Starting fresh
So, it's officially New Year's Eve. Unlike many people, I've never put a whole lot of stock into NYE as a reflection for the year to come. I'm also not much of a partier, so the thought of staying up late and getting trashed has never particularly appealed to me. Perhaps this is because I spent most of my formative partying years in NYC, where trying to get back from NYE parties can be a herculean task as taxis love to switch their lights to "off duty" and use that as an excuse to only take people who are driving short distances within Manhattan. A few years of standing out in 10 degree weather in a little black dress watching as cab after cab would refuse to take us down to the WTC Path train and having to decide whether to keep on trying or whether I should give up and brave the drunken leers I would get on the subway caused me to develop a fondness for intimate dinners at home. And as I've gotten older, staying up late seems like more of a punishment than a reward. I've happily turned in around 10pm the past few years, and never thought twice about it.
This year, however, has seemed like a far different beast. Almost everyone I know has struggled throughout 2011. Many loved ones have passed away, and others are in extremely stressful circumstances. Our household has been on hold for a full year as we dealt with these deaths, job loss, and the damages we sustained in both the Jan/Feb snowstorms and the Oct Arborgeddon storm. We've made some progress in our personal lives that we can feel proud about--I'm back in school and D is getting a lot done on his film--but with so much emotional energy being needed to deal with the major crises, there have been times it felt like the universe has been toying with us like a little boy frying ants with a magnifying glass. D and I are both more than ready to close the door on our annus horribilus, and start fresh on a new year.
The nice thing is that it actually feels like things are starting to turn in our favor. We've had some money put aside for over a year for some fixes around the house, and now we are finally able to move forward on them. First up we bought some new flooring for the majority of rooms (minus the kitchen and bathroom), and we have a small budget for buying a new couch and chair for our living room. (We'll also do some painting and maybe 1 or 2 other small cosmetic fixes) We also have had some money put aside for upgrading our iPhones, and in the course of trying to find them, we ended up getting an unheard of $30/phone discount. Seriously, I couldn't believe my eyes when we stumbled onto that deal!! As we were heading home flush with happiness over that score, we also managed to find two bottles of a hard to find Sam Adams special brew, called "Infinium". I'd driven around to about 10 different liquor stores pre X-mas, but couldn't find it anywhere. Naturally it was at D's favorite liquor store--the one I'd mistakenly assumed wouldn't have it because I thought he'd have seen it there! And finally, on the job front, I've had a couple of interviews percolate. Nothing further to report, but at least I feel like there's some movement in the local market.
So, today we will go see a movie or two, maybe do a little couch shopping, and end the night raising a glass of Infinium to bid an overly enthusiastic farewell to 2011, and open our arms warmly to the promise of 2012. A night not as perfect as sharing it with ALL of our loved ones, but pretty damn good considering what we've made it through!
This year, however, has seemed like a far different beast. Almost everyone I know has struggled throughout 2011. Many loved ones have passed away, and others are in extremely stressful circumstances. Our household has been on hold for a full year as we dealt with these deaths, job loss, and the damages we sustained in both the Jan/Feb snowstorms and the Oct Arborgeddon storm. We've made some progress in our personal lives that we can feel proud about--I'm back in school and D is getting a lot done on his film--but with so much emotional energy being needed to deal with the major crises, there have been times it felt like the universe has been toying with us like a little boy frying ants with a magnifying glass. D and I are both more than ready to close the door on our annus horribilus, and start fresh on a new year.
The nice thing is that it actually feels like things are starting to turn in our favor. We've had some money put aside for over a year for some fixes around the house, and now we are finally able to move forward on them. First up we bought some new flooring for the majority of rooms (minus the kitchen and bathroom), and we have a small budget for buying a new couch and chair for our living room. (We'll also do some painting and maybe 1 or 2 other small cosmetic fixes) We also have had some money put aside for upgrading our iPhones, and in the course of trying to find them, we ended up getting an unheard of $30/phone discount. Seriously, I couldn't believe my eyes when we stumbled onto that deal!! As we were heading home flush with happiness over that score, we also managed to find two bottles of a hard to find Sam Adams special brew, called "Infinium". I'd driven around to about 10 different liquor stores pre X-mas, but couldn't find it anywhere. Naturally it was at D's favorite liquor store--the one I'd mistakenly assumed wouldn't have it because I thought he'd have seen it there! And finally, on the job front, I've had a couple of interviews percolate. Nothing further to report, but at least I feel like there's some movement in the local market.
So, today we will go see a movie or two, maybe do a little couch shopping, and end the night raising a glass of Infinium to bid an overly enthusiastic farewell to 2011, and open our arms warmly to the promise of 2012. A night not as perfect as sharing it with ALL of our loved ones, but pretty damn good considering what we've made it through!