2000 is saved in my memory as quite the climatic year. In fact, the more I sit here and think, the more I have to add to this particular momentous 12-month span of my life. With that said, I blog more for myself than I do for the readers (my sincerest apologies), so it's no holds barred, my friends! You are about to learn far more than you ever wanted to learn about me. Shall we begin?
First of all, I'd like to thank Y2K for not happening, where would we be these days had our technological world been unraveled a short 10 years ago? Our social networks may still consist of the people we actually talk to...
Y2K aside (and long forgotten), let's take a look at a few other notable events of 2000 (in chronological order):
Burnsy and myself do a fine job of easily defeating all of Woodford County in tennis doubles. Foot surgery, #2! They said I'd never do it twice...(honorable mention: I hold the Illinois state record for youngest bunion surgery patient ever, twice!) Parents divorce after 27 (apparently long) years of marriage. Mom moves out, Mom moves back in, Dad moves out, Mom dates nasty chest hair man that drives a corvette and talks real soft, Dad bonds with rescued cat. Dad gets diagnosed with carcinoma, skin cancer. But! He also gets a nice bachelor pad in the twin towers. I start my first job: make-line at Geo's Pizza (you know, the place between the police department and Casey's gas station). I started dating an older boy, and did unmentionable older-boy-related things for the first time (sorry mom!). I turn 16!! (apologies to those who just gasped) and get my very own peach-scented 1994 Eagle Talon. Try to be a Christian and go to youth group. Stop trying. I drop out of band, much to the chagrin of Mr. Domico (He was gonna make me march on the field in my cheerleading outfit with a feathered hat; I realize now that there are worse things). Had my first alcoholic beverage: pink lemonade and Grey Goose (I do not condone underage drinking, and I didn't at the time either--until I did). Smoked pot for the first time, and a lot of times thereafter. Smoked my first cigarette. I know, I know, this just keeps getting worse. Continue to take names in tennis. Dad is cured!
phew! That was a whirlwind year! I promise the rest won't be so heartbreaking. High school is vicious to a young girl, what can I say?
2001 seems to be a bit more blurry. This could in fact be due to those new habits mentioned above, or maybe I was just ready to move on without looking back!
Within the first 10 days of 2001 the aforementioned older boyfriend broke up with me, and broke my heart into what I thought was an unmendable million pieces. But I got over it, as we all do, and dated a few insignificant boys here and there (again, this year was blurry). I managed to survive my sophomore year of high school and move on to bigger and better things. I decided at this point that I should work as many hours as possible at my newest place of employment, Cheddar's Restaurant. Somewhere in there I made a banner for my brother to announce his acceptance to SIU.
2002 was the end of my junior year, and my brother's first year in college. My Mom sold our house, and I got my own cottage (directly behind my ma's new house). Freedom for a 17-year-old is far too exciting, and it's a big mistake. I wish I wouldn't have had it.
On a more exciting note,
Early acceptance to Purdue's engineering program. New job (in addition to restaurant job) in patient accounts at Easter Seals. Start Senior year, pass Go and collect $200..
2003 graduation! Women in Engineering summer gathering (really boring). Purdue University (finally, being smart seems like a beneficial thing)! Dorm rooms, frat parties, computer programming, Freshman fifteen, then minus 30. More computer programming, chemistry, physics, all sorts of Calculus. Oh yeah, met a handsome young man from Indiana that would be my boyfriend for the next 4+ years.
2004 I had fun! A whole lot of fun, without losing track of what I was there for. Engineering? Well, these other smart kids were out-of-my-league smart. I reveled in it...for 2 years until I felt like I was dreaming in Matlab loops.
2005 was liberating. I left engineering (like most eventually do, c'est la vie to the promising job offers... and the B's (and C's)). Audiology, Linguistics and the wonderful world of Spanish Language and Literature met me with a simple smile. Simultaneously they were pie compared to engineering. Lived with my best friend Tiffany. Shmeard Bagels at Einstein's at 4am with the most amazingly perverted group of awesome people. Got involved with my first research position (Child language impairments, not perverted bagel shmearing).
