So 2007 is quickly approaching the grave, and 2008 is getting ready to be thrust from the loins of time. I figured that this was a good opportunity to reflect on the year past, and look forward to the year ahead and all of that sentimental character building stuff.

2007 was a tough year for me. Probably the toughest one I've ever had. There were only three very high points in a vast, turbulent sea of really bad, rotten, no good things. I'm a pretty positive person, who always keeps trudging along and I always manage to make things work, but even this year got to me, and I've spent the last few months just really struggling with things.

Although the bad things outnumbered the good ones exponentially, the good ones were exceptionally good. I graduated with two degrees, I moved on to my next step in education with surprisingly little hitches, and situation that has been hard on everyone in my family for almost six years was happily resolved. I also end this year more financially secure then I've been in a long time, which is a huge positive to enter this next year with. Plus, I've got an amazing house that I love, and jaw-droppingly awesome landlords who I will be genuinely sad to part with when the time comes for me to move for Med School.

Many things were lost this year, or had major changes, but the truth is that I don't miss any of them. I think the never ending frustration of the year compiling on itself with no end that bothered me, rather then what was going on at the time.

I'm very glad to be free of so many entanglements and excited to move on to the next set of things that will be a challenge for me. I guess I'm a sucker for punishment.

Last year at this time I posted a list of the things I hoped to accomplish this year, I crossed off the ones I did

L.O.S.T I.T (List of stuff to do in two-thousand-and-seven)

• Learn to knit. I kind of did, but not really. I am crocheting a scarf, which isn't knitting so it doesn't count.
  
  
• Travel out of the state. I went to Navada
  
  
• Travel out of the country. I'm going to next year
  
  
• Five things off the 'Before I Die' list. I did stuff. That's a lame explanation, but it's what you're getting for now.
  
  
• Jeans. Hah! Take that!
  
  
• Sit on a jury. Not a single summons :(
  
  
• Write my will. I really need to do this.
  
  
• Graduate. I have two, let's see how many I can get before I die.
  
  
• Go Mini Golfing. AH!
  
  
• Finish a novel NOT connected to NaNo. I finished a NaNo novel though, that's something.
  
  
• Take a very long road trip. I want to this year.
  
  
• Make a quilt. It's tiny. I want to do a full sized one this year.
  
  
• Take Japanese lessons. I have to, since OSU has decided I need a language now after all.

I was right by the way, I didn't get a single jury summons at all. However, I did mark a good bit off, and I did a ton of things that I didn't put on my list that I really enjoyed.

Am I making a list this year? Yes and no, I have some things I want to do, but I feel more like a list is demanding I do it, and not leaving it open for me to add or remove things. Also, a list kind of leaves me popping myself at the end of the year for not finishing things like I told myself I would.

Instead, I have some general things that I'd like to accomplish this year. They include things like finishing a novel for submission, being more dedicated to WilWord and my blog, finishing up this leg of school, getting more volunteering hours in, managing my total health better (because I totally don't), get my passport, do something fun with my hair, and other stuff like that. I'd also like to get involved with some projects like 365 (on Flickr) and reopen my website.

Also, I'd like to go mini golfing. Yes, this is a hint.

I feel like it's more important this next year to really start working on making myself happy, rather then pulling myself in a million directions for other people. I can be a nice, kind, caring person without sacrificing my own sanity and well being.

I've already started on making 2008 a great year for myself. In honor of taking care of my total health, I've signed up for Tai Chi. My first lesson is in a little over a week. I'm really excited. I've been wanting to learn for a really long time, and it's nice to do something for myself for a change.

Am I nervous about next year? Yeah I'm really flippin' nervous. It's funny because it's not like I'm doing anything I haven't done before, but change always makes me nervous. If this year was any proof, however, next year is not going to be anything I can't handle.

HotD:

Ode to '07.
You were mean and tough and hard,
But thanks anyway.

I started this post about six million times since Christmas, but because Guido was having pluming problems thanks to an external hard drive that messed him up, I was more preoccupied with fixing that then I was with posting.

I did a system restore, and he seems to be working fine, but for a while there he wouldn't start in normal or safe mode without completely locking up in about a minute or two. I finally got him into safe mode to do the restore, and so far so good. I hope that whatever icky bits he gobbled up on Christmas got out of his system and he'll stay working fine from now on.

My Christmas was really great this year, which was what I needed after the year I've had. My brother and sis-in-law came up on Sunday and stayed through Thursday. Sav came on Christmas Eve and stayed until late Christmas afternoon, because her family doesn't celebrate and we decided she needed a Christmas.

