w00t w00t booyah

Mmmm. Black-eyed peas, ham hocks and cornbread. With molasses. But I started out the day with homemade miso soup - and added hummus, baba ganoush and flatbread. It's been delightful. The three hour nap I got by accident this afternoon wasn't half bad either.

Made it to Marukai - got my lucky bags and calendar - pictures forthcoming. The non-food bag this year was particularly fine. It included a set of wine glasses, a kick-ass annoying toy to torment the cats with, one of those desktop fountains - I'll post soon. Promise.

However, it's that time again. Yup - time for the annual wrap up and predictions for next year.

You can find last year's post here.

So, how did I do?

-Better fiscal responsibility. Us first - and while it's nice to do nice things? Uh, us first.

I'd have to give this about a 50/50 - better, but still needs work. Haven't slowed down a bit on the nice things aspect, though. Have to accept some of this makes my life easier to live - just watching people struggle when I've got more than my share of good luck just doesn't let me sleep nights very well.

-Have to do something about the back house. Clear it out and take it down or something. It's not aging well.

I've gotten as-built plans drawn up on the house and have begun talks with the contractor about this - to put it lightly, this is going to be as big an investment of funds as having kids. All at once. Yeesh.

-I know where the dance classes are. Find the money and the time and get there. If there was anything I learned this year, was that my eating habits are fine. It's the amount of exercise I'm NOT getting that's keeping me between 160 and 170 (labile as fuck, BTW). Want to get lower? Been there. Wasn't fun. No big hurry to return. 150 was really nice. 140 might look strange. But I've come down from 183 to 165/170 just not sitting in traffic 6 hours a day. Add a bit more activity and things could really get interesting.

This morning, the scale said 138.6. It does look strange - but the payoffs have been more than enough to offset the weird. Exercise also did NOT play any part in it - getting exercise actually slowed the process down (hence, the lack of it that I put into the daily routine). The goal is 135 - which I suspect I'll hit someplace between here and February. Then I might consider the dance classes.

-Need to consider what would happen if my job ended suddenly. It'll be 6 years in March, and while that's nice? My job description is one of the most offshored around. Unless I want to move to India, I'm at risk.

I've had the come-to-Jesus talk with my bosses just this month on this very issue. Suffice it to say, they love me, and I'm mental to think anything else.

-I've got prepaid legal and that provides us wills. Need to get them drawn up and assign an executor. It's all about the stuff, after all. It would be nice to think somebody would want any of this stuff to remember us by, but let's get real. Most of it's only important to me because I remember somebody by it. And when I'm gone? It's junk.

Not much moved on this issue - except that I'm coming to terms with my whole "things" issue. It's an issue with me because, well? My mother has made things an issue since I can remember, after her mother passed and the nightmare that was settling her estate happened. Things are things, after all. Trying to figure out where each and every grain of sand needs to go before I leave this mortal coil - crazy making. HAVE to let go of this.

-I've had the pony. And the cookie. Neither one fixed what was broken. Quit buying or eating and get down to the root of the problem.

Beware of smoke from other fires, folks. And as much as I'd like to say everything is settled and fine? The higher the risk is on the list - the less trust I carry. Even with people who love me dearly - and I've gotten bitchsmacked over it more than once this year. I really like cookies, though. *laughs* But I also like it better when everyone else has cookies.

-Put some time aside to be creative - and have something to show for it.

Missed clean. And that HAS to change. I think this one and the one that follows this one come to together nicely - I am going to put time aside this year and work on the fan fictions I've been working on. I love doing it - frankly, a lot of the resistance I've had to actually doing it comes from the little voice in the back of my head that reminds me that Real People Don't Do This Sort Of Thing.

Fuckitall. Life continues to remind me that I'm not going to be like other people, for a list of reasons. Why keep trying to fit it all back in where it won't go?

That means the Ranma 1/2 stuff. If I get lucky, maybe I'll actually learn how to edit on the computer this year.

-Make sure I'm not selling myself short trying to please other people.

Want to adopt, this is a given. It's telling on my spirit, and see above. Enough already.

---

Okay, so how about this year?

- Better financials to show for by this time next year. I'll be able to change banks - I should also make better plans.

- I insist on visiting people this year. A bunch of them in Texas. No, I don't plan on doing conventions. Unless you have planned to do one with your friends, seeing friends at a convention is a sure thing for a very disjointed experience.

- I suspect the whole becoming a family issue will be made this year. I hope to have a placement - or be very close to it, by this time next year.

- I also expect I'll lose my mother this year. I'd love to be wrong, but so far - I haven't been. Her status just gets too precarious too quickly. I've had two other elders in my circle go into the hospital for permanent placement into care since I last posted - both expected, both for exceptionally good reasons...and I called it both times. (I really shouldn't know this...but I do and it sucks.)

- I'd like a title change at work.

- I want to add at least one more work-related skill.

- I'm going to get the fan fiction site updated, and get new stuff out there. I've paid for a DNS for three years and the webspace to go with it and only use it for images and mp3 downloads. Feh.

- I've heard from everyone in Switzerland - they want me to come visit. This has to be given some priority.

- I also need to go back and get started learning German, and the Japanese too. I like it - and I'm reasonably good at learning it.

That should keep me busy enough.

It has been a lovely holiday, overall. Hope the rest of the year is as peaceful.

