My graduating class's 5th Reunion is coming up this fall, and in preparation, alumni have been invited to submit one-page updates to summarize their post-undergraduate lives for the Class Book.
Of course, in true college fashion, I am putting mine together on the day it is due.
As if my recent 401K performance weren't insulting enough, some of the depressing figures in my latest mailed statement were printed in Comic Sans -- that ugly, overused font that mimics children's handwriting.
Seriously, what is this? A note from my piggy bank?
Just a few thoughts to kick off a new year for my blog. For those of you wondering how I'm doing, maybe these random snapshots will help you piece together a picture of my life at the moment. I don't care if it looks like a Picasso.
Hosting family and friends for the holidays can be draining, but always fulfilling and ultimately enjoyable. Definitely a cheer.
Unfortunately, the momentum of cleaning up my house didn't extend far into my disaster zone of a bedroom. This would be a jeer.
Cheer: We enjoyed a white Christmas.
Jeer: Home Depot is still sold out of snow shovels.
Cheer: I enjoyed returning to work in the new year, and I'm still loving this job...for as long as I have it, anyway.
Jeer: The bad economy, and ensuing layoffs to be announced at my company. We'll see what happens to me.
Cheer: My vision apparently improved the slightest bit possible over last year. I celebrated and bought an awesome new pair of glasses. Hooray, titanium.
Jeer: Said awesome pair of glasses cost me way too much. That's what I get for shopping at a store named "Eye Society."
Cheer: I've started running again these days.
Jeer: After the extended holiday break, run = sore.
Cheer: A new season of 24. Featuring a 767 and an A340! Okay, maybe not featuring...
Jeer: No more episodes of "Pushing Daisies." (I still despise ABC for canceling it.)
Jeer: I have no more cheers.
Jeer: I'm finding more white hairs on my head. They apparently grow in symmetrical pairs on both sides of my head. (I guess it's a cheer that I still have hair to speak of.)
Jeer: My inbox stands at 111 unread emails.
Double jeer: My spam folder contains 666.
Okay, I lied, I can think of one more cheer. Megan, a friend from church, got me The Book of Whale Insults for Christmas. Let me close with an excerpt from this gem of non-fiction reading:
It's funny how sometimes it can feel like time is flying by, while simultaneously dragging on forever. It's probably just a matter of perspective, like running through a forest. The trees whiz by, but the forest is never ending.
And with about the same speed and simultaneous sloth went the year 2008. It's been exhausting and I'm glad it's on its way out.
I look forward to 2009, if for no other reason than the proverbial fresh start. I think one of my resolutions will be to spend more time on hobbies. There's something to be said for the rejuvenating quality of spending time, energy, and effort on activities for leisure. I've learned that sleeping through the weekends or staring at the television aren't much more than coping mechanisms. (Although I still hate ABC for canceling "Pushing Daisies"...apparently the show was too brilliant for the general American audience.)
Anyway, if I succeed with this resolution, I might just blog a little more regularly. Imagine a new year full of entertaining, witty, and brilliant blog posts. Now hold that thought. For another blogger.
I'll do what I can.
Happy New Year.
This is my first post of 2008. Man. I've been so busy, I feel like I've gotten behind in life.
And then Daylight Savings comes and very nearly gets the best of my ignorant self. (Thank goodness for late Saturday emails from those who are more responsible than I.)
I'd lament the fact that I'll now be waking up to a darker morning, but we all know that I hardly get up early enough to notice any difference.
I didn't realize people would find the squirrel picture as amusing as I did (typically the case...for most things), so I figured I might as well share my other picture of the vagrant squirrel.
Try to ignore the weed garden in my backyard.
Check out how high it actually climbed on the screen! And this was one bold rodent. I tried scaring it from the other side of the window, and it didn't even flinch. It just stared back at me with its beady, defiant little eyes. (See previous squirrel picture.)
In other news, it's a good thing I took my car into the shop yesterday. Though it cost me $240 (yay, BMW), I was able to run errands without fear of the falling snow. Crucial errands like buying a snowboard! With a navy blue and lime green design, it was seriously one of the easiest purchase decisions I've ever made.
