The Year In Review

Ah, the last day of 2011 and as normal, I am taking a moment to reflect how this last year has changed me. The wonderful and the horrible all mixed into a set number of days, measuring down my not so free time as a commodity. So, let's just have a think on it.

A year in WORK: At this time last year I am beginning to freak out that I still don't have a job. Unemployment is helping and keeping me calm for about two months, but as Feb nears I am still not closer to an elusive job. I get an offer, but as my new diet is making me rather diluted I lose it before I even start a day there, if you know what I mean. I am devastated and near desperate in May when I do finally get a low-level entry position at the Bullseye. The job has horrific hours and bad pay, but it is a job and I do it. Keep looking...finally get an interview with the State after submitting no less than twenty three applications. Get a job there and it is great, good pay and good hours. Just what I wanted. Then get promoted after one month. I am job awesome --great pay, good hours, work not hard. So, now sitting at job perfect.

A year in LOVE: Decide in February that I am finally right in the head enough to start looking for someone to be with me. I research and chit-chat with boys. In March we stumble upon a rather sweet Nerd Prince. He is severely interesting, sweet, handsome and fun...so we date. In July he takes me to an art museum for my birthday and we get physical. I start having blinding fantasies of him rescuing me from my mundane existence. We break up in August. Not only does this resurrect all the wonderful things I remember about being in love, but we are reminded that it is short and fleeting and the one real person you can depend on is you. Heartbreak rules September. I dust off and we decide to be friends. Start looking again. Good dates, bad dates. Find new boy Mr. No-Show who f*es me around for nearly a month. Find different boy, Mr. Emotionally Unavailable, but Physically Available. Have a fling. And that is where I am now. If I could get my Ex-friend and Mr. EU/PU morphed into one boy --I would be married. As yet...I will continue the hunt.

The year in LIFE: As of right now, I have lost a total of 45lbs and I am well on my way to that goal of 130 to 35 as a healthy life weight. I'm really proud of that. It was not easy. I made positive changes in the lives of people I know. Spent some wonderful times out with the Bestie and some nights crying over e-mails from her. Got third in my fantasy football league. Fell in love with Tom Brady and became a Patriots fan. Made some cool new friends, really loved well some of my old ones. Did some awesome things with my family, and worked through some crisis with them. Watched my parents age. Attempted to remain ladylike as much as possible. There were so many good thing and bad things I've lost count, honestly, but it's all been worth it. We rise up strong and proud, true to myself and those who have chosen to love me. I am a work in progress, a pretty picture that changes as you look at it. A fighter with purpose, love, and drive, who is ready for the next challenge ready to face a new year with fervor and delight. Bring it on!!

Good Feeling!

Okay, so tonight, I've got a good feeling. Going on a date at eight, not to be late. Getting all magic-ed up and prepped for date. This is keeping me pretty busy. Should be fun. I hope... Broke a damn nail, now all of them look weird. I really need to go get my acrylics back on and soon.

Tomorrow night we are headed to bowling with the roomies and the Ex, which also promised to be a great time. We are all not huge drinkers, so a drinker's holiday is kind of mute point. However, it has earned me another four day work week, which I am looking forward to (perhaps this weekend I will be able to NOT have some plans and finally get my nails done like I've been promising myself for weeks I would).

I also secured my dental appointment. Yes, it has been an issue for awhile, but at this point I have some time built up so I feel like it will be okay to go in with the new insurance and finally start getting all those teeth problems taken care of --starting with that one in front. It is worth spending the money on and I am really trying to put some good excitement behind it to push me forward.

Quick Witchcraft

Got on ITunes, tempted by an ad for the new Florence album for cheap, ended up getting a bunch of new music. This is one of the new things.

Will blog more later, need to get in the tub. Been doing some writing. Oh, and K's Kitten Christmas went really well, not that I blogged about it because I am lazy. We had dinner out...it was so bad, what I ordered, I had to send it back. It is a rare thing, but it does happen. He got me a new portable hard drive which totally rocks and a Tom Brady action figure, which rocks just as much. I love them both. He is so sweet and his gift's said that he does know me very well. Score another one for the Big K.

Anyway, that's it for now.

Family Pirate!

Ah, so an 'After Christmas' blog. Normally, this would be where I b*tch about the disappointment of getting splendid thoughtful gifts for people and not really receiving what I wanted for Christmas. But, do you want to know something...it's not. I got every single thing I asked for, except a Dick In A Box. And really, I did even get an e-mail from Mr. Emotionally Unavailable, But Physically Available, so I think that equates to it.

