Reminiscing

Not a whole lot of entries, but some history - that's how I'd describe this log so far.
And now it's nearly half-way through December so there's the obligatory "year in review" entry. Well, maybe not obligatory. I just noticed that this part of my online life is a little over a year old. Came as a complete surprise to me. So I read some of the older entries to figure out just what the hell happened.

2005 was to be a year of change.

2005 was the 'year of the lathered yak' - I have no idea what I was thinking at the time.

But, "change" - what has changed? Apparently of primary importance was a change in work circumstance. Still work for the same damn company, so I've failed for the most part. But I've been in 3 different cubicles and worked on 4 different projects. In every frickin case, the projec starts out interesting and then quickly degerates into the same ole crap this company is known for. At least in my mind.

I did change one major habit. I quit smoking. I wish I could explain, or at least sell as a quaranteed product, how I did it. The best I can do is describe it as "becoming bored" with smoking. That's funny, I smoked most when I was bored. 4 or 5 cigarettes a day during the 8 hours at work. 2 or 3 each way on the drive back and forth. And finished the pack and started another in the 4 or so hours I was home before bed. I remember getting irritated at pursuing activities where having a cigarette was inconvenient - smoke in the eyes, needing both hands, etc. And just quitting because it was, uh, boring.

I still live in the same apartment. I almost made the leap into home-ownership. But that house involves living less than 5 miles from where I work. And I don't plan on working here much longer (I fervently hope). I drive 29 miles to get here, mostly in the opposite direction of "rush-hour". I know damn well if I bought a house out here (lots of house for little money) I'd end up finding my fantasy job somewhere 35 miles away on the other side of town where everybody else is driving to at the same time. Which would just make matters worse.

I got a raise and started a savings/credit union account. It's not the first time I've gotten a raise, but having a faithful savings account is a first in a long time. Last time, I had the account until I got to $100 and then I bought a ten-speed to ride to high school, and never saved another dime. This year, said account has come in mighty handy for Christmas shopping, and there's still money in there. And more going in every pay period.

The original reason for starting the credit union account was to finance the purchase of a vehicle. Or rather to establish a relationship with a credit union so they would finance my car. So there's another change, I bought a car, a truck actually.
For the first time in my life so far, I bought a new vehicle, too. And since my credit score was so frickin high, the dealer financed my car purchase at a better rate than the credit union, and was happy to do so!

One of the negative changes is my feelings towards the season ticket/football/tailgating activities. I made it through another year. Our team will be going to a bowl game. But I'm not so sure I'll be interested in all the bally hoo next year. It's kind of a bother. It's fun, too, but the balances are starting to tip. Kinda like smoking.

Another thing that's changed is my waistline. Quitting smoking is usually followed by an increased appetite. At least I was ready for it this time, so the gain wasn't so huge. But I don't need to carry any more weight. I can feel it in my knees. It's getting difficult to look at myself in the mirror. Target weight loss: At least 50 lbs. That would get me down to 210 or so...a good weight for six-foot, two inches, I think.

I really should break these things up into smaller blogs for each day. But I have to type while the thought strikes.