And One More Passes...

Matt and I have had a busy year.

I quit one job in March to take another one that was going to be the one I kept, only to quit that job in September. I have basically been unemployed ever since - 3.5 months! - and bringing in only minuscule amounts of money from my "freelancing."

We moved twice; once across town in Albuquerque to a house that I thought had better landlords, and where I enjoyed the front porch but hated the gunshots. Next, across the West to San Francisco, where more than twice as much money did not even come close to renting us another stand-alone. But the scenery makes up for it.

Matt was uprooted from his school again, this time much farther away, when he followed me to the Bay. He traded sometime schoolwork for actual paying work, while his adviser still prods him to finish.

We took trips to exciting places like Pittsburgh and Michigan, but my sister was nice enough to bring me to Ecuador.

My sister and brother-in-law returned home to Phoenix from Europe and are now expecting their first baby. (While my sister says my birthday present is to find out the sex, I think the present will be if it's a girl...)

We had a lovely visit from GLOBE while still in New Mexico, and since being in California, we have seen some friends from New Mexico, my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law (all of whom were in town for some other reason but were nice enough to humor us with a visit - my parents on a brief but out-of-the-way stop between AZ and Vegas).

We also spent Christmas at our own home for the first time ever where we ate vast quantities of Italian food.. Although I saw my family, Matt was deprived of his.

Meanwhile, the world got more depressing. The economy tanked, the safe haven for gay marriage was rendered not so safe, people still died in Afghanistan, sexism still thrived, and my preferred presidential candidate lost.

Here's hoping that 2009 will bring peace to more people around the world, as I have found some peace of my own in San Francisco.

[And despite the fact that I took the time to make all these links, I still haven't taken the time to write my AGU blogs or discuss the great museums I've been to. Maybe one day...]