Today, sister K helped me put together my office chair that I am sitting on right now and we laid out the new rug and they both are fabulous! I love them. My Tom Brady Jersey is hanging up on the closet door, in its place of severe honor. My sock monkey hat is with my coat for wearing out. On my desk is sitting my new e-reader/tablet which is charging. And the very last thing to be taken out of the box is my new Blueray player so I can hook it up to my TV. I need to get an HDMI cable for it, so it may wait a bit until Pay Day. They are all the awesomest gifts ever. I have nothing left to want.

And this is the best part, it's not even over. K's Kitten Christmas is today. He is coming over to pick me up at 3-ish and we are gonna have even more Christmas fun. I don't want to spoil it, just in case he is reading this, but on top of the two sweaters and sherpa couch blanket that I gave him early, I have something for him to unwrap and a couple little nice stocking stuffers for him. I also got his mom and dad a Christmas lighthouse, because when I was over there for Thanksgiving there were lighthouses everywhere. He said that his mom really liked it so that made me feel about ten feet tall. His general presence in my life is more than enough of a gift for Christmas (introduces me to new music all the time, sends me funny things on e-mail nearly everyday that always cheer me right up if I need it, goes out with me to the symphony and the movies, etc.) so if he did get me anything at all that is just gravy. Sweet, handsome boy.

The bestie liked my Christmas present to her, too. Even though it was too heavy to send, so I had to send her an e-mail of it. She has officially been adopted by my family, as she has recently tested her support system and they failed pretty damn miserably. That is the great part about gypsies, tramps, and thieves like we are...we will take anyone who wants to call themselves us. So, if they are still being jackasses, she's coming to my family Christmas...because she's my family now, Bitches. So, just suck on that one. I stuck a flag in the most awesome member of your family and claimed her. And I'll do it again to anyone I feel like doing it to, so just try to stop me. Call me Skanky H, Family Pirate. Arrr-r-r-rh, come with me and we shall sail the fun-time seas, spreading the unconditional love and support booty amongst us!!

Short Christmas Pictorial

Okay, this one is coffee from Starbucks. It is awesome.

As you can kind of see, R Baby is as excited about my new office chair as I am.

Another fab gift, new e-reader/tablet from K and T. They kept telling me it was a Hickory Smoked Sausage Log. Nice guys, real nice.

And this is only about half the wonderful stuff I got. I am so lucky and really blessed to have a great family who cares about me year round anyway. It makes a big difference, they make a big difference. I love them all, adopted members included, and wish everyone the most merry of holiday seasons!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, People. Drink, be merry, and alway be thankful for the wonderful people and things in our lives. More later, if I'm not too cheery to type. :)

Sock Monkey, That Funky Monkey....

So, what do you get the girl who has everything? How about an extra cool sock monkey hat! My smoke buddy, J, from work, gave this to me today for Christmas. I only got her a card, but she said she is one of those people that when they see something that reminds them of someone they just pick it up and this reminded her of me. I must kick alot more a$$ than I had at first realized if people see sock monkeys and are reminded of me. Or anything really that reminds them of me. I find that to be an incredible compliment.

Also a fun story from work today, so another of my smoke buddies tells me her kid made up a new word. This child could not decide this morning if she was cute or beautiful...so she finally decided she was 'cutiful' (pronounced cute-if-ul). I have decided to pirate the word as I have been looking around for years to find where I fit in on the beauty scale and think that this is it. I'm not totally beautiful....but, I am on occasion squarely quite cute. So, I think it is cute with a little womanly 'umph' added to it and that is what I am. Cutiful. I think much as the word 'awesome' went from actually inspiring 'awe' (as in the awesome power of a deity) to simply meaning the coolest thing ever, used as nearly daily worn out slang, that this word 'cutiful' will indeed catch on and become common place. I think it's perfect for describing those ageless Asian cuties all walking around looking cute, but not quite reaching beautiful. See, it already has a niche.

I also received all three of my de-motivational posters in the mail today and I am totally stoked to put them up in my cubicle. It looks like I will also have to bring in my other LOMA designations as a couple of co-workers caught the director in there, while I was gone, snooping in my cube looking at stuff. It is pretty darn cool in there now, but when I'm done...damn, it is going to be the place to hang out.

Still going hard on the Christmas spirit and as of tomorrow my family will all be in town. I am trying to rest up and I am going to wear my Tom Brady jersey tomorrow for some extra luck. I'm teeth chatteringly excited about presents, not to be materialistic or anything, but I love to see how wonderful and thoughtful everyone's gifts always are and I hope mine stand up and say 'Hey, I Know and Love YOU!', like they should. I very hopeful about it. It makes me wish I had more to give. :)