New Year's Eve again

Wow. Another year gone. It seems fitting to be doing a post on New Year's Eve because last year at this time was my first real post. It's funny to re-read it now. I was so unsure about this whole blogging thing a year ago. Now it seems so second nature to just type whatever I'm thinking or about whatever I'm doing. It's interesting that starting next month I'm going to be doing a blog for the professional organization I'm a part of. Go figure. Not so surprising I guess. I've always liked to hear myself talk, and to me blogging is just another form of talking to myself. It's a safe way to have opinions. Of course my personal blogs are anonymous, except to friends and family who may be reading them. My blog for the professional group won't be anonymous. It'll be interesting to see if I find that very different, besides the whole content thing. Hai, hai. The professional one can't be quite so egocentric as this one is.

Anyway I'm going to try to always do a post on New Year's Eve, so here goes.

It's been a good year. Busy, but good. And I enjoy the things I do that have made this such a busy year. This year again I have a huge number of things to be thankful for. I still have a job I love doing. I have good friends. I have my health. I'm financially sound, my retirement and investments back to what they were before the bad losses in late 2008-early 2009. That last is certainly through no effort on my part. I know less than nothing about investments. That's why I have a financial adviser. He's done well for me this year.

So let's see, how introspective should I get? I have a meeting with my boss in early January to discuss my goals and objectives for the next year. Goals, huh? Hmmmmmm. I plan to stay very active in my professional associations. I should write a paper if I can, now that the book chapters are done. I wrote 5 book chapters last year, and managed to get them all in mostly on time. I just received a copy of the first book last week that has two of the chapters in it. Two more chapters I returned the proofed galleys for two weeks ago. And the last chapter went in in October. I wonder if I should make learning to say 'no' one of my goals. Nah. I managed to get them all in. A couple of my goals for next year probably won't make my boss too happy with because they're going to involve fighting City Hall, so to speak. I want some equipment and some personnel that Administration doesn't seem to think I need. So when they show up on my goals, it will be interesting to see what my boss says. Hmmmmm. I guess I need to have a good development plan to present to her to justify what I want, and a good way of explaining why they're part of my goals. Another goal I have for next year is to train someone else to do some of the things I do. We're lacking a little depth at work since I'm the only one currently that does some things, but we've been short staffed at the county hospital too, so it's been hard to catch up on things like training since I'm covering more than usual over there.

Other goals for this next year? Personally, I should probably try to get a little exercise into my routine since I've gotten particularly bad about that. I currently have pretty good health, but some exercise would only improve it. I would say improve my diet, but that's not very realistic. I eat predominately stuff I can nuke or stuff that's fast and easy. I'm not a big fan of sweets, and that includes fruit. The only fruit I usually have in the house are grapefruit. And although I like most vegetables, I don't keep fresh vegetables nor fix them for meals. Most of my vegetables come from my mid-day meal at the hospital. So basically, a pretty bad diet. I suspect that's not going to change much because it's just too much trouble and effort to do real cooking for just myself and then have the cleanup too. I have better/other things to do.

When I consider it, for all my imperfections and flaws, I'm still an incredibly lucky person. Sometimes it's hard to know where to start being grateful. If you believe in karma, then I must have been a saint in my last life, or murdered horribly, to have stored up so much good energy for this life. It's totally believable that I have guardian deities watching over me, or watching out for me. Yeah, so if you guys are listening, you have my gratitude, and take the night off. I'm home. What trouble can I get into?

*laughing* That should be a serious jinx, except they never leave me completely alone. And anyone who doesn't know me is now backing slowly away from this blog. It's okay. You can chalk it up to the alcohol if you like. Of course I'm having a glass of wine on New Year's Eve. Really, it's okay. It's not necessary for you to believe in my guardians, as long as I do. They'll still take care of me whether other people believe in them or not.

Hmmmmmm. Let's get deeply philosophical here for a few minutes. I believe that part of what seems to be my "luck" is that I believe things will go my way and then they do. Do they really happen in my favor because I believe they will? Am I bending reality to suit me or favor me? *laughing* Yeah. Right. Put that way it sounds ridiculous. So why DO things happen in my favor? I don't really know, but I'm gonna keep believing they will. And keep being grateful to whatever agency is responsible.

Okay end of 'philosophical-this-person-is-drunk-or-nuts' talk. I'll try going back to things that are a little more normal.

Yesterday I went with my friend to see Avatar in 3D. O.O Waaaaay cool. What it lacked in original plot it more than made up in visual effects and the creation of a unique world with an alien race. It was awesome. I actually had some trouble with motion sickness though. That surprised me because I have a private pilot's certificate, and I've also never had trouble on boats. Just a bad day maybe. Or maybe I should get my eyes checked. They do seem to be increasingly light sensitive. Whatever, the movie was still awesome.

Well this post has been really scattered, but at least I got one more post in in 2009. Happy New Year and may you have a wonderful 2010.