Mmmm. Black-eyed peas, ham hocks and cornbread. With molasses. But I started out the day with homemade miso soup - and added hummus, baba ganoush and flatbread. It's been delightful. The three hour nap I got by accident this afternoon wasn't half bad either.

Made it to Marukai - got my lucky bags and calendar - pictures forthcoming. The non-food bag this year was particularly fine. It included a set of wine glasses, a kick-ass annoying toy to torment the cats with, one of those desktop fountains - I'll post soon. Promise.

However, it's that time again. Yup - time for the annual wrap up and predictions for next year.

You can find last year's post here.

So, how did I do?

-Better fiscal responsibility. Us first - and while it's nice to do nice things? Uh, us first.

I'd have to give this about a 50/50 - better, but still needs work. Haven't slowed down a bit on the nice things aspect, though. Have to accept some of this makes my life easier to live - just watching people struggle when I've got more than my share of good luck just doesn't let me sleep nights very well.

-Have to do something about the back house. Clear it out and take it down or something. It's not aging well.

I've gotten as-built plans drawn up on the house and have begun talks with the contractor about this - to put it lightly, this is going to be as big an investment of funds as having kids. All at once. Yeesh.

-I know where the dance classes are. Find the money and the time and get there. If there was anything I learned this year, was that my eating habits are fine. It's the amount of exercise I'm NOT getting that's keeping me between 160 and 170 (labile as fuck, BTW). Want to get lower? Been there. Wasn't fun. No big hurry to return. 150 was really nice. 140 might look strange. But I've come down from 183 to 165/170 just not sitting in traffic 6 hours a day. Add a bit more activity and things could really get interesting.

This morning, the scale said 138.6. It does look strange - but the payoffs have been more than enough to offset the weird. Exercise also did NOT play any part in it - getting exercise actually slowed the process down (hence, the lack of it that I put into the daily routine). The goal is 135 - which I suspect I'll hit someplace between here and February. Then I might consider the dance classes.

-Need to consider what would happen if my job ended suddenly. It'll be 6 years in March, and while that's nice? My job description is one of the most offshored around. Unless I want to move to India, I'm at risk.

I've had the come-to-Jesus talk with my bosses just this month on this very issue. Suffice it to say, they love me, and I'm mental to think anything else.

-I've got prepaid legal and that provides us wills. Need to get them drawn up and assign an executor. It's all about the stuff, after all. It would be nice to think somebody would want any of this stuff to remember us by, but let's get real. Most of it's only important to me because I remember somebody by it. And when I'm gone? It's junk.

Not much moved on this issue - except that I'm coming to terms with my whole "things" issue. It's an issue with me because, well? My mother has made things an issue since I can remember, after her mother passed and the nightmare that was settling her estate happened. Things are things, after all. Trying to figure out where each and every grain of sand needs to go before I leave this mortal coil - crazy making. HAVE to let go of this.

-I've had the pony. And the cookie. Neither one fixed what was broken. Quit buying or eating and get down to the root of the problem.

Beware of smoke from other fires, folks. And as much as I'd like to say everything is settled and fine? The higher the risk is on the list - the less trust I carry. Even with people who love me dearly - and I've gotten bitchsmacked over it more than once this year. I really like cookies, though. *laughs* But I also like it better when everyone else has cookies.

-Put some time aside to be creative - and have something to show for it.

Missed clean. And that HAS to change. I think this one and the one that follows this one come to together nicely - I am going to put time aside this year and work on the fan fictions I've been working on. I love doing it - frankly, a lot of the resistance I've had to actually doing it comes from the little voice in the back of my head that reminds me that Real People Don't Do This Sort Of Thing.

Fuckitall. Life continues to remind me that I'm not going to be like other people, for a list of reasons. Why keep trying to fit it all back in where it won't go?

That means the Ranma 1/2 stuff. If I get lucky, maybe I'll actually learn how to edit on the computer this year.

-Make sure I'm not selling myself short trying to please other people.

Want to adopt, this is a given. It's telling on my spirit, and see above. Enough already.

---

Okay, so how about this year?

- Better financials to show for by this time next year. I'll be able to change banks - I should also make better plans.

- I insist on visiting people this year. A bunch of them in Texas. No, I don't plan on doing conventions. Unless you have planned to do one with your friends, seeing friends at a convention is a sure thing for a very disjointed experience.

- I suspect the whole becoming a family issue will be made this year. I hope to have a placement - or be very close to it, by this time next year.

- I also expect I'll lose my mother this year. I'd love to be wrong, but so far - I haven't been. Her status just gets too precarious too quickly. I've had two other elders in my circle go into the hospital for permanent placement into care since I last posted - both expected, both for exceptionally good reasons...and I called it both times. (I really shouldn't know this...but I do and it sucks.)

- I'd like a title change at work.

- I want to add at least one more work-related skill.

- I'm going to get the fan fiction site updated, and get new stuff out there. I've paid for a DNS for three years and the webspace to go with it and only use it for images and mp3 downloads. Feh.

- I've heard from everyone in Switzerland - they want me to come visit. This has to be given some priority.

- I also need to go back and get started learning German, and the Japanese too. I like it - and I'm reasonably good at learning it.

That should keep me busy enough.

It has been a lovely holiday, overall. Hope the rest of the year is as peaceful.