A decade in review ...

I'm really bad with jumping on the bandwagon on January 1, XXXX posts ... I found a post like this on a couple different friends' blogs and have decided to recap the last 10 years of my life for my adoring readers ... all 3 of you ...

It's really easy:

01/01/2000 - 12/31/2009:
- August 1999 - Started working at Target (ok, so this one is a pre-2000)
- December 2002 - Graduated from BCC with my AA
- June 2004 - Mom died
- July 2004 - Graduated from UCF with my BS in Business Administration
- December 2007 - Started dating Jami
- August 2008 - Graduated from UCF with my MBA
- April 2009 - Quit Target [also, met Lindsay and my life was never the same]
- April 2009 - Started working as a Financial Analyst for Dept. of Defense contractor in Cape Canaveral, FL

There have been a few bumps in the road over the last 10 years, but all things considered, I think I turned out ok. :)

We're a bit too connected ...

... and not sure what I want to do about that.

The internet is getting scary. Between Facebook/Twitter/GoogleBuzz/Blogger/email/AIM/Skype/*bump*/everything else out there, I know more about my friends' lives than ever, and more information about my life is out there than ever, and I'm sure they know more about my life than they ever wanted to know.

We are so dependent on technology that I sometimes wonder what will happen if it fails. I think that we're losing the ability to go on a walk and have a great conversation. Personally, I love a nice long drive + convo, or a walk + convo, or even going for a run and talking.

One thing I'm learning from my job in a cube-farm is that I really like human connection, and more importantly, I need human connection.

I've done some reaching out online. Sharing my story, asking for guidance, giving guidance, emoting about my feelings. I've always been pretty mindful of the fact that anything I post online can (and probably will at some point) be used against me, but right now, I need to put myself out there.

In the absense of my partner, I am leaning heavily on my friends. I didn't do a good job of that last semester, and it was tough. I need my friends. I like having someone to go to the gym with, someone to have dinner with and someone to wander around Wal-Mart with. I also need alone time. Last semester I had too much alone time. This semester, it's about finding a balance until I move.

Taking David's advice, I have found a new hobby - working out. Last month, I lost 11 lbs. My workout buddy is moving the first week of March, but I'm still going to keep at it. We're doing a "biggest winner" contest at work - at least this way I'll get prizes for my weight loss :) This week's weigh in has me down 1.6 lbs since last Thursday ... considering the crap we ate in DC all weekend, I'm grateful that I didn't gain any!!

I haven't blogged in a while ...

... not that anyone really reads it, but I still feel the need to apologize.

Why do people exist in worlds full of false senses of obligation?

I feel obligated to apologize for not blogging more. Others I know feel obligated to do things socially, even when they don't want to.

Why do we constantly do things that make us feel bad?

I'm reaching out ...

... but I don't know what I'm reaching for.