2008 - The year that wasn't

So to say this year has been interesting might be the understatement of my life to say the least.

When 2008 started, I was in some deep trouble. I was days away from being laid off. I didn't have anohter job in sight and I had already spent 6 months of 2007 out of work or working for a pittance of a salary.

That's where the roller coaster began and where it's ending up here on December 31, no one on EARTH would have been able to predict.

Soon into year I had found a better job and started passing my certification tests which helped me feel better about all the money that I had laid out to school for my career makeover.

By the time my birthday rolled around I was fast into interviewing for work since gas was now running me $4 a gallon and even in my tiny car I was getting killed on it. Then Brianna hit her "Dad I don't like you" phase. I figure by 2011 she should be over that one. Then on my birthday weekend I went out and lived it up with some friends. Now when I left that afternoon, I thought it would be a pretty typical night of getting drunk and silly and crashing somewhere. Boy was I wrong. The details of it are a bit more personal than I want to put out here, but it sure did change things on a few fronts for me.

When summer rolled around I had changed jobs to something nice and close to home. The budget stayed stretched tight, but there were highlights to the summer like taking Bman to a few ballgames, camping up in the mountains, hanging out with Pam and her fam over July 4th and spending more than a couple of nights out on the balcony with a beer and a cigar and enjoying the quiet.

Of course the end of the year has been nothing but upheaval. In September I found out I'd be getting laid off again, then 2 days later I was offered another position in the company, then was promoted 6 weeks later to a job I got passed over for earlier. That was the smallest of my changes as I learned.

Having Brittany move in with me has been a whirlwind change of monumental proportions. Seriously, WTF do I know about having a teenage girl in the house 24/7? Apparently nothing, but somehow we've got a pretty decent system worked out. Now if I can just get the little shit to do her school work.

So while that relationship strengthed, others have weakened. One of which will never get back to where it was. The other is starting to make a comeback only very recently and I think will be rocky for a bit longer. Other relationships have changed contexts and gotten stronger which is something I am happy for.

Now the question is...what happens for 2009? Honestly I have no earthly idea. I have a feeling that there will continue to be a lot of change in my life. Things are not where I want them to be right now, even though they are a hell of a lot better than they were 365 day ago.

I am going to sit back and see what happens next. Only 52 weeks to go.