extended family who don't know my name.
+I received five pounds of Dunkin Donuts coffee.
+I moved in with Jennifer.
+I went to a lot of Unemployed Alcoholic Happy Hours.
+I had a Mary-Kate and Ashley calendar for a whole year.
+I let Sean shave my head, which I've wanted to do forever and ever.
+I pierced my lip.
+I'm making plans about where to live, when to have a baby, and how to live.
+I got to go to San Francisco, Niagara Falls, New York City, and Disney World.
+I met Jennifer's brothers and sisters-in-law.
+I fell in love with Fisher Simmons.
+I made Jennifer a really cool scrapbook.
+I bought a washer and dryer of my very own.
+I acquired off-street parking.
-I stopped kickboxing.
-I gained some weight and got out of shape.
-I acquired a job I don't really like at all.
-I lost touch with some friends.
-I spent too much money going out to eat.
-I only went out dancing twice. All year.
-I didn't go to church at all.
-I took those progesterone pills and turned into a hormonal basket case.
-I don't know what to do with my hair.
All in all, I'd say it was a definite success, even with all of the bumps. Right? I hope 2003 was good for all of you as well. Thank you for putting up with me for another year! :)
