The inevitable yearly roundup

[Amethyst Hunter]

As we look ahead to 2011...!

What significant things have you had in 2010, for better or worse? What do you think about 2011?

Talk amongst thyselves.

For me, 2010 has been one unstable bizarre year:

- Lost my beloved cat to cancer (as seen in this post - FUCK YOU 2010! Now I have another reason to hate the month of February.)

(And I just now realized that this month, around the 16th, is the 7-year anniversary of the passing of another beloved cat friend of mine. Except that while his passing was traumatic in its own way to me and no less horrible than my last kitty's was, I was able to deal with 2003's one better if for no other reason than that I was able to handle it the way *I* wanted. (He got to go at home, in comfort, with me holding him, and I had his remains cremated) Too many holidays being contaminated by the deaths of loved ones anymore...)

- Saved two homeless kitties (Much as I love these guys, I still miss my other kitty. I have such mixed feelings about this. )

- Got a 'new' (actually, used, but to me it's new) car which I freaking love

- Managed to get sort-of-employment that might turn out to be longer than I'd anticipated (see my thread in the Life Advice); said employment is related to my shuttling across the country.

- Added a new state to my travel log when this past summer I went to visit relatives

[Eireann]

This has been, by far, the worst year I have ever known.

- Lost my mom. Worst thing that has ever happened to me.

- Went through horrific stress at work, with corrupt and lying "managers"

- Said "managers" hired someone to take my place, and only then told me that they had hired someone to take my place.

- Had some job possibilities, all great, all of which fell through.

- Very limited financial means.

2011 had just better be an improvement over this.

[protege]

With all the shit that's happened in the past few months, 2010 can kiss my ass.

Let's see now...

Grandma's stroke in July, her death the following August.
Dad's cancer scare in June, his serious auto accident the week after Grandma's death, which landed him in the hospital *again*, and then his still-ongoing treatment for something that turned out to be *not* cancer after all.

[Taboo]

2010 seems like it's been a really awful year for a lot of people...

Been in the hospital twice, nearly died twice (allergic reaction/stopped breathing).
Almost grounded a plane (allergic reaction again).
Found out it's going to take more than 4 years to get my degree.
Might have lost my scholarship.
Fed up with my school's ridiculousness.
Mom's getting tests run still and it might be cancer.

On a brighter note, a lot of my friends have gotten engaged or married, and I'm really happy to see them all happy.

I really hope 2011 is better, but I'm honestly scared. I'm going to go from being a full-time student to part time and full time worker in something in addition to all of my attempts in my own field. I live in NYC and it's going to be really difficult for me to be able to pay all of my bills here, at least freshly out of school, and I'm terrified of failing and having to leave NYC and give up on my career.

[blas]

Beloved FatCat died in March.

My uncle and his wife had their baby almost 4 months premature. He's doing ok but he will be in the hospital for sure until his "real" due date, maybe even later than that if things don't go well. Although he has surprised the hell out of the doctors, so we're thinking everything is going to be okay.

I got a new(er) car that I absolutely love, but hate making the payment and paying the insurance on.

Looking forward to 2011 and quitting smoking forever, and losing some weight and going back to the natural me, getting rid of the fake tan and the fake hair and just being me. Hoping things improve with my bf. Hoping to make new friends and finally be able to bury the worthless party animals forever in my friend book.

[KellyHabersham]

I'd say that 2010 has been a mixture for me.....the following is a few highlights:

- got laid off from the church job this fall

- my mom's stepmother is in a rehab facility and may not be able to return home again

- almost got evicted from my apartment this summer

- finally got a chance to see Faster Pussycat in concert back in September

- some of my health issues have improved over this past year, which I'm totally grateful for.

- my brother got married in March, and his wife is an awesome addition to the family!

[MaggieTheCat]

Man, with all the bad crap that's happened to everyone else in 2010, I feel really blessed that we had a good year.

Bought our first house, which has thus far been wonderful.

Got a new kitten. He can be a brat, but he's so darn cute that we always forgive him.

Had some great success vending my work at conventions and shows.

There have been a few bumps in the road, like someone knocking the mirror off our car and my credit card number getting stolen (but thankfully we caught it before any damage was done.) But overall it's been a good year for us. I hope things go well for everyone in 2011.

[AnaKhouri]

Wow, I am sorry so many people had a crappy 2010. I feel kind of guilty saying our year was relatively uneventful...

* I learned to be a mom to a rapidly growing little boy, who turned 1 back in August

* My year-long publishing drought finally broke, as I have had two stories published in the past month.

* We bought a house (our first!) in July. Very happy with it so far, although it will need a new roof in the next couple years.

