2007: My fair share of positives, negatives
The newspaper where I work - along with nearly every daily and weekly ink factory in the country - is printing a year in review package with capsule summaries of the year's top stories. So, as I reflect on 2007, I've compiled a personal list of the highlights and lowlights of another year gone by.
January
+ I rang in the New Year with some good friends at Eric's former apartment in New Bern. Haven't seen Eric since, though he's expected to make an appearance at my New Year's shindig tonight.
- Car repairs totaling more than $1,000 sidelined my naïve ambition of homeownership. The USDA turned me down for a first-time homebuyer loan, and no banks would offer me a mortgage I could afford.
February
+ I received four awards from the North Carolina Press Association in its 2006 journalism competition; including first place in my circulation category for general news reporting and sports feature writing.
March
- An astoundingly low tax return followed a year of high federal and state deductions.
April
+ I celebrated my 22nd birthday in the company of some loyal friends.
+ I moved out of my family's James City home and moved into a New Bern apartment with roommate Evan.
+ This unapologetic non-athlete completed a 26.2-mile walk to raise money for cancer research in the local Relay for Life. I'd written a series of newspaper columns pledging to walk a marathon in the overnight team walk.
May
+ I met a beautiful and intelligent young woman who, for some reason, enjoyed spending time with me. We started dating and later became exclusive.
+ A weekend job as a computer sales vendor allowed me to quit my unendurably awful second job as a part-time sales floor minion at Target.
June
+ My publisher offered me an opportunity to work on a special section for another newspaper in our chain. I wrote eight stories and took all the photos for a National Nurses Week tabloid.
-/+ The girl I was dating decided she still had feelings for her ex-boyfriend. They got back together and soon became engaged. He makes her giddy, and I'm happy for them.
July
- I learned that I wouldn't be promoted to editor of the paper where I work. With only a couple years' experience, I knew I'd be a longshot, but I made it to the final round of interviews.
August
- My vendor job was eliminated at month's end because the company's client didn't renew its initial three-month contract. I started looking for a new second job.
September
+ I served on a superior court jury that awarded $1.875 million in damages to a man who was injured in an auto accident. The trial lasted three days.
+ Wal-Mart hired me to stock produce part-time on evenings and weekends. It was a lousy job, but paid about $2 an hour more than Target.
October
+ I asked my best friend if she'd ever consider dating me. She said she'd think about it, and I was full-sail brimming with hope.
+ A temporary third job surfaced, and I agreed to begin collecting retail store data for a New York real estate company. I'd later receive $501 for a handful of store visits.
November
- My best friend said she couldn't picture us together. I wish I could stop picturing it.
+ I was hired for another vendor job, allowing me to let my employment at Wal-Mart lapse, which is exactly what I did. Instead of formally quitting, I just stopped showing up.
+ Thanksgiving dinner with the relatives helped me feel at home in a town I wasn't sure I wanted to call home for much longer.
December
+ A potentially good thing happened career-wise. Can't say anything else right now, most people already know what I'm referring to.
- I gained about 10 pounds in the last couple months. Too much boredom and too little physical activity will do that, but that's a pendulum I should be able to reverse.
+ As 2007 winds down, I'm set to toast the new year with some good vodka, great friends and mid-shelf champagne. Can't ask for much more, I suppose.