Year in Review - 2008
It's been a hectic year.
- I gave up alcohol (except for one last salute to The Big Lebowski on the big screen back in February). The typical reaction I get from telling someone this while declining a beer is "Sorry, I didn't know!", as if they've just tried to knock me off the wagon. While I definitely had my moments where I became a total jerk when I got really bombed, that tended to be a less-than-once-a-year event. I never felt out of control with my alcohol consumption, but I didn't really enjoy the next day feeling of exhaustion it inevitably brought (or the empty calories it packed on). Seeing others around me deal with their own dependence issues soured me to drinking as well. I haven't missed it much.
- Seeing Mike Doughty in concert was definitely one of the high points of the first half of 2008. The solo, acoustic show in a venue as intimate as The Social really made the experience one to remember. His live album in the same vein, Smofe and Smang, has become a staple in my car's CD player.
- Back in 2002, I realized how miserable I was down in SoFla with Tammy going to school 3 hours away. I decided that quitting my job at Citrix (where I could have easily lived out my entire corporate career) and moving up to Orlando with no job lined up was worth the risk. It took 2 months of searching, but I finally found a place at a young software shop in June of 2002. After nearly 6 years of working there, I developed some very strong friendships with many of my coworkers. Seeing most of those friends get sacked during corporate belt-tightening earlier this year was easily the lowest point of 2008 for me. Everyone landed on their feet though and all's well that ends well, I guess.
- Losing most of my friends in the layoffs made it much easier to cut the cord and strike out on my own. I quit my job toward the middle of 2008 and started doing independent software development and consulting. For the first month or so, I had a nagging fear that I was making a horrible mistake and wouldn't be able to support myself or Tammy. Eight months later I couldn't be happier with my decision. The work is exciting and more meaningful, my morning commute went from 14 miles one-way to 50 feet round-trip, and my time is my own. Overall, I'm probably working the same or more hours than I did at my last job, but it's on my own terms and (for the most part) when I want. A lot of my hours are put in early mornings on the weekends when Tammy's not awake yet and I've got nothing better to do.
- Tammy and I started doing 5Ks again this year. We managed to get in 5 since August and even squeezed in a tougher 5 Miler. We already have 3 scheduled for the first 2 months of next year. My times haven't been that great, but I did manage to hit one of my revised New Year's Resolutions... I was *FINALLY* not last (race results) in my division for a race.
- And of course, the highest point, getting married last month. The whirlwind of activity involved in planning and executing a wedding with six weeks notice was a nice counterpoint to twelve and a half years of courtship. The ceremony was short, simple, and every part of it was meaningful to us. My family grew by approximately eleventy billion people when taking into account all of Tammy's extended family. That it all happened right around Thanksgiving just gave me more to be thankful for.