I snagged some good stuff, including a huge box of dark chocolates and a bar of French dark chocolate (Thanks Mar!), a crocus growing set, a new pair of PJ's, some people and houses for my Winter village, a Christmas carousel, a couple of nice jar candles, a watch and bracelet set from John, Lost the board game, and one of those cool human bodies that's all lit up that comes all apart with removable organs. I'm the most excited about that one. I am pretty sure that armed with the knowledge it has given me, I don't even need to go to Med school. It even comes with a little metal scalpel, I'm totally set. Who's first?

I cooked dinner, a pretty traditional Christmas dinner, and it all came out really well. Well enough that there was really nothing in terms of left overs the next day, and I didn't poison anyone. That for me means that I must have done something right, or people were really really hungry.

The most exciting part of Christmas this year? It snowed. Woo! It didn't stick, but for most of the day there were large flurries of fluffy stuff spewing down from the sky. I'm a dork, it made me happy.

Stanley The Tree (yes, he got named. No, it wasn't by me for once) got pulled out yesterday and he was laid to rest in the recycling bin. I packed up all my Christmas decorations and put them back in storage. I usually leave everything up until after New Years, but because I go back to work on the 3rd, and then back to school on the 7th, I didn't want to run the risk of becoming lazy and not doing it until February, or until it caught on fire and burned my house down. Both of those options suck, so it was just easier to get it over with.

I hope all you Figments had a great anything you celebrate, and have a wonderful New Year, since that's just around the corner.

HotD:

December flew by,
Fluttering snowflakes and lights,
That was a quick one.

I've got about 3 hours before I have to put on my hostess mask (and by this I mean pants, of course) and pretend to be human. I have some relatives coming in today, and then more people coming tomorrow, which I guess marks the inevitable arrival of Christmas.

I'm happy to say that this year I've completed my shopping, rapped everything, and have even started my baking, all before Christmas Eve. I'm proud of myself Figs, you should be proud of me too.

I've got to get some last minute house cleaning done (No, not my kitchen! You don't know me!) and get the beds in the guest room made up so that people have places to sleep. Other then my floor, which I swear is not as comfortable as people claim.

I'm going to take pictures of the tree today, before packages start vanishing from under it, so I can prove to certain people who don't believe me that it really is 9-feet tall, and 9-feet tall is taller then me.

HoTD:

I have a sore throat.
There are so many jokes here,
But lack voice to speak.

OSU and I are currently in a battle of wills. I'm willing them to get their act together, and they're willing me to some deserted island somewhere that doesn't have internet or phone access so I can't bug them anymore.

I'm a little (and by little I mean a ton) nervous about this next term. I just really need the next year to go really well. For once, if it's not to much to ask. Thankyouverymuch.

I meet with my academic adviser on the 7th, which amusingly enough is also the first day of classes. This makes it extra special super duper fun, because I'm currently blocked from registering for classes until I meet with him. Yay for picking your class schedule on the first day of classes.

My FA is semi-sort of straightened out. I got an E-mail back from the office today saying no my FA wasn't canceled. Seriously, it was one sentence long. I'm assuming that it means what it says, and there wasn't an unspoken 'but' at the end of it. Like 'No your FA wasn't canceled, but we'll do that right away for you.' That would be hilarity.

The dispersement stuff is saying I should be getting the grant portion of it on time. The loan part won't show up until next Neverember. I haven't even gotten the bank paperwork for my new loans yet, ten bucks says they sent it to my old address like they did my award letter. The old address I never even gave them. How they pulled it out of their asses and sent my paperwork to it I have no idea.

As long as I get my grants and can pay for the term, books and maybe ten dollars of my rent, I'll be alright. For a day or so anyway.

I go back to work for That Book Place on the 2nd. They wanted me to come back the day after Christmas, but it just didn't work out. That's okay with me, because as much as I need the extra money, I really need a week or so at home to take care of some Collective stuff. I won't be able to work full time though, because this term I need to be on campus instead of online. I'm trying to not worry about it by pretending it's not an issue I have to deal with until next year. Stupid, but it's working so far.

This whole mess is made all better by the fact that I'm having mashed potatoes for dinner. Food of the Gods, Figs. Food of the Gods.

HoTD:

My AA just laughed,
I've taken too much Bio,
For Bio degree.

I have paper cuts from wrapping paper. How sad is this?

I've been wrapping non-stop for about four days, this is because as many of you long-time Figs know, I'm the designated wrapper for many people during this time of year. So, once again, my house is full of stuff to be wrapped for others. I don't mind doing this, until it's 2 AM and I'm covered in tape and weird lint from someones slippers and I can't find the scissors and I'm talking to myself surrounded by piles of stuff to still be wrapped.

I'm done, however, so I'm all better now.