2006 gave up bagel shmearing. Took on server job at nasty steakhouse. By nasty, I mean my perverted, nasty, forthcoming manager. Here at Logan's we don't sing and we don't dance, but on the count of three we give a big "YeeeeeeeeHAW!" 1...2.. I quit that job. Started serving at an unforgettable, family-owned quaint Italian restaurant. Ahhh, home. Amazing people, amazing times, music... amazing amounts of alcohol. A group of people I will probably be friends with until the day I die. Oh yeah, visited University of Washington and Seattle (for the first time) to look at the Au.D. program. Cut off my long hair and pierced my lip at some point during that trip, too. Got my first-ever brand new car, my beloved Volkswagon (I'm not a car person and I would still kiss that car to this day).
2007 Started teaching ESL (also unforgettable). Became assistant manager, then general manager of La Scala. Planned my last semester abroad in Sevilla, Spain. A month before I was set to leave the whole thing fell through (I sobbed, a lot). Until I realized I couldn't go because I only needed 1 class to graduate. Unfortunately Spain doesn't offer Great Narrative (English) Works as a credited course. drumroll, please...graduation! An honors Bachelor of Science and Arts with a Spanish Language and Literature minor. (Yes, I can brag. I worked my ass off and will be paying for it until I retire.) Never applied for the Au.D. program. I couldn't see spending the rest of my life without teaching ESL and working with the hispanic community. So, I decided to take a job offer with the University of Washington doing research on squishy babies instead (I do realize this makes no sense). It was my free ticket to Seattle with a good job waiting at the end. After 4 years of being put in line behind everything "important" in Max's life, I took a deep breath and left it all behind (it was almost as clean cut as I make it sound).
January 4, 2008 I arrive in Seattle (note life-changing event here). My rent went from $235/mo. (gasp!) to $985/mo. (gasp! and choke.). I cried when I hit Seattle because I couldn't find my apartment. I left my family, my friends, my dog (with my brother), my boyfriend, most of my belongings. It was cold and wet, and I had been driving for 6 days. I had spent New Year's Eve in a hostel in Flagstaff. They had hit record low temperatures and wind-chill highs. I had no heat in the hostel because the outdoor pilot light couldn't stay lit in the wind. The space heater they took 4 hours to found blew the electricity for the whole hostel. I was scared, really scared and was beginning to wonder what the hell I had done. But then, magically, it got better! I met people, got to see babies everyday and was SO poor. So, like I've done for soooo many years, I picked up a second job at good old Zeek's Pizza mid-May. As much as I hated 60-70 hour weeks, I wouldn't take it back. Because.. I walked in on my first day wearing a men's gargantuan Zeek's tee, to two boys giggling their little chuck's off. "Hey Flaaadimere"(they had seen my last name on the schedule and just thought it was hilaaaarious). "I'm Josh, and he's Josh, and I'm your trainer" (probably followed by all sorts of clever comments).
And, well, later that week my trainer and I went out for some drinks. Then a few nights later I went to his house for some drinks. I ate 2 apples that night, back to back, because I knew he was going to kiss me and ...what can I say? I'm a nervous girl, and the only way to avoid kissing a boy you really want to kiss is to eat apples so incessantly that he can't kiss you. And the rest is history! Well, not really. He was not one to be easily had, but you see, I am not only nervous, but I am also persistent and patient. So I won!
2009 just got over. So naturally, I remember way too many details. Here's the skinny: Josh is still around and rarely leaves my apartment. My new(!) bigger and leakier apartment. But it's cheaper too! I had to sacrifice somewhere, and I'd rather have the space than the pristine revitalization of 1920's charm. Still at the University, still waitressing. Picked up some contracted data analysis work that isn't worth your time to explain. But most of all...I met some really really amazing people this year. Josh has some amazing friends, and even if most of my friends were his first, I still adore them. Thoughtful, amazing, fun, talented group of people that I am so super thankful to know. I don't have many really good friends here like the ones I left back home, but I'm getting there...it just takes time. And that car I said I would kiss all over? It's gone, and I miss it like crazy. But I didn't need it. Between the bus and my short little legs I can get anywhere I need to be. And if I can't, I just reserve my trusty zipcars. I'd like to say it saved me money, and it does...but somehow I don't know where it has all gone. So as a 2009 wrap up, I'm pretty happy here. I have found someone that cares more about me than most people probably ever will, and I've really grounded myself and grown-up a bit. I'm working on having some more fun and concentrating on work a bit less...I'm getting old! and I've got a lot of shakin' to get in before these old hips give out.
I don't think I will wait another decade to re-cap. If you've made it this far, you're a trooper! 2010 will be even better, I can feel it already...so check back next year, I don't blog often :)
