2010: End of year thoughts.

Here we are, together again.

Another year. Another decade.

Okay, I'll drop all the philosophical bullshit.

2010 had its ups and downs.

There were some ups.

I moved away from a sucky location. I hated where we lived. Okay, I loved our bedroom in our house. But I wasn't moving on anything I really wanted to do. Apart from family, I was living somewhere surrounded by people I largely didn't care about. Mostly they were my family's friends, but the truth was, I didn't really feel connected to any of them. Some people I had legitimate issues with. Admittedly most of them were fairly nice. Perhaps it's just my nature, but I don't really respond when people I know try to pick my friends for me. I'm instantly tuned out. Never mind that our politics may be similar, some of them might even like the same things I like - I didn't really seek them out, so as far as I was concerned, I never really dropped my guard, and resolved to maintain basic politeness, and nothing else.

At my job, things weren't much better.

Despite all the apparent 'success' at shipping a product and getting it certified by essentially a competitor, and working with very difficult (but gifted) people, it seemed I was unable to cash in on said 'success'. Now I don't claim to have been the driving force behind everything that went on to make things successful, but I did provide some direction and guidance in the areas I was responsible for. And of course, I was there to do the 'pick up the shit' others didn't want to do. And although my boss was a good guy, he wasn't really in any position to do much of anything when another manager at a higher level stepped in and began being abusive to me and others. He didn't stand up to the head of our organization and challenge him to to put a stop to this.

I did. At least I tried.

And when it was clear nothing was going to change, I simply spent my 'success' by getting a job and moving back to an area I'm a lot happier with.

Still that hasn't happened without some problems.

Some in the family weren't too happy with having their lives uprooted.

And yes we left a house behind that's now financially underwater,  that we're still paying for. Joy me.

And we brought an untrustworthy useless excuse of an animal with us. What a mistake that's been.

If it weren't for those last two, I'd almost be happy.

Anyways, I work in a pretty nice place. It's a much different environment in a famous company. And I get some free stuff every week that we get to enjoy. I have a really good boss - who really gets what I do, and really values my input and thought.

Despite the world being much shittier due to -

Costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Economic decline of the working and middle class
Loss of Internet freedom
No improvement in efforts to solving global warming

And lots more ... in my own life ...

... I never forget that could be a lot worse. Indeed it's a lot worse for many people.

But I still have my ideas. I still have my friends. I still have my goals and dreams. I still have my wits and the will to improve life for myself, my family, my friends.

So here's hoping 2011 is the year I take more steps to moving in that direction.