* My mom broke her wrist (ugh) right before Thanksgiving, but she's doing well.

* I started a collaborative novel with my husband, which is going swimmingly.

* My friend's erotica novel is being published by Harlequin.

* Last week my husband's car was hit at 3 am by a driver who left the scene (the cops followed the debris trail to her garage door and caught her). There is $7000 of damage to be fixed, but insurance is paying everything so it's really just an inconvenience. He has a rental car and everything.

I don't know what 2011 will bring. There's a Linkin Park concert in February......but other than that, I am eager to see what happens next.

[Rapscallion]

Let's see.

Got to visit Prague and meet Eireann (hope it improves, lady). Need to meet more forumers. Met some DPers in London recently as well.

Got involved in the MR2 racing scene. Bit of a laugh. Some great people. One or two wankers.

Converted a flower bed into an onion bed and am eating deep of the harvest. It's only a couple of months before I need to start thinking about planting more. May look at converting more of my garden to vegetables.

Didn't get half the things I wanted to do done. Got some things done I never expected.

Knees showing signs of improvement.

Rapscallion

[Andara Bledin]

My year was relatively uneventful. I kind of like things like that.

The big highlights are:

* 3rd feline addition into the family in the form of the always-adorable Bruce
* After just over a month of wrangling, got the loan for a used car and it's nice
* $1000.00 end-of-year bonus from work - and since the boyfriend works at the same company, he got the same.

^-.-^

[Lindsey]

My year began terribly but the rest of it has been so good that I have to label it a good year as a whole.

- Spent most of my second semester as a senior depressed by my home situation, to the point where I stopped doing work and did nothing but sleep. I failed chemistry and was able to talk my way out of Fs and into Cs in the rest of my classes.. one upside to online school is that the teachers were wonderfully understanding, and written communication really let me tell them what was going on with me, once I was able to make myself write those e-mails

- Got into every college I applied to despite my senior grades, which was nothing short of amazing

- Accepted a $48,000 scholarship to the university I'm currently attending

- Spent the entire summer bonding with my 14 year old sister, which was nice.. we're a lot closer now as a result

- Finally was able to come to terms with my first love, who I spent the last 5 or 6 years missing and wanting to be with.. it wasn't a good way to exist. He had a baby with his girlfriend this year. I understand that things happen, but they're my age and don't have jobs or anything and just aren't responsible adults. I decided I didn't need to be jealous of that.

- Moved out of my parents' house and into the dorms at my college at the end of August, which did wonders for the depression I'd been battling since middle school... I feel like it may have been environmentally triggered, so I'm glad and so grateful for the change

- Was assigned a passive-aggressive roommate who a) never speaks, and b) leaves dirty moldy bowls of oatmeal behind my desk, massive balls of blonde hair on my rug and condoms in my laundry

- Made a solid group of friends at college by the second week of classes in September. They're the best thing that happened to me in longer than I can remember. I can be a loud obnoxious idiot around them and they don't even blink; and I can talk to them about absolutely anything and they'll listen and be honest. I love them so much and owe them a ton. I've never had friends like these.

- Met my boyfriend in September and started living with him in October thanks to a lucky and somewhat hilariously unreal chain of relationships that freed up his room (I live with him, his roommate lives with his girlfriend, whose roommate lives with her boyfriend, etc.). He's amazing and beautiful and so kind, and I'm so lucky to have him. He's not just a great boyfriend, he's a great friend.. one of the best I have.

Plus I'm sure my roommate doesn't miss me - hahaha

- Finished up my first semester at college with a 2.5, which is mediocre but I'm happy to accept considering my homeschooled background.. I was so unfamiliar and unprepared for classroom work. I'm confident that I'll be able to do better next semester now that I've adjusted.

[AdminAssistant]

Good;
- Picked out a dissertation topic, picked a comp exam chair and committee, and scheduled comps for next fall

- Fell in love with the most incredible guy, got engaged, he took a pay cut and moved 8 hours to live with me

Bad:
- Losing a bit of contact with friends because I can't hang out at any time at the spur of the moment anymore. Sorry, I have a Fiance, and I need to spend some time with him

- The stress of school is starting to lead to some health/anxiety problems

- My father lost his GD mind and is currently sitting in county jail, waiting to see a judge.

[Lady Legira]

Bad -

Buried my Husband in Jan after watching him die at Christmas last year

Left my job due to stress and knee injury

Found out my knee was pretty much a long term thing to deal with

Finding out about Epilepsy because my boyfriend suffers badly with it (mildly bad)

Snow

Good

Talking with a friend and becoming more than friends

Having a partner to hold me this Christmas when I need to cry

All my family are in good health

Enjoying life again

Having my sister being more herself again