Thursday, January 01, 2009

365 Recap/365 Preview

So 2008 has come to a close. All in all it was a pretty good year. I can't complain too much. There is something about the New Year that always seems to put me in a sour mood. But as with the majority of people I am getting over it, looking back at year behind me and wondering about the year head. So let me start with the 365 recap.

2008 "Hi-Lo"

2008 High Times
*Quit my very good but un-fulling job as an assistant manager at a retail store
*Went on a Mexican cruise
*Found a kick ass job as a graphic designer
*Bought a grown up / dream car: The Mustang
*Went to my first ever press check for my very first "national" ad
2008 Low Moments
*Gained 30lbs when I went from my active to sedentary job
*Helped one of my best friends move over 800 miles away
*The 1 year anniversary of Emerson's death
*Spent the last seven weeks thinking, "this is the week they are going to lay me off at work."

So like I said, I had a pretty good year. There were some low moments that made me wonder if what I was doing and where I was going were right. But the high times were more than enough to get me through. So what's coming in the year ahead? Who knows, but I do have a few "goals" (did you notice how I avoided calling them resolutions) for the up coming year. It's about as close as I'll get to a 365 preview.

2009 Goals

*Renew my passport (so one of my 2010 goals can be to leave the country on vacation)
*Get healthy (as in lose the 30 lbs I gained last year plus some)
*Grow my fingernails out again (the stress of the potential job loss pretty much ruined them)
*Read at least 20 books (yes that is how many books I have on my night stand right now)
*Finish a printed portfolio ('cause I am still using the one I did in college)
*Complete an all encompassing self promotion package (which I have never really had)
*Drum up a couple of "freelance" jobs ('cause apparently having one job isn't enough)
*Work on my silk screening (being that I got the materials for my birthday and haven't done anything with them yet)
*Become more comfortable holding/shooting/handling handguns and rifles (might as well make the conversion complete)
*Get in contact/stay in better contact with my friends (this means more calls and letters...get ready for annoying)
*Maintain all six of my blogs (I currently only maintain one and a half)
*Once again start keeping a hand written journal (and collect all my digital stuff and get it into printed form)

That seems like a pretty good list. If I keep par for the course I'll do good on about a third of them and tank on the rest. If I am lucky though I'll make progress on all of them. Which is all I can really ask for.
2009 potential motto: "Just maintain the forward momentum"

Happy New Year!!!

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