Hey there.I have SUCKED at writing this month, despite making a committment to write daily.Personal goals?What’s that?

Actually, this year has been perhaps one of the busiest and most stressful I’ve ever had.I have had some big “wins” and a few setbacks.Life has been good overall, and in general, I’d feel like a big tool complaining, since my life, from many angles, is very very good.

So let’s dwell on the positive, and look at the progress I’ve made over this year.

At the beginning of 2003, the agency I work for was using a DOS program to record patient data… some of it, anyway.Most of the patient’s chart was on paper, and the nurses didn’t even use the computer… just the medical records department.Computer data was only available inside the building… we didn’t have remote access of any kind.

Today, all clinicians have computers, which they use to chart electronically.We have a brand-new honkin’ server to handle all of that, all of which I’ve put into place.We have other improvements as well: we laid some fiber around our campus to extend the network to ancillary buildings, did some profound security upgrades, and the mail server operates completely differently than it did last year.I’m so fortunate to work for an agency that values technology and trusts me to choose and implement it.I of course didn’t do everything by myself, but I did a great portion of it, mostly the “information infrastructure” stuff.And you know what?Despite the stress of deadlines, learning curves and trying to keep everyone happy, I had a lot of fun, too.

Speaking of fun, it was about this time last year that a group of friends in Austin that I hang out with were going to get to throw a little party for some Web Writers in Austin.Then we sort of said, “Holy Shit, what did we just commit to?”But it worked: I have heard very few people who didn’t have a rockin’ time.  We even managed to stay friends (though it was touch and go for a bit.)

The weekend stands out as one of my best, and I can’t begin to imagine what my year would have been like without it.Actually, I would have a lot more free time, but I wouldn’t have had lots of fun, or made or strengthened as many friendships.JournalCon rocks, and stands out as one of my better accomplishments of the year.Not that I did it alone, or even did the bulk of everything… but I’ll still count it as an accomplishment.

This time last year, I was fat and single.This year, I’m plump and available romantically.I’m so glad to be better off!

Happy New Year!

So at work, we have a house near the back of our campus that houses our Community Relations department.  All of the people who work in this department like cats.  A lot.

So today, I was working on a printer in the house and a cat I've never seen before walks past me and curls up in a corner, just like it belonged there.

"Who's cat is that?" I asked my coworker.

"Oh, that Gato.  He's a stray, we let him in sometimes.  He's really sweet." (For the record, this is NOT the cat that peed in my car a few weeks ago.)

And so he was.  I don't like cats myself, and this one had me charmed by some magic spell.  Maybe it was really a witch who pissed of his superiors or something, but he seemed smarter than that.  He also didn't look like a stray.

"Do you suppose," I asked my coworker, "that he actually isn't homeless, that he actually is cared for by lots of people who think he's a stray?  Because he loves humans, and um, he's in no way skinny or scrawny."

"You know, now that you mention it, he DOES seem shrewd.  He's always looking at you to see if you're watching him when he does something cute."

"Exactly"

Gato (who probably has 12 other names) ate a hearty meal, took a nap, and then meowed at the door to be let out and walked down the street.  I'm pretty sure he knew where he was going.

Ever have such a bad morning that you have to go buy shoes on your lunch hour?

Yeah.  I did that today.  I had a meeting scheduled at noon today at work (at NOON! Is NOTHING sacred?) and when that meeting was over, I had to buy shoes.  Not WANTED to buy shoes... I actually HAD to buy shoes, and had to buy them NOW.

Trouble is, I live and work in a town devoid of middle to high-end retail.  I tend to like middle-to-high end shoes, so this could present a problem.  But I decided to take my chances at Ross (Dress For Less).

For those of you unfamilar (or too lazy to click that link above), Ross is a chain of discount retailers who carry department store quality merchandise at clearance prices.  The prices are good at Ross, the service, not so much.  Also, Ross seems to be hit-or-miss... they either have tons of great stuff, or lots of stuff that makes you realize why it's at a discount retailer (like, um, orange and purple men's dress shoes.)

