Wednesday, December 29, 2004
New Years Resolution...?
Although I'm not sure why, I always think of the week between Christmas and New Years' as a dark week. It's a time of driving with the headlights on, sitting in front of the television or at the table reading about the events of the past year. TIME hits the stands with its 'person of the year', Hollywood puts out the buzz for movie favorites, MONEY comes out with its year-end financial tips.
It's a time when nothing really happens. I listen to a rehashing of the year's sound-bytes, about the 'difficult choice' in selecting award recipients or nominations. I read the same tips for cleaning up year-end finances, and I watch the same highlights from the year's movies and world events. Right now, footage of the earthquake blends in with the hurricanes with the election with the snowstorm. I am jittery with boredom.
Did Hugshyhermit accomplish anything in 2004? I checked my blog entries of a year ago to see what was I obsessing about. Did I even have any New Years' Resolutions? I couldn't remember.
One issue uppermost in my mind then was the terrible state of my finances. It was a primary reason why I moved back to Dayton. And what I learned in 2004 was: Even though I knew they were bad, I had no idea how bad they actually were! I was living in a pretty blind way about my credit cards, and they had crept and compounded, I'm guessing, for a decade and maybe more -- who knows what all.
"You're always so good with money," Mom always said to me, "We never worry about you." (This usually follows earnest comments about my sister and her family -- no health insurance, savings, security, and money spent raining toys on my nephew, etc. etc. etc. the way Moms do.)
Well, Mom, I have some unpleasant news. Your son is terrible with money!
(One bright spot about having inferior math skills: Ignorance is BLISS! If I had realized just how bad it was, there would have been sleepless nights and an ulcer!)
As it was, the move back to Dayton saved me.
So, although it looks like I didn't make any 'official' resolutions for 2004, maybe I should have, because I really worked on what I needed to. Let's see if it works for this coming year.
Here are some resolutions I have for 2005:
1) Find a new (better) job
2) Move away from Dayton
Those are the biggies. Let's see where we are a year from now.
It's a time when nothing really happens. I listen to a rehashing of the year's sound-bytes, about the 'difficult choice' in selecting award recipients or nominations. I read the same tips for cleaning up year-end finances, and I watch the same highlights from the year's movies and world events. Right now, footage of the earthquake blends in with the hurricanes with the election with the snowstorm. I am jittery with boredom.
Did Hugshyhermit accomplish anything in 2004? I checked my blog entries of a year ago to see what was I obsessing about. Did I even have any New Years' Resolutions? I couldn't remember.
One issue uppermost in my mind then was the terrible state of my finances. It was a primary reason why I moved back to Dayton. And what I learned in 2004 was: Even though I knew they were bad, I had no idea how bad they actually were! I was living in a pretty blind way about my credit cards, and they had crept and compounded, I'm guessing, for a decade and maybe more -- who knows what all.
"You're always so good with money," Mom always said to me, "We never worry about you." (This usually follows earnest comments about my sister and her family -- no health insurance, savings, security, and money spent raining toys on my nephew, etc. etc. etc. the way Moms do.)
Well, Mom, I have some unpleasant news. Your son is terrible with money!
(One bright spot about having inferior math skills: Ignorance is BLISS! If I had realized just how bad it was, there would have been sleepless nights and an ulcer!)
As it was, the move back to Dayton saved me.
So, although it looks like I didn't make any 'official' resolutions for 2004, maybe I should have, because I really worked on what I needed to. Let's see if it works for this coming year.
Here are some resolutions I have for 2005:
1) Find a new (better) job
2) Move away from Dayton
Those are the biggies. Let's see where we are a year from now.