2010, Adieu.

It's been a comically long time since I posted anything, but it's the end of another year, so here I am. Leaving my thoughts to the internet, sending them into the nether reaches of cyberspace. I'm not even sure what I want to say. Maybe that's why I post so rarely.

2010 was pretty good to me. Nothing big initiated, but a lot of things continued and developed beautifully. It's been a year of trade-offs and give-and-take. I'm working a job I don't necessarily like, but it provides me opportunities I couldn't otherwise attain, and it's not hard or too time-consuming. I'm in a place I love surrounded by people who love me, but I miss a lot of friends who are far away. My social life leaves a lot to be desired, but then again I've always been sort of a semi-recluse. But I have an awesome dog and an amazing, beautiful girlfriend. Lots of family around and I live in Beer City USA. That can't hurt, right?

I took some fun trips with Megan this year. We camped in the snow at the beach, rafted in whitewater and were assaulted by manatees. We laid in the sun and splashed in the surf, spent some great times with family and friends, though those times always ended too soon. We ate some great food.

Subject change.
I've always had a restless spirit. I don't like to stay in the same place for too long. I tend to like variety and change and newness. My time in Black Mountain has been changing me, though. Megan has been changing me, planting my feet a little, so to speak. I'm happy here, though as I mentioned earlier I'm not really enjoying my job that much. I do like working in the restaurant industry, but it's just this particular incarnation that I don't like, I guess. Or maybe it's the B&B side of it I don't like. Possibly I would be happier if I didn't live on site. Whatever the reason, I'm not really certain what, I'd rather be doing something else. I've recently developed an interest in being a butcher. I'm gonna explore this a bit more, I don't think anyone I've told is nearly as excited about it as I am, but I think it could be something I would really get into. We'll see, I'm not even sure of how to go about it.

This entry ended up different than I intended when it started, but that's the way a lot of my life goes.


Goodbye, 2010. I'm leaving you very happy, all things considered. Spiritually I'm developing new thoughts and ideas that I'm quite excited about, and things are advancing wonderfully with Megan. What else do you suppose I could need?

Drunky

Pink elephants are usually a sign you've been drinking a bit too much. But the BBC published a report here of a young calf in Africa, and it's pretty durn pink.

Cute little thing. Or maybe I'm just tipsy.

Bit of change for the blog layout, added a picture to the header and changed my profile some. Every so often it's nice to switch things around. It's good for the soul.

I don't have a job anymore. It's going to be difficult to get a new one, too. Well, maybe not quite as hard as I'm making it seem, but I don't want just any job, and really I'd rather not have one than have one that I don't like. Doesn't seem worth it to me. Meanwhile, it's lucky I have some money left.

It's been cold for Knoxville the past few days. High 'teens a lot of days, but I hear we might break the freezing mark today. Neat-o. All this is really doing is making me wish I was in Colorado. Earlier this week there were slopestyle and halfpipe competitions on tv, and it really made me long to go skiing, even if just at Ober Gatlinburg. Sigh.

'09-in-Advance

It's only fair to counter yesterday's review of 2008 with an introduction to 2009, so here goes. I can't predict the future yet, so I don't have a whole lot to share about what will actually happen. We get a new President in a couple weeks. Ostensibly that will bring big changes, but only time will tell.

This year I want to do a few things differently, add a couple habits to my life, and maybe delete some as well. I want to read more poetry. I want to practice more yoga. I'd like to get into rock climbing. I plan to worry less. I want to take more pictures. I hope to further develop my theology. I will write more. I want to practice my harmonica, and possibly buy a banjo. I want to make life better for others every day. I'll try to be a better friend and keep in touch with those I love and miss.

Happy New Year.

'08-in-Review

Oy, what a year.

Hard to believe it's nearly the New Year again. Seems just yesterday we were auld lang syne-ing it up for 2007, and now '08 is passing us by. Been an eventful 365 days, eh? I know it has for me.

Started the year in Colorado with 50 feet of snow and the best slacker job ever. Moved home in April and got an apartment in Knoxvegas with Travis and Drew. Spent the summer moping around and getting seriously sucked into some wild conspiracy theories and other nonsense. I didn't actually have a job from April until November, so I burned through some major savings keeping myself alive and fed. Well, that and other expenses. Bought a motorcycle in late June I think it was, and enjoyed that for the summer, taking a few trips here and there and saving a good bit of money on gas prices that were frankly astronomical.

For much of the year, I was struggling mightily with existential and spiritual questions that would not let me be. I was incredibly lucky to have the resources to hash these out on my own time, and I ended up with answers that were even better than I could have imagined before. In August I had a life-changing spiritual experience that very likely will powerfully shape the rest of my life; I know it has affected the last 4 months in ways I still can hardly believe.

I met a girl this year. Sarah is wonderful. She grew up very differently than me and my conservative, sheltered childhood. She has a 7-year-old son to care for, and multiple tattoos, but she also has the most beautiful soul, even though she usually doesn't want you to know it. I think she is amazing.

Not having a job for 7 months, at 25 years old, was by turns wonderful and incredibly stressful. Expectations from the World Around Me had me believing I was shiftless, lazy, and incapable if I didn't have a job. My soul told me I shouldn't work if I didn't have to, so I was torn between the two sides for much of the year. 2008 was quite a learning experience, one I am very glad for having gone through, but also one I don't really want to experience again.

::edit:: All this and nothing about the 2008 craziness of the World Around Me? How could I forget? Economic crisis, the Olympics, presidential election cycle, war, scandal, triumph and defeat... This was certainly a year for the history books.

dream job

I believe I found my dream job. Problem is, it's in San Francisco. Here is a link to the craigslist ad, but it won't be there more than a week tops. It's a Grocery Specialist in Cheese Plus, a boutique grocery in Russian Hill. Damn. I just realized I'm not cool enough to work there. Still, I think it's badass.

::edit 11.30.08:: I got a job at American Eagle, so now I don't have to work in San Francisco. That's for the best, I think.

VOTE

I voted.

No line, no hassles, no voting-machine error. Just a nice exercising of my civic duty and right.

Now we wait to see who wins, and what happens to our country once it's all over.

God help us. I hope we can all get along.