HoTD:

Mysteriousness.
I have bruises everywhere,
They are all John's fault.

Friday was my birthday, and of course like every other birthday my entire life it went by unnoticed by everyone. It was, by far, the worst birthday ever.

It is being made up for a little by a couple of people once I got home. Robin came by over the weekend and brought me a 9' Christmas tree and took me to lunch. Today Sav is coming by for lunch and a movie.

Other then the two of them, and one other happy birthday from Tif, I got nothing. No cards, no happy birthdays (not even as Emails or comments), not a single thing. I'm pretty much to the point now that I've decided to never again do anything for anyone else, because I'm so tired of having it thrown in my face how utterly unimportant I am to people who claim otherwise.

My tree is gorgeous though. 9 feet, holy crap.

Congrats Terra and Cory.

I am very happy to be home.

I'm all packed and ready to get outta Dodge, I just need to go by the bank before we leave town so I have money in there.

Yay! I'm excited.

I'm absolutely not ready to leave. Tiff and I are driving up to Portland tonight to stay up there, since our flight leaves so early in the morning. I've done nothing at all to get ready, I haven't even packed anything.

I'm just so sleepy that I can't bring myself to do much of anything. I'll be ready by the time we've got to leave, but I'll probably be nice and whiny until then.

If you want a postcard, E-mail me your address and I'll send you one.

HotD:

Happy Birthday Dos!
I hope you have a great one,
We miss you very much.

I finally got my act in gear, and now I'm just wasting a few minutes before I'm off to the second day of the Salem Holiday Show, where I'm running a booth for Robin's stained glass company.

Yesterday I was there from about 7:30 until about 6:30. It was long, and because we're in a building at the fairgrounds, it was freezing. I was also exhausted because I went directly from the hotel room that hosted the bachelor/bachlorette party for Terra and Cory to the show. I didn't sleep at all the night before, and spent a lot of time herding drunk people. At the party, not the holiday show. Although it wouldn't surprise me if there was drunk people there.

I came home last night and just crashed. The show went well though, and I'm hoping today goes just as well.

I've got to come home tonight and get started on the huge list of stuff I have to get done before I leave for Portland tomorrow night.

HotD:

I hate the flying.
I dream the plane will explode,
And I'll get sucked out.

Alright, I am a cheater and I cheated. Only sort of though!

I used Mele again, but reformatted it for a kind of new look to the layout. I can't help it, the surfing snowman and I have been buddies for a long time, and I just really enjoy this one.

I promise, next year I'll have a brand new holiday layout, but for this year, the surfer is back in town.

HotD:

So very much to do.
I'm running like a chicken,
Missing it's cute head.

You know I'm only 12 posts away from 1500? Wow. That's sad.

I need to post more, but everything I have to say will either upset/offend/hurt people and I don't feel like doing that.

So instead, you get this:

Go post to Scrine.

Happy Hanukkah :)

Would you Figs mind horribly if I used Mele again for my holiday layout? I've started about ten different layouts and I'm not happy with any of them, I need some good inspiration.

Any suggestions? I'm just not making anything that makes me fall over and want to throw it up here for the next month or so. I'm probably still burnt out over the last month to focus on some web design, but I really want to change from the NaNo one that's here.

NaNo is over for another year. We finished our TGIO party yesterday, and the evening ended rather anti-climatically with Sav and I making a mad dash to the car in the freezing, pouring down rain. Sav left early because there was a threat of snow wafting around and she didn't want to get caught in it driving, so I spent the rest of the evening in a nice quiet house decompressing.

We didn't get snow, but we sure are getting pelted with some nice cold rain and high winds, which are still going on. My power has flickered a few times today, and my feet are completely frozen.

We ended this year's NaNo with 25 winners, and seeing as how we had 60 active Salem-homed writers, 25 out of 60 is damn good. Our best ever, I'm very proud.

Sav and I were presented at the TGIO party with totally adorable crowns made by one of our Wrimos, that then everyone who was there signed for us. They were very sweet and really solidify for me that the people are why I keep doing this each year.

We plan on doing a Post-NaNo survey to our Wrimos, a breakdown Post-NaNo meeting to do some general outlining and brainstorming for next year sometime this next week. After that, we're going to take a hiatus from ML duties and not touch NaNo until most likely mid-February. If you're a Wrimo, please take the survey we'll be sending out later this week, and send any ideas or suggestions you have that the survey does not cover to us at our NaNo address.

A new layout should appear sometime within the next few days, for Christmas. Woot! But for now I'm off to tackle some Finals stuff so I don't flunk out of school and have to go live in a box.

HotD:

Goodbye to NaNo.
Another year passes by,
See you in '08.