I lucked out!  I got some Unlisted shoes for 30 bucks.  I liked 'em, they matched my outfit today, and I like them, so I bought them.  Thirty American dollars for shoes is a bargin, so in the basket they went.

I went to look at the plus sized womens clothing (many people call this store cRoss Dress for Less) and found nothing, but I did get a few hostess gifts for the holiday season.  And Belgium chocolates.  I resisted buying a watch, but only because I would have had to find someone to open the case.

Now, I know I've said to some of you individually and also maybe hinted here that I was having a hard time experiencing the Christmas Spirit this year, and that's true.  But I witnessed a Christmas Miracle today: there was more than one cashier at a Ross store.  If you've ever shopped there, you'd know that is a miracle, indeed.

Actually, today my mood started to improve... yesterday was one of the most stressful workdays I've ever had, and when you take into account that I was in retail management for most of my 20s, that's pretty stressful.  All will be better next week.  Or the week after that.  Or maybe around mid-January.  2005.

Ho Ho Ho!

Ladies and gentlemen:  I have a confession to make.  I know you may judge me harshly and opinions about me may change, but at this time, I don't care.  I have to come out and say it:

I am really freaked out by wicker deer, wrapped in lights, that move at the neck.  I don't care if the movement is from side-to-side or constantly bobbing its evil head up and down like it's grazing on your lawn... I just get a bit freaky.

Okay, the ones where the head goes up and down disturb me marginally more than the ones that just seem to be sizing up the joint for their wicked wicker ways, but they both suck.

I have noticed that the situation is not helped much by the deer being made out of metal, which seems to also be popular.  These things are evil and WRONG people!

I've tried to get to the root of the problem... to see if maybe a wicker deer molested me as a child, nudging its head against me and then away, against me then away until I cried myself to sleep at night, but I don't think that happened, because I dont' remember seeing these things before about 2000 or so. 

Anyway, since I find these things so creepy and odious, they are of course everywhere, so a time of great joy and wonderment is ruined by wicked, evil, scary decorations.

Deck the halls, indeed.

I got to be all Alexis Carrington last night.

"If you are wondering why you're having a hard time keeping members, perhaps you should look at why you can't keep officers."

And then I walked out, not even looking back.

I didn't want to quit, but I was serving on a volunteer, interim basis on a board that had stopped communicating with me for reasons I can't explain, and I just had it (The breakdown in communication was so total that I had to call a board member's home to find out what time our meeting started last night; my emails asking such went unheeded.)

I was the second board member in that position to quit in the last six months, so I feel like it wasn't just me; indeed, I KNOW it wasn't just me.

Still, there's the feeling of loss, that I somehow failed the members of the group, that I could have made this situation better, but the truth is, I was fighting a losing battle where the very method I used to communicate was turned against me.

Life, my friends, is too short for that.

I had a great Thanksgiving. Lots of travel, but a good time.

For the past few years, my grandparents have been unable to host us for Thanksgiving due to their age and other logistical reasons, so they have traveled to eat with us near Dallas at my sister's house.

This year, we didn't think it was a good idea for them to drive, so we went to the farm to pick them up, and spent a night there.

Since they've been coming to us, I hadn't been to my grandparent's farm in about three years, and everything was the same as it always was, except for the wheelchair ramp leading up to the door. And the raised commode in the bathroom, and the wheelchair in the living room. Everything was the same.

They are getting old. I miss them as they were: young, spry and set in their ways.

My parents went outside to get something out of the car, and were outside for a long time, so I went outside, and they were standing in the yard, looking up, and marvelling at the stars. It was awe-inspiring... you can see so many! It was magical.

My tendacy towards piles of clutter is apparently heriditary. My grandparents love to read, and there are stacks of magazines everywhere. It's comforting to know that I'm not just a slob: I'm genetically predisposed to clutter up my house.

Life is good. Happy December.