2009?! What the....whatever....

Well, the holidays came and went and to be honest, they felt weird to me. They were nice and it was cool to see the family and have a traditional American Christmas for the first time in a couple of years but there was just something that felt off. Unfortunately, it seems I was not alone in this feeling and the general consensus among most of the family was that this year was odd.

The really weird part and this is not a slant toward this Christmas but I found myself really missing my first Christmas in Japan. I hung out with Reid and Karie and we had a generally rockin' time. I miss that Christmas. I liked this Christmas because it felt comfortable but I liked that Christmas because I felt free.

In other news, Broxton is doing well and I think Brody and Michela are getting adjusted to being parents. It is kind of cool to see Broxton and to see him at a time when almost every time you see him, he looks a little bit older. He also looks more like a baby and less like a small alien creature. I think I like Broxton; we will have a lot of fun when he gets older. Right now, he doesn't do a ton other than sleep and eat and in that sense, he and I may be more similar than I care to admit.

Being on Christmas break from school was fun for about a week. Not being in school means time that I am not being a teacher. Not being a teacher means more time that I don't have my own house. Not having my own house means more time I am living in my parents' basement. Living in my parents' basement isn't doing me any favors in the not-being-single department. It is somewhat nerve wracking to know that most of my future well being hinges on one very slow moving process that I can only partially control. I wish I could take all of the classes I need in one semester but as it stands now, I have four classes coming up and then one or two summer school classes and depending on how many summer school classes are offered, maybe one class this coming fall. I really need to get a teaching job and school is slowing me down. Upside, I got a 4.0 this last semester and I probably put about as much effort into studying as I do in watching a couple episodes of the Simpsons. So much for being challenged. I am beyond wondering whether the classes are really easy or I am just creepy smart, I just know I am bored out of my mind.

So now it is the new year...I am not totally sure what I think about that but it isn't like I have a ton of say in the matter. I went into 2008 knowing that the year was going to be a wash and knowing that it was going to be a sort of an administrative year to figure out my new American life. It was a good year but not a ton got done on my part. Good things happened like Ben getting married and Broxton getting born and Malia being my girlfriend...and then not. I sold some of my pictures and I like my job and it is nice to hang out with my old friends all the time. The thing I was hoping for that didn't happen was that the administrative year that I knew was coming, didn't really end. It is looking like 2009 will probably also be an administrative year. Maybe I will just call it 2008.5.

I see progress being made and I see a light at the end of the tunnel but man, the train I am on is moving at an absolute crawl. I take solace in knowing that I am doing all that I can in regards to school and my career and future but it is so irritating to know that I can't just wake up tomorrow and get on with my life.

In a totally unrelated vein of thought, I really dig this show on A&E called, Intervention. It is basically about drugees and alcoholics being confronted by their families and getting treatment. I have no clue why I like this show but I have been watching it for three hours now while typing this out and doing some stuff for work. I can probably relate to it because some of the people I work with should really be on this program.