Sitting back and ruminating whistfully for a few moments here on this penultimate evening of the year, the moment doesn’t exactly necessitate declarations. However, I am prepared to declare 2009 a pretty good year.
It started off with me in a major funk actually. Last winter. It was sort of inexplicable, although I think it came down mainly to being in too much of a tedious routine at work. I was hitting up the junk food restaurants and avoiding the gym after work. Which was a real shame because I had gotten into pretty decent shape back in ’08.
But I fixed that. Got promoted to another division at work. Got back into shape a bit.
I moved. I live in a very swanky apartment that I’m completely in love with. The mastery of my own domain has brought me a wealth of inner tranquility. Already I’m dreading the day that I move out of here.
I went on a few vacations that were a lot of fun. Had to take a break from that once I moved out on my own (no roommate!), but I’ll be back at it soon enough. Next time out I need to get further from home. I’m thinkin’ about Europe (perhaps I should resolve to brush up on my Spanish this year… or perhaps learn some French).
I dated a lot this year. More than in most years, if not any year. Did that online dating thing for awhile, and it was like new date, new date, new date every week. It was alright. A few of them lasted a little while, and each of them not working out was a shame in its own unique way.
Oh, by the way, I am no longer dating the lovely young lady I was most recently dating. I think I had mentioned her on here. I wish I could say that it was something I did, but she went rather suddenly from being really, really into it, to being really, really not into it. Don’t know what to say. We talked about it a bit during the breakup conversation, and the gist of it was mainly that she’s got too many things going on right now and can’t get her head into a relationship right now. God typing that out right here, it just sounds trite. Like nonsense. One thing that life has taught me is that no matter how pure one’s intentions are going into a breakup conversation, pretty much all of it ends up coming out like nonsense. I’ve only been on the receiving end of that conversation a few times, and I’ve learned that what I tend to do is go into super, super sweet and understanding mode. I become Mr. Copacetic. There’s probably a psychoanalysis session in there somewhere…. something about my mother and father’s conflicts, for sure.
Oh but speaking of being super sweet, after talking about this whole episode with one of my BFFs, the one who I can pretty much tell ANY relationship stuff to, we came up with a dating resolution for me: be more crazy, or be more of an asshole. Girls don’t suddenly get bored with and ditch crazy assholes. So that’s something I can work on this year.
But enough talk of dating. Except to say that this one was a real shame. I really liked her a lot. Nothing to do but move on and forget about it right now.
And right now I have a different focus anyway. Being single really behooves me in these first few months of 2010. I’ve got to buckle down and finish some things that I started here. One of them includes working a lot of overtime, so that I can pay down a credit card. The other involves getting back into the shape I was in not so long ago. Actually, muscle tone wise I’m already out ahead. I can bench more than I used to, and I hope to be able to bench my body weight this year. We’ll see.
Just in general, though, I need more discipline right now. I’ve been in this sort of, I don’t know what to call it, hedonistic I guess kind of mode. I’m fine with that version of me, but I don’t want to be that version of me right now. I need to drag out a different set of habits.
As to the rest of the coming year, it’s hard to predict. It’s funny, not to bring up that recent breakup again, but one of the things she said was something like “my life is so hectic and transitional right now, and you’re so settled down in your life.” I don’t really see it that way. I feel changes in the air. The last thing I want to do right now is buy a house, settle down, and resign myself to life as an insurance man. I’m okay with being an insurance man right now, but I sure as shit don’t want to die one.
But, that said, I’ve got a lot to sort out. Before I do any of it, I need to put my nose to the grind for a few months. Once these loose ends are tied up I can start focusing on other life changes.
Anyway, adios 2009! Please don’t feel remiss that 2010 is going to make you seem horribly lame by comparison, but yes 2010 is going to rock.
