I'm a bit late to the party for the 2009 roundup post, but better late than never. Last year was not kind to me in many ways. My company eliminated bonuses and merit increases; they also downsized. My boss and our administrative assistant were let go. The other manager and I were offered the following choice: relocate to Atlanta or take a severance package. We both moved.
The move was painful, from the apartment hunting to the actual move itself. If you've been reading here for any time, you already know this. Just check out my posts in July to see what I was grappling with. I was in a bad state emotionally from March through August (notification of the move through the move itself), and if not for my family/friends/all of you, I don't know that I would have made it through. When I started to recover, my car died and I had to replace it. Just when I got my feet under myself again from that, I found out Willi (my 18.5 year old dachshund) was dying of prostrate cancer, and I had to have him put to sleep.
These are the things I remember most about 2009.
However, that's not to say that the whole year was entire misery. I did get a raise when I decided to move, and the relocation was paid for. This meant that I had enough money to pay for the move and to get new furniture/appliances. My things were fourteen years old (the amount of time I was in my old apartment) and showing their age. I still have lots of stuff, but I threw away/gave away lots and lots and lots of stuff I was hanging on to that was no damned good.
I have a lovely new apartment that is bigger and nicer than my old one. I live in a great community that is very responsive to tenants and much closer to the office. I live in an area with more conveniences, an area that is kept up more rigorously, than I've been accustomed to.
The office environment is much more laid back, and people are generally nicer and more supportive/empathetic. I've been given a lot more responsibility, and while that translates into more work/stress, it's a challenge, and that's what I like to face when I go into the office.
I have a new car, the first new car I've ever purchased, and that's just a dream. I also have a new puppy, Ripley. She's a bit less of a dream. Sometimes a loving little hound; other times a screaming terror. In short, she's a typical puppy. I've not had a puppy in decades, and that's an adjustment.
I went to DragonCon for the first time, and that was so much fun. It's something I've wanted to do for years and years, and it lived up to all my expectations. In the throng of 30,000 fans, I ran into a friend from Denmark who teaches in Ireland. Go figure. It was great being able to spend some time with him at the con. I already have my pass for next year ordered.
Without a few light spots, I suppose I would have had a total and permanent breakdown. As it was, I think I was close on many occasions. That was hard for me, since I'm used to feeling firmly grounded, having roots dug in deep so I can resist the buffeting winds. This year, my roots felt like they were clutching sand, and every breeze seemed like a gale. Each gale threatened to topple me instead of passing around and over me.
2010 started with a migraine, and I sincerely hope that marked my body purging the last remnants of 2009 from it, shoving out the lingering scraps of darkness and pain to make way for the new year.
I'm reluctant to make resolutions, since the cardinal rule of resolutions is
All resolutions are made to be broken. However, I have some goals for 2010, and I'll feel disappointed in myself if I don't manage them.
( Goals for 2010 )![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}