Auld Acquantaince...

Another year in the books. 2008 was something else, no doubt. I rang it in at Tobin’s Boston apartment with a bunch of old friends, fresh off the trail and feeling maladjusted to the real world. One year later, I feel just as maladjusted (perhaps even more so), a little bit older, and significantly poorer.

A lot happened in 2008 – I graduated college (once), moved (twice), and changed jobs (three times). I went the longest period of my life without spending a day in Glastonbury (11 months), but in the same year probably set a record for most consecutive days spent with my best friend from home (made easier by the fact that he lives about 9 feet away from me).

There are a bunch of things I wish I had done differently: I wish I had spent more time with my family, less time at my computer, and more time with my book collection (it should never grow faster than you read ‘em).

Conversely, there are some things I would never change. I’m glad I started work the day after graduation – the temptation to relax for a week, two weeks, a month, was strong, but going straight into it really eased the transition for me. I’m immensely glad I got the housing arrangement I have in place now – seeing my roommates is one of the highlights of my day, and makes me look forward to evenings and weekends a lot more.

Probably the strongest component of this year has been a string of good luck. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay employed through tough times. I’ve enjoyed good health and the camaraderie of good friends throughout the year. I’ve spent the whole 12 months in great company, a significant amount of it with one incredible woman.

Alright, time for the good stuff.

Resolutions for 2009:
 Learn as much as possible. Learn stuff from co-workers, books, friends, Wikipedia, cereal boxes, whatever it takes.
 Leave work at work. Work is great, and it’s great to be passionate about your job. I can see how people’s passion for their work can invade their time off. I want to try and keep my perspective on work and the other important things in my life
 Do good work. A little contradictory to #2, especially in this town. Even though I don’t want work taking over my life, I want to play a part in instituting the change our nation is so excited about.
 Spend as much time as possible with my friends and family. Be the best friend, boyfriend, brother, son I can be. No brainer.
 (Borrowed from Jared, not the Jim Carrey movie) – Say yes. Go do stuff, new stuff, weird stuff.

Happy New Year all. Here’s to 2009!