The Year's Events

2000 wasn't a great year for me. I'm not likely to look back on it with loving fondness. But even beyond the fact that I came to feel more acclimated to my new home environment in California (lack thereof having been a major factor in making 1999 a down year for me), there are several other good things for me to remember about the last year of the second millennium, a.d.:

One big thing which I had only an inkling of at the beginning of the year was that Lucy Huntzinger and I would become good friends. Barring some forgotten encounter at a con in the past, I think we'd met exactly twice before 2000: Once at a fannish party in mid-1999, and once when she invited me to Thanksgiving dinner that same year. Then we went to the San Francisco Zoo in January and started meeting at Cafe Borrone regularly and we've become really good friends since then.

Also, I accomplished a major goal at work, of moving from testing into development. I'd been a developer at my old job before coming to Apple, and although I gave testing my best, I always knew that development is where I want to be (and yes, I'd been up-front about that when I applied for the job). And in August I joined the development side of the group I'd spent most of my time testing for, and I seem to have won a fair measure of respect of my co-workers since then. And although I was originally doubtful how enjoyable my first assignment in development would be, it's turned out to be wide-ranging and engaging after all. So everything worked out.

(Aside: One thing to say about working at Apple is that I like my job. I enjoy the environment, I like my cow-orkers, I like what I do. It's exceedingly rare that I wake up and dread going to work, and usually that's just because I have some particular task to do that say which I'm not looking forward to. In the past I've had the experience of going long stretches where I just didn't want to go to work, and that's never happened at Apple. As much as anything, that's why I'm looking at staying in California a while longer.)

The other watershed event this year was dating Adrienne for those busy two-and-a-half weeks. Although it ended turbulently and we haven't kept in contact since then, it was still a positive experience overall. Other than learning that I apparently still have some dating skills, I learned (although perhaps haven't really internalized) that I take dating very seriously and that I should perhaps try to be more laid-back about it, and whether or not dating any particular person works out. And besides that, I also enjoyed doing things with and talking with Adrienne for as long as it lasted.

That seems like a decent list of good events for a year, and it doesn't even account for all the book I read, movies I saw, parties I attended, and so forth.

I'm not generally one to make New Year's resolutions - and I didn't make any this year. I generally either have some clear ideas of whet I want to do with my life in the future, or else I'm hopelessly muddled, and artificial resolutions aren't likely to help. Besides, I figure that ongoing projects like losing weight and getting in better shape - which I'm already committed to - keep in the spirit of resolutions all by themselves.

That said, I do want to accomplish my goal of buying a home this year. Mainly to remove the uncertainty of my financial situation given the craziness of the rental market in California. I think if I can find a decent place in a location I like at a price I can afford, then I'll be much happier, and feel much more stable living out here. I won't worry about whether next month will price me out of the rental market and I'll be forced to leave the job I enjoy, and hopefully I'll be better located so I can more conveniently have friends come over.

Oh, and I really want to buy a new couch. My futon just isn't doing it for me anymore.

New Year's Eve was pretty mellow for me. I did some reading, kept trying to fight off this cold, and then went to Dad's where we went to my favorite Indian restaurant for dinner and then rang in the New Year with champagne and truffles, which is traditional for us.

New Year's Day I spent in ongoing convalescence, mostly mindlessly watching a variety of television. For instance, several first-season episodes of The X-Files (which I stopped watching in the third season; these early episodes seem downright inspired by comparison). I watched parts of Mars Attacks! (I think it's clear at this point that Ed Wood was Tim Burton's masterpiece), Groundhog Day (holds up surprisingly well) and Back to the Future (holds up less well than I'd expected, but then, I have seen it about sixty times, back in my youth; it still has some hilariously funny scenes and is very well-crafted).

Yep, a nigh-thoroughly wasted day. Just like New Year's ought to be (well, except one ought not to be sick during New Year's).

Finally, as we all know, the main reason for on-line journals to exist is to put more cat photos on the Web! So, here's a pic I took of my Mom's cat, Jenny: