One more year

If I'm gonna be completely honest, part of me wants to sum up 2009 by simply quoting one of my favorite lines from the Vampire Diaries TV show: "We met. We talked. It was epic. But then the sun came up and reality set in."

It wouldn't be a dishonest overview. But writing that and nothing else would feel like a bit of a cop-out.

So I'm gonna post it as a little something to tide you over while I run to get groceries and throw in some laundry. I need some kind of placeholder, something to motivate me to get back here and write up the last year of the decade with the same amount of gusto that I used to discuss 2000-2008.

Stay tuned for more!!!!!

A decade in review - 2009 (part one)

Alright, no more putting this off. I have a self-imposed decade-in-review assignment to finish, not to mention that it has become an annual tradition for me to look back on the year that just passed by posting the few sentences of the first public, non-meme entry of each month and giving a brief rundown of what happened during that time period. I owe it to myself to complete the big assignment and uphold my tradition, especially since I observe so few of them.

With that said, here is my look at 2009.

January 2009: Hey everyone! My home internet is down until the weekend, so I'm only on here for as long as I can maintain this wireless connection on my laptop.

This month and new year started off at home with a Six Feet Under marathon, in addition to the above-mentioned internet difficulties. And as it went on it continued to bring obstacles of all sorts. I was still fighting off the lingering effects of bronchitis, and busting my ass along with a colleague to get our biggest batch of scholarship reports out the door. I paused for a brief moment of historic beauty when I got to watch the Obama inauguration along with a big crowd of people in the plaza outside my office. And after a lot of lost sleep and agonizing soul-searching I recorded a big moment of personal history, ending what has been the single most important relationship I've had with anyone. Without a doubt, this was the biggest life change I've experienced since I lost my dad when I was nine. I tried seeking comfort in wrestling by attending an ROH show, but I was so distracted I could hardly pay attention, and mostly all that comes back is the sound of the workers banging around on the mat while around me the crowd hooted and cheered. If you asked me who fought that night and what the results were, I wouldn't be able to tell ya.

February 2009: I heart Eli the Aussie Shephard! Puppy Bowl FTW!

Faced with a life I'd blown to smithereens, I spent a good deal of February trying to pick up and reassemble all the pieces into something that made sense. Lucky for me I had a big work event to offer a bit of distraction, as well as staycation (ugh, did I just use that horrible word?) in the form of the AWP Conference, where I got to reunite with my dear writer's colony friend Michael. Also saw a performance by the Safes with fuzzilla that was much needed, another rock show featuring the Dropkick Murphys with my friend Steph and her then-fiancee, now husband, and I started an eight-week writing workshop all about writing for children and young adults (though actually, that may have started at the tail end of January Can't fully recall). That class was so great because my instructor was more excited about my novel project than I was. That was one of the things that kept me going through this difficult, miserable weather month. That, along with a failed but memorable visit to Kuma's Corner with my friend Drew, as well as an invitation to get in on an all-girl trip to Seattle that spring.

March 2009: About three weeks ago, I made plans to spend a Friday night hanging with some of my mates from work. They knew that I was feeling kind of low for a number of reasons, and insisted that I kick back and have a good time for a few hours.

This was another month that was kind of difficult. I threw myself into my writing as a coping mechanism, and despite loads of encouragement from my writing group and my YA workshop, self-confidence remained illusive. Actually my overall self-confidence was downright shaky, because I felt like I didn't know who I was or how to be anymore. I didn't know what to make of my new identity, and sometimes I liked it but the rest of the time I was scared and pretty lonely. One good thing about March, though was learning that my BFF Dawn was expecting her first child, and getting to see a theatrical production about women's sexuality with her. And I polished off Six Feet Under with Mike, who I was and still am working very hard to maintain a friendship with. By the time the month was over I was ready to usher it out the door and forget my troubles with a much-needed vacation.

April 2009: I was a little bummed to learn that this exhibit: http://www.empsfm.org/exhibitions/index.asp?categoryID=177&ccID=254 is due to hit Seattle long after my visit, but then I learned that it will be traveling to Chicago in October of 2010.

I can probably sum up this month with three words. Travel. Glorious travel! First there was the trip to end all trips....my first-ever excursion to Seattle with my friend Steph and three other girls. We paid our respects to Kurt Cobain, visited a bunch of sites that were significant to Nirvana and the grunge movement in general, and had all kinds of silly adolescent fun. I can't even begin to express how much healing this adventure brought, and even though I could have stayed forever I returned to Chicago feeling like my spirit was on the mend. Later in the month, there was a road trip to Milwaukee with my friends Drew and Kelly. We zipped around the city in the car I rented, and also took in a Mondo Lucha wrestling show. It was Kelly's first live wrestling experience, and I'm happy to say I think I converted her into a fan. That trip was extraordinarily rainy and cold, but it was still one of the better times I had throughout 2009. This was also the month when I reconnected with my friend Rob, who I have known since high school. We picked up our friendship where we last left it several years ago, almost as if no time had passed at all. We have continued to build on this reconnection ever since, and have shared many a good night as a result.

May 2009: I don't remember how Alex Shelley wound up on my couch.

If only the above sentence wasn't in reference to a dream! But alas, it is. And on top of that, I don't have all that much to recap for the month of May. This month's installment of Tamale Hut Cafe Presents: was one of my favorites because it featured my writing group buddy, the amazingly talented Aaron Golding. Other than that I can't remember much that happened. Well, that's not entirely true. I got Rob to take me to see a rock show featuring Kaiser Cartel. It was a great performance and thanks to some generous stranger who bought a round for everyone, I got to try absinthe for the first time ever.
What else? I briefly explored the possibility of online dating, and quickly learned that I wasn't ready to start putting myself out there. At all. Also, my sister had a stay in the hospital that was a big cause for concern toward the end of the month. And then I saw Red Noses, which was one of the more affecting plays I've seen as of late, and on that same night I went by myself to see the Safes, which they rewarded me for by dedicating one of their songs to me. Other than that, I was just working on feeling settled and figuring out who I was when I wasn't in a committed relationship. Being by myself still felt pretty unnatural and scary, but by this time I was starting to get used to it. I even rearranged my place a bit since I had more open space to work with. And continued chip chip chipping away at my novel. On the new laptop I bought because I sensed my old one was ready to die. Which it did about two months later. Finally, I made up for Drew and my failed attempt to eat at Kuma's by going there and finally getting to consume one of their delicious metal burgers. Sometimes, I'm a bad vegetarian.

June 2009: I have a major announcement.

That major announcement was not really anything that major. It was just me geeking out over the show Tattoo Highway, which was great while it lasted but has seem to have already gone extinct. Lucky for me this wasn't the only cause for excitement during this month. Matter of fact, June was probably one of the most fun and exciting months of '09. For starters, I went to a lot a lot of wrestling shows. Saw PCW for the first time in order to meet Roddy Piper. Had my sister take me out to Joliet for my first IWA show in almost a year. And I wound up running into her unexpectedly at AAW as well, when I brought my friend Rob to one of their shows and after-parties for the first time. What else? I noted the duality of my life when I followed my IWA evening with a day of being polished and proper for a series of work-related events. I saw the movie Up in 3D and it turned me into a snot-soaked mess. And to top all that off, I road-tripped back and forth to Milwaukee for two days straight, first for my annual Summerfest excursion, and then for yet another wrestling show. Summerfest allowed me to see Rancid and Rise Against, and although there were points when the crowd truly annoyed all in all it was a tremendous day. That's where I was when the news broke about Michael Jackson, and my phone blew up with messages from friends who wanted to make sure I knew.


Okay, so I've been working on this on and off all day and I thought I could burn through the whole thing after returning from tonight's session of writing group, but I'm finding that I'm losing steam. Sorry to have to cut this short, but I think I'm gonna have to save my recap of the second half of the year for tomorrow. Better to give you half a year than nothing at all, right?

Right.