2010... And Welcome To It

Not a good year, I’d say. I learned a lot of lessons about people (they will turn on you in a split second if it suits their personal interests), trust (NEVER AGAIN), money (the only thing that has any real meaning in the world), and dreams (better off without ‘em). It has been enlightening.

2010 was one of my worst health years ever, and spent too much time not doing much because of that.

This was our very tightest financial year ever, due to a major client not delivering on promised work and my not finding a job.

Work came and went for Tom. Not a lot came or went for me.

A friend of Tom’s, who he’d known for 35 years, killed herself by stepping off the nearby St. Johns Bridge.

We had to say “goodbye” to our wonderful friend, Bruno in late autumn. I look for him every day still.

I got rid of my lying piece-of-shit step-brother (he was living in his broken-down VW van in our driveway) the day after Tom’s friend died, and none too soon. It was very dramatic in a hillbilly-class kind of way, and there was a lot of yelling and implements and objects flying. I figured it was the least I could do for Tom, and it was much appreciated by our neighbors, as well.

I found out once and for all that it doesn’t matter how good your art portfolio is, if you are not rich you are NOT going to art school. Would have been nice of Oregon College of Art and Craft to have been upfront with me about that.

Tom and I had to sell all our small original art collection to pay 2009's taxes. I have no idea how we will pay for 2010's and beyond.

I lost a friend due to ethics and dishonor -- his, not mine. Guess it wasn’t much of a friendship after all.

We had to go into debt to replace our dead (mine) and failing (Tom's) computers.

There were bright spots, though.

Because of being under the weather a lot, I was able to read just a whole slew of books, more than I’d gotten to read in many years. I also discovered the obvious, that reading and cooking are mutually compatible, once everything is either sizzling quietly or is on the simmer.

I went to WonderCon in San Francisco and visited good friends and their lovely cats, which is always a treat. I also saw my M.D. there and got enough free samples of Rx drugs to keep me alive during this very lean year.

I was privileged to work on an amazing still Top Secret project with a noted photographer and a wonderful writer, which will be made public sooner than later. I learned a lot doing it, and it was great fun in general.

We said “hello” to two new cats, Ernesto and Mr. Darcy, in October and November, former ferals and now cats in the house. I thought I’d never get the chance to win over and tame any more wild cats, and I’m grateful I had one more chance to to that. They sleep with and on top of us and are much better mannered than some of the other cats who live here.

In November I completely surprised myself by not only signing up for National Novel Writing Month, but actually going the distance and completing my 50,000 words.

Because there are a couple of convenient discount cinemas nearby, Tom and I got to see quite a few movies, and that was lovely.

I did more artwork than I did last year, and am only 1 1/2 pieces from finishing my 2010 Bead Journal Project, which I will complete sometime in early January. Because of having to put together a portfolio for the art school, I rediscovered my love of drawing, and I’ll be spending time with that in the coming year, I’m sure.

We learned how to really stretch out our money, and generally got by until the computers had to be replaced. BUT we now have shiny almost-new computers that work swell and that we like a lot.

Just last week Tom found a couple of long-lost boxes of CDs, and I was able to rediscover some of my favorite recordings that I had thought were gone, gone, gone.

New Year’s Resolutions? Nope. The resolution I make every year is to make no resolutions. Life has so many tricks and surprises that resolution making seems a pointless thing to do. I’ll just keep going on and see what happens next.

I hope 2010 was a decent year for y’all and that 2011 will be Ass-kicking FANTASTIC for all!