There’s nothing worse than a blank page when you have the urge to write but have nothing of substance to write about. I’m glad it’s a new year, because I can fall back on a classic post, the year in review, which lets me write something but doesn’t make me think too hard. So dammit Pete, this one’s for you.
In all honesty, the first 4 and a half months of 2008 have all but disappeared from my memory. I know I was working, I know I was still going to school, but beyond the basics everything else is just gone. The more I think about it now, the more I realize that “pushing the reset button on my life” is less a cute way of describing all the changes I made and more an accurate description of what I did. Everything before the day I hit that button is pretty much gone.
I pushed that button in late April, and that’s where my recollection of 2008 really begins. Within the span of a couple weeks, I broke up with Lauren after almost two years, moved out of her house and into a house with my friends, and quit my job and started a new one. It was a time of major changes and, as would be expected, I had my good days and my bad days.
Living on my own (kinda) for the first time was an amazing experience. I really enjoyed the freedom of having a place to call my own and having my best friend just one room over was really cool. As the months went on and one person couldn’t pay the rent or another person kept using all the toilet paper but never bought any more, it became less fun. The house was hotter than hell, and even two fans and a cold washcloth on my neck brought no relief to my second floor bedroom. I found myself resorting to sleeping at my mom’s just so I could take advantage of the central air. I also found myself constantly eating at her house because I was getting sick of eating Ramen noodles and beer.
Although I have a lot of good memories from that house, I can’t say that I’m entirely upset that things didn’t work out. It was a great learning experience, and I think I’ll be better prepared when I finally go out on my own again (Two tips I picked up: Don’t count on roommates and buy more groceries than Ramen and beer.) I ended up moving back home to my mom’s in mid-August, and although it’s not entirely the same as being out on my own, the pluses definitely outweigh the minuses. She’s been good about working with me to make it more like two adults sharing a house and less like a son still living with his mother. I’ll admit, it’s not my favorite living arrangement but it’s working for now.
Speaking of work, I’ve moved through this company like nobody’s business. I started out on May 5th as a cashier at a truck stop, just a minimum wage peon like everyone else there. By August or September I had been tapped to become an assistant manager, and after blasting through my training and impressing the hell out of everyone they’re talking about giving me my own store. Granted, this store manager position has been talked about for a while now, and they just keep moving the date back due to one thing or another. I’m not holding my breath, and I’m happy with what I’m doing now. I just can’t believe that I’ve gone from entry level position to likely store manager candidate in under a year.
I finally made it to DC to see Jen this summer, and I had a great time. I’ve got rambling entries made while I was on-site, so I won’t spend too much time on it here. I will say that I’m really looking forward to hanging out with her again and would jump at the chance to see the Yard Dogs one more time.
I dressed up as Criss Angel for Halloween this year, which was possibly the most committed I’ve ever been to a costume. I didn’t shave for almost 2 months, and by Halloween came around I was itchy and hot. But it was worth it, I think. I was really glad when November 1st came and I got to trim up again.
Thinking back on it now, I really didn’t do a lot this year besides work and spend time with my friends. I don’t know what else I would have done, so that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m glad I got the chance to get back together with people I had dropped out of touch with during the time I stopped living around here. I really learned who my true friends are, and the answer definitely surprised me. I’m very fortunate to have the friends I have, including the ones I text and email more than actually spend time with (*cough*JenSamPeteJustin*cough*), because they’ve been there for so much and will always be there and I can’t thank them enough for it. I tell everyone that I’ve got the best friends in the world and I truly believe that I do.
I think the most important thing that happened this year is that after 7 months of questioning myself constantly, numerous nights of heavy drinking, and one misguided attempt at getting back together, I finally met someone that makes me happy again. After what I went through with Lauren, I was trying to make a conscious effort to keep the details of my love life off the blog, which is why I didn’t mention anything sooner. That’s also why I’m going to simply say I’m happy again and it’s amazing and I’ll leave it at that.
Christmas was good. I got a lot of fun toys, including a remote start for my car that I’ve been using very often. I also got a homebrew beer kit, and I’m looking forward to making my own beer. I already created my own mixed drink, so I’ll have to start playing around with some barley and hops and create Andster-brau. Coming soon to a bar near you!
I think that about covers my year. The good news is writing this has made me think of three or four things I want to cover more in-depth, so perhaps actual content will be forthcoming. I promise I’ll try harder to get on and update more often. I’ve got a lot I want to say, but for some reason when I get on, I draw a blank. I’ll try to work on that.
Until then, thank you all for sticking with me through another year. I hope 2009 will be a very fun filled and post heavy year.
Andster