The Closing Of The Year

This is going to sound retarded, but I was looking at Twitter a little while ago and was wondering why people were talking about what was going on and where they were ten years ago today.  Like, how am I supposed to remember where I was some random day ten years ago.  Then it hit me that today is New Year's Eve.  I was completely oblivious to it.  Even though I purposely hit the supermarket last night to avoid all of the last minute shoppers. 

I'm sure a big reason I was oblivious was because I ran out this morning and finally bought a Wii.  Ken decided we had to have one because it's the only thing that is going to help him lose weight.  He came to this conclusion after his Weight Watchers meeting last night when everyone there was talking about the Wii, how they work up a sweat with it, how it helps them get active, etc.  That, and the Wii was a big part in the weight loss of a couple of friends of mine and it's been stuck in Ken's mind since.  So I headed out first thing this morning, expecting to have to make a few stops before finding one.  It's the week after Christmas, after all.  Our local Best Buy was sold out (Ken found out last night when he stopped in hopes of finding one after his meeting.)  But my first stop was Target and it was in stock.  I spent most of the afternoon playing both the Wii Sports that comes with it and the Wii Fit.  It really humbled me.  I thought I was in much better shape (and coordination) than I really am.  I may be thin and fierce and chic, but I ain't got no muscles.

I suppose the point of most New Year's Eve blog postings is reflection on the year (or the decade) that has just passed.  I really suck at posts like that because my memory is terrible.  Just awful.  If it didn't happen in the last few days, it's all blurred into a great big giant heap of memory.  This year was a little different, though.  I have quite a few strong memories of what went on in 2009.  In no particular order, here are my highlights of 2009.

• The Cruise - Probably because that's still fresh in my memory.  I really didn't think that I was going to be able to allow myself to relax on vacation.  A typical vacation for me is all GO-GO-GO.  We do Disney every year and I come home exhausted because I feel the need to be on the go from the second I wake up to the second I collapse.  I'm looking forward to my next cruise vacation.  We want to go next December, but Ken notified me the other night that he can't wait that long.  He wants to go on two in 2010.  

• Austin - It was my first vacation on my own since Ken and I got together 15 years ago.  Going to Austin was the highpoint of my entire year.  I can't thank (F)reddy enough for taking me into his home for what must have felt like months for him (and minutes for me) and allowing me to be a part of his family.  We'd only spent one brief afternoon together before the Austin trip, so he really had no clear idea of what he was getting into.  Poor guy.  Austin also gave me the opportunity to see old friends again (Holly, Melanie, Gregg) and meet others in person for the first time (Diane, Joe, Kim, Mandie).  I'm sure I've left someone off the list and I'll hear about it.

• Orlando - The annual pilgrimage.  It's really become a different kind of vacation in the last couple of years now that I know people in the Orlando area.  I had so much fun hanging out with Kevin & Michael, Ryan & Scott, Jaime & Jason, Ricky & Nichole.  Another highlight of this trip was actually having an entire day to myself.  No friends, no Ken.  I wore myself out, but it was worth it.  I did both EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom.

• The House - As I've talked about on and off this year, we're getting ready to sell our house and (hopefully) upgrade.  While all the house stuff hasn't been the happiest of things for me, it's been a huge part of 2009.  Really, it didn't start to sink in until I got back from Austin in August.  While I was away, Ken had our disaster of a master (if you can call something that small a master) bathroom gutted and redone.  I now understand the reaction of people on all those home improvement shows when they first see their remodeled rooms.  Our bathroom is still beautiful.  BEAUTIFUL.  I still can't believe it's mine.  Same thing with the floors in my house.  They were so nasty before and now they look absolutely amazing to me.  I can't believe they're the same floors.  The house preparations has forced us to purge a lot of the stuff we've been dragging behind us from move to move.  In the new house, we want to start fresh with most stuff.  It's amazing how much clutter you can accumulate over the years.  It's very hard for someone like me to purge stuff, but I know I have to do it.  I can't believe I actually sold off 1/3 of my comic book collection.  And even bigger, I can't believe how good it felt to have the books gone.  We still have a lot to do before we put the house on the market.  I'm dreading every bit of it, but the end result is going to be magical.

• Music - It's rare that I don't have music playing.  With the exception of meetings, I have headphones on at work every second of every day.  I'm a whore for new music.  Love it.  Some of 2009's highlights for me were Bad Lieutenant - Never Cry Another Tear, Shirley Bassey - The Performance, Gary Go - Gary Go,  both Glee soundtracks, The Gossip - Music For Men, Indigo Girls - Poseidon And The Bitter Bug, Ingrid Michaelson - Everybody, Jill Sobule - The California Years, Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted, La Roux - La Roux, Lady GaGa - The Fame Monster, Landon Pigg - The Boy Who Never, Madness - The Liberty Of Norton Folgate, Neko Case - The Middle Cyclone, Placebo - Battle For The Sun, Röyksopp - Junior, Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio, and so many others.

• My (Formerly) Fat Ass - I hit my goal weight in August of 2008.  August of 2009 made it a year at that weight.  Tonight makes it a full calendar year at my goal.  And because I'm neurotic, I have records that I can refer back to.  I started 2009 at 188.8 lbs.  This morning I weighed in at 191.8.  I'm so damn proud of myself, I can't even begin to describe it.

• Medical - I had a slightly more active year than normal when it comes to medical type things.  Nothing too major, but definitely more active.  I needed a crown on one of my back teeth.  While that was fine and dandy, it didn't fix the problem I was (and am still) having with the tooth.  It's livable right now and I'll have it taken care of sometime soon, but not now.  I had a sciatic attack unlike any that I'd ever had before in my life.  It was terrible.  The most painful thing I think I've ever felt.  I also finally had my two remaining wisdom teeth removed.  I don't recommend waiting until your mid-40's to do something like this if at all possible.  I still feel a little discomfort almost a month and a half later, but that's typical, I'm told, of someone my age.  I also managed to get sick while I was at Disney.  It was a bad flu and it took me a little while to get over it, but I did (and then passed it along to Ken.)  Don't know if it was H1N1 related or not, but it was bad enough that I ended up at the doctor's office, something I try to avoid if at all possible. 

I have to say that 2009 was a fantastic year for me.  Honestly, until I sat down to write this, I never really gave it much thought.  Here's hoping 2010 is even better for me and for everyone who reads this.