2013

I made some amazing friends.
I lost some friends who I thought would have stuck around.
I worked my ass off.
I tried to play around town as much as I could.
I attended some awesome events ( Unilocal events, music festivals, etc)
I ate some awesome food.
Life didn’t change much but I’m more settled into my ‘big girl’ life and it doesn’t feel half bad.
Onto 2014!!!

Ate a lot of fucking taco’s at Dan’s, and, drank a lot of fucking beer. Also did a lot of tipsy threading on Unilocal threads, and, volunteered with Meals On Wheels. Other than that I got rear ended by a big Mac. It was more than I could handle, and, put me out of work for awhile. I soon learned that I liked not working. I wasn’t aware of how married to the job I was until Mr. Big Mac decided to ram into me. I’m back to work. Got my health and toothpix, so, fuck anything else. :)

Are you fed up with constant news stories about the government not doing its job correctly and shutting down? Sick of hearing about how overexposed some fad is that you never even knew was a thing, even though you keep your thumb on the general pulse of society (twerking, selfies, harlem shakes, and alleged song-​of-​the-​summer ‘Blurred Lines’ anyone)? Ready for everything to stop going completely, balls out wrong at every turn? Then say goodbye to the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year that was 2013.
For a myriad of reasons, 2013 is a strong front runner for the «worst year I’ve ever had» award. The first few months found me on the tail end of some semi-​serious health problems that began in mid-​2012. While the health stuff finally subsided after February, the financial impact carried on considerably longer. This year saw me starring in two car accidents within the span of two months and I had to purchase new cars after each occurrence. This really did not help the finances. And then blammo! I lost my job at the end of the summer. The last few months of 2013 were a tangled web of job interviews, spotty temp work, and constant stress and anxiety regarding general life stability. All of these situations paired with a number of personal problems (some of which were very serious while most were ultimately manageable, though it never seems that way when one is in the midst of it) has me very grateful that 2013 is over, gone, and done with.
On the plus side, I met a lot of nice people and formed some very good friendships, and having reached clarity in a few areas, severed ties with some toxic relationships that I had in my life. Hard to do, but for the best. There were a lot of pretty amazing meals. My little mongrel continued to be the best and learned a neat new trick where he realized that he can basically do whatever he wants and get away with it because he has the upper hand in our relationship. I started eating better and exercised more than I have in a long time. I also read a lot more this year. So yay?
2014 begins with a great new job, decent physical health, and new beginnings all around. See you again never, 2013.

I drank a lot of alcohol this year, which is worth five stars in and of itself.
The only problem with this fact is, as a result, I can’t really remember 2013.
Pretty sure I lived through the whole thing, though I’m not completely awake yet.
Oh yeah, I got a job! It’s a boring, depressing night job, but it’s still a job. A resume filler. A chance for me to listen to a hundred or so iTunes repeatedly, and pointlessly post on Facebook at 4am.
Oh, and I finally got the guy I wanted in bed!
Ooooh! And! I got to go to Paul McCartney’s inaugural Austin concert, which is something I never thought would happen!
I really didn’t need much else besides those three miracles. Thanks, 2013!
Hey, 2014… Can you bring me twenty pounds of weight loss and a major lottery win? Please?
Hello?

Pretty solid year…
Made some pretty big life choices and embarked on a journey I’m STILL not sure I’m up to… but I’m going to give it my all.
As a result of above choice, I managed to put on weight and hit my heaviest/​fattest I have ever been my entire life…
I’ve fallen into great work and found my direction in life.
All in all, 2013 was a pretty great year for me. 2014 can only get better.
On tap for 2014… hopefully…
Get licensed and start practicing.
More camping and road trips.
Back to my fighting weight and health.
Home projects.
Read for leisure.
Publish.
Maybe have a normal-​ish relationship.
This would have been 5 stars, but 2013 lost a star for the moob development.

Pros:
— Took the parents on more-​than-​their-​usual number of vacations this year
— Discovered the joy of feeding waterfowl mostly thanks to the «Park Ranger» at Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans
— Met awesome ducks in Austin, Houston, and New Orleans
— A handicapped duck at Mueller Lake captured my heart
— In N Out opened in Austin
— My parents are both better walkers than me now (despite being 30+ years older)
— Finally met more Austin Unilocalers and learned what awesome people Unilocalers are
Cons:
— Not as heavily-​invested in equities as I’d like to be this year #BTFATH
— Didn’t make it to the gym nearly as often as I should
2013 turned out to be one of my best years in a long time.

2013 started out great. My first trip to Vegas, when I thought I’d never want to go back, but now I kind of do. I paid off my car and bought a condo.
Then, things took a fall. I, literally, took a fall. Down the stairs of my recently purchased home, breaking my elbow. And my spirit. And my bank account.
It’s been a terrible year for pets. My sweet, grey kitty had a couple fainting spells (fortunately, the first was at the vet) and now has to be on chemo for the rest of her life because her blood is like sludge. She’s acting more normal now, though, which is good. A friend had her dog stolen out of her back yard. Another friend had to put 2 to sleep in a single month.
While I know that some people have had a worse year than I, 2013 can still DIAF.

I really wanted to like this year. I really did.
Perspective is a funny thing — I thought 2012 was the worst year ever, but some of the things that happened in 2013 were actually worse. However, unbeknownst to me, I guess it helped prep me for what 2013 brought so it didn’t seem as bad.
I like these reviews because they are like little blogs of everyone’s year. I don’t feel the need to get that detailed, but I will mention that I will always remember 2013 as the year that I saw The Cure perform in the pouring rain, was almost detained in Mexico (long story), and won my fantasy football league. It’s the little things.
I’d give it 2.5 stars if I could.