Rest in peace, Jeff

One week ago today, we lost Kevin's father after a 16-month battle with a brain tumor. He was only 59. This was taken the day they arrived in Maine with our worldly possessions. It's one of my favorite pictures of the two of them together.

Just because I was so crabby earlier

A little happiness: As I type this, the Spouse and I are taking a break from planning our summer garden. Well, it will mainly be my summer garden, as he will hopefully be spending a month in a study abroad program in Mexico. But anyway, I am very excited. I come from gardening people, and the chance to grow more than a pot of tomatoes here and a container of basil there makes me very happy. Our garden space is only about 4' x 8', but we're organizing it to get the maximum usage. Also, we're thinking about moving upward, to grow lettuces on the room of the laundry shed.

If we start our seeds soon, we can start planting come March.

In which our author rants a bit

Because I need to spew forth as I've just been in one of those moods:

• If you're an adult with a child of your own, you still have to call your mother eight or more times in a 5-hour period, and this happens on a daily basis, perhaps you should consider therapy.
  
• Styrofoam: Why is anyone in a first-world nation still using this stuff? Oops, I forgot: Louisiana isn't a first-world nation.
  
• I want a snow day too. *pouts*
• The people who send death threats to Sir David Attenborough because he dares to talk about science need to have a baseball ball taken to their heads. They make me wish I could snap my fingers and make religion disappear. Unfortunately, that wouldn't do anything for stupidity.
  
• You're in a job where you deal with the public whether you like it or not. Do you think you could at least pretend to not hate everyone standing in front of you?
• A person should not have to make 5 phone calls over the course of 2 weeks just to get a question answered by their medical provider or make an appointment.
  
• My husband's father was taken from him just when they were getting to know each other as adults.

The Year Ahead

A few of my hopes and goals for 2009:

1. Continue working on my German and Spanish on a regular basis.
   
2. Work out regularly and eat more vegetables, with the ultimate goal of losing 23 lbs.
3. Join a local ensemble so I can play my flute regularly with other people.
   
4. Read at least 50 books.
5. Deal with some medical issues I've been avoiding.
   

The Year in Review

All in all, it's been a productive year. In summary:

• I survived my second Maine winter without stabbing myself.
• I got a tattoo.
  
• I found a full-time position despite being hundreds of miles away at the time.
• I bought a Mac and love it!
  
• We bought our first home together (well, sort of together: the spouse brought my credit score down, so the mortgage had to be in my name only, but then I immediately put him on the title for the house).
  
• I moved 1,630 miles with a very angry cat and a fully packed Prius.
• I went to JazzFest.
• I began taking private flute lessons for the first time in my life.
  
• I joined a gym.
  
• I survived my first semester as a law student's wife.
• I read more than 40 books over the year (fewer than my goal but still not bad).