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Yet Another Year/Decade In Review Post
Dec. 31st, 2009 05:36 pm2000. Where was I in 2000... Living in Silicon Valley, married to Whump. Good jobs, good friends, new cars, life was awesome. I was in total denial. I went to Worldcon in Chicago and had a great time. The year ends and I get the shock of my life: my husband wants a divorce, and so I move back to Madison. Ariel the cat comes with me.
2001. A cold, strange winter. I'm no longer insured, and no longer on the cocktail of antidepressants I'd been taking for years. I'm suddenly thin and clear-headed. I'm working a temp job with some very pleasant oddballs at an insurance company in Madison's landmark Pyare Square building. In the summer I begin dating Tom H. It started out fun, but turns out to be the biggest mistake of my life. 9/11 happens. Not cool.
2002. Tom dumps me just before Wiscon. I don't take it well. I'm pretty much abandoned by a number of people I thought were friends. Thus begins what will be two years of loneliness and heartache. In the summer, I get a job as a file clerk at a large dental office. Late in the year, kitty and I move into the awesome bachelorette pad that becomes my comfortable sanctuary. I'm introduced to LiveJournal. I take to it like a duck to water, even though I only have a dial-up connection.
2003. Martin Smith. We meet at the Madison Corflu, and are somewhat smitten with each other. After he went home to England there were countless hours of phone conversations where we told each other our stories. He was such a sweet and funny man. When he drank himself to death in August I wasn't the least bit surprised. Even though we never actually slept together, I still consider myself to be a notch on his bedpost. And I'm glad of it.
2004. In February, I buy the most amazing dress I've ever owned. Determined to wear it at Wiscon, I manage to stay the same size for several months by skipping lunch and cutting out snacks. May rolls around, and I look and feel the best I think I ever have.![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
holyoutlaw and I take a shine to each other at Wiscon. My loneliness is over, even though we live 2000 miles apart. He visits three more times in 2004, and we feel that something is definately there.
2005. I decide that I'm going to move to Seattle, and I start taking financial steps to make it happen. I fly out to visit in March and July. In September, I quit my job at the dental office, I send my cat to live with a friend, and I pack my things into a shipping container. Luke arrives and we drive my car to Seattle. I settle in to the house Luke owns with his ex-wife. Things between Luke and I are blissful. Everything else is complicated, and all goes kablooey in short order. Back in Madison, my oldest brother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Not cool.
2006. Luke and I decide we want to get married, so we do, on April 1st. I start a long-term temp job at a law firm downtown. It's a nice place to work. Things between us and Jane get uglier every day. I go back to Madison in late September to say goodbye to my brother, who dies October 5th. As soon as we get back to Seattle, we move into a small, expensive apartment in Fremont. I have a kitchen again, and we rediscover the joy of cooking.
2007. Nothing happened this year, except my long temp job ended. We went on an Alaskan cruise for Luke's 50th birthday, which was fantastic. Also, we took a great road trip to northern California for Art Widner's 90th birthday party. Luke starts a temp job at a law firm that will end up lasting a year.
2008. A few sporatic, short-term temp jobs for me. In May, I get a permanent job as a records clerk at a large medical clinic. It is a toxic cluster-fuck from hell and I quit after a week. I catch the Norovirus at Wiscon. We move from our overpriced Fremont digs to this larger, less expensive, and lovely apartment in Ballard. In December, it snows as much as it normally does in the midwest, crippling the city for weeks. We join a gym and go for lots of walks.
2009. I take the train by myself to California for Potlatch. I catch up with friends and revisit some old haunts. Wiscon is the best ever, till a very ugly conversation is overheard. It mars everything that went before. Luke and I go exploring throughout the summer, discovering the natural beauty of the area. Twin Falls, Wallace Falls, the tidepools near Deception Pass. Delightful. In September we take a four-day road trip around the Olympic Peninsula, seeing the ocean, and immersing ourselves in the rain forest. The year is otherwise filled with uncertainty, worry, and physical discomforts. Other than a cat-sitting stint, and one day (off the books) at Assisted Transitions, I have not earned one cent of income this year. Oh well, I suppose my taxes for 2009 will be easy.
2001. A cold, strange winter. I'm no longer insured, and no longer on the cocktail of antidepressants I'd been taking for years. I'm suddenly thin and clear-headed. I'm working a temp job with some very pleasant oddballs at an insurance company in Madison's landmark Pyare Square building. In the summer I begin dating Tom H. It started out fun, but turns out to be the biggest mistake of my life. 9/11 happens. Not cool.
2002. Tom dumps me just before Wiscon. I don't take it well. I'm pretty much abandoned by a number of people I thought were friends. Thus begins what will be two years of loneliness and heartache. In the summer, I get a job as a file clerk at a large dental office. Late in the year, kitty and I move into the awesome bachelorette pad that becomes my comfortable sanctuary. I'm introduced to LiveJournal. I take to it like a duck to water, even though I only have a dial-up connection.
2003. Martin Smith. We meet at the Madison Corflu, and are somewhat smitten with each other. After he went home to England there were countless hours of phone conversations where we told each other our stories. He was such a sweet and funny man. When he drank himself to death in August I wasn't the least bit surprised. Even though we never actually slept together, I still consider myself to be a notch on his bedpost. And I'm glad of it.
2004. In February, I buy the most amazing dress I've ever owned. Determined to wear it at Wiscon, I manage to stay the same size for several months by skipping lunch and cutting out snacks. May rolls around, and I look and feel the best I think I ever have.
holyoutlaw and I take a shine to each other at Wiscon. My loneliness is over, even though we live 2000 miles apart. He visits three more times in 2004, and we feel that something is definately there. 2005. I decide that I'm going to move to Seattle, and I start taking financial steps to make it happen. I fly out to visit in March and July. In September, I quit my job at the dental office, I send my cat to live with a friend, and I pack my things into a shipping container. Luke arrives and we drive my car to Seattle. I settle in to the house Luke owns with his ex-wife. Things between Luke and I are blissful. Everything else is complicated, and all goes kablooey in short order. Back in Madison, my oldest brother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Not cool.
2006. Luke and I decide we want to get married, so we do, on April 1st. I start a long-term temp job at a law firm downtown. It's a nice place to work. Things between us and Jane get uglier every day. I go back to Madison in late September to say goodbye to my brother, who dies October 5th. As soon as we get back to Seattle, we move into a small, expensive apartment in Fremont. I have a kitchen again, and we rediscover the joy of cooking.
2007. Nothing happened this year, except my long temp job ended. We went on an Alaskan cruise for Luke's 50th birthday, which was fantastic. Also, we took a great road trip to northern California for Art Widner's 90th birthday party. Luke starts a temp job at a law firm that will end up lasting a year.
2008. A few sporatic, short-term temp jobs for me. In May, I get a permanent job as a records clerk at a large medical clinic. It is a toxic cluster-fuck from hell and I quit after a week. I catch the Norovirus at Wiscon. We move from our overpriced Fremont digs to this larger, less expensive, and lovely apartment in Ballard. In December, it snows as much as it normally does in the midwest, crippling the city for weeks. We join a gym and go for lots of walks.
2009. I take the train by myself to California for Potlatch. I catch up with friends and revisit some old haunts. Wiscon is the best ever, till a very ugly conversation is overheard. It mars everything that went before. Luke and I go exploring throughout the summer, discovering the natural beauty of the area. Twin Falls, Wallace Falls, the tidepools near Deception Pass. Delightful. In September we take a four-day road trip around the Olympic Peninsula, seeing the ocean, and immersing ourselves in the rain forest. The year is otherwise filled with uncertainty, worry, and physical discomforts. Other than a cat-sitting stint, and one day (off the books) at Assisted Transitions, I have not earned one cent of income this year. Oh well, I suppose my taxes for 2009 will be easy.
