[Edited on November 29, 2011 at 2:32 PM. Reason : ]

11/29/2011 2:22:27 PM

Career: B+ I work for the best company in my field, a global organization with no debt and great profitiability that keeps my job somewhat secure. Made it through multiple rounds of layoffs (~50% of my office) so that was a plus. (They still lay people off during slow periods to stay profitable, and my city was one of the hardest hit by economy.) Learned a lot and moved into a larger leadership role in my office and company and now get to manage the building information modeling of a $500 million dollar project. The only thing keeping it from an A+ is that I haven't been promoted yet and I've been with the firm for 6-years and go above and beyond my job description. Also got licensed as an architect this year, so really it should be an A+. Promotions are in 2-weeks so it may still be a good 2011

Family: A+ I love my wife of 8 years and things are going great. God willing we'll have a child this year, but that's not always a sure thing. If there's one down-side it's that we live so far from our parents and my wife is really close to her mom and the distance (1,600 miles away) is hard at times.

Social life/Friends: A+ Awesome friends with lots of varying interests, everyone gets along great and we all try different things together, play poker, watch Premier League, play disc golf, brew beer together, just random fun times. Even though my wife and I are married and in our 30's we still enjoy going out to the clubs to dance and go out for drinks downtown together.

Health: B Did another alpine cycling ride of 75-miles in the mountains, could have trained more and done more cycling rides. Some weight-gain, but I think it will be positive as it's going to reinforce excercise as a necessity in my daily routine. Still bike to work 4 miles/day, every day, almost 200+ days this year, it doesn't help enough though.

Money: A- Lots in savings, was able to afford bathroom remodel, nominal 5% raise, still make crap for my experience level and job role & responsibily at work, but so goes my field of work... Wife does well. Retirement is rocking. No debt aside from mortgage and wife's grad school loan. We've been so blessed and have been able to give lots away to our church, our community, various charities and missionaries we know, and were able to sponsor a child.

Overall, just thankful for a good job and great wife. Not much to complain about.

Highlights:
-Travel to Costa Rica
-Travel to Cape Cod
-Travel to Mid-Atlantic for Brewery Tours (DE,DC,VA,PA,MD)
-Travel to Aspen
-Maroon Bells Wilderness Backpacking Trip & Two camping trips with friends
-U2 Concert
-San Diego Chargers game
-14 days of skiing
-Remodel Bathroom (DIY project)
-Licensed Architect (completion of all 7 professional exams)
-Wife completed an Ironman 70.3
-Wife's 30th Birthday
-Brewed 6 batches of beer this year, Oktoberfest, and Great American Beer Festival

[Edited on November 29, 2011 at 5:10 PM. Reason : /]

11/29/2011 4:41:09 PM

2010:

Quote :

"Overall, I'd say it was an A -Worked really hard this past year, and got a lot of experience, made a lot of contacts, and accomplished a lot of goals in NY. B -Broke up with my now ex. Kind of sucked at first, but it's for the best. Thinking back on the whole thing, I can clearly see now that the relationship was destined down a road that would have left me miserable. B -Got laid off from that job. F -4 days after receiving notice of my layoff, I found another job with the same company. They just ended up transferring me. This new job moved me to an area that I love being in, moved me closer to family and friends, the job itself is LEAGUES better than my old one, and I ended up getting paid much more. A++++ -Bought a new car. Love it. A -I'm quickly realizing that I have much less free time to enjoy myself these days. It's not all bad, as my time is consumed being productive. Still... I guess if you have time, you ain't got no money. If you have money, you ain't got no time. B- -Now, I'm really in a position to make huge positive gains, very quickly. I just have to stay focused and determined."

2011:
Career: A I'm still with the same company, in the same job that I had transferred to last year. I still love it. I've gotten a couple of awards this year, have seen quite a few achievements, and met my goals. I'm getting faster at my tasks, became a mentor, got a large raise, and am looking towards a promotion soon. Keep on keepin' on.

Family: A+ I had some family members pass, but in large, my family is doing great. I even see many more of them more often than I used to since I'm back in the DC area... and a lot of my family is here as well.

Social life/Friends: B- I don't really know what to say.... I have my friends. They're around. Unfortunately, during the week I am usually too busy to work to hang out with them. During the weekend, sometimes I just don't feel like going out because I want to chill. I know I should really work on this, travel more, and go out to have a good time.

Health: A No problems. I started running more, and have been going to the gym. I realized that I have been a complete asshole to my body over the years, and although I don't have any problems, I should make changes before problems developed. So... I started exercising more, eating better, and cut out some bad habits that I have.

Money: B Paid off all debt. I just have my car note now. I make plenty, but am still giving myself a B because 1) I want to force myself to save more and 2) this area is so damn expensive, it makes me feel poor even though I'm not. Really?! $1400/mo for a 1 bedroom apartment
?!?!?!?! Man...that's some bullshit.

Lurve: A Met this new girl earlier this year, and it's been all gravy. Been my girlfriend for a while now. Always have a good time out and about... or when we stay in. I'm going to shut up about this before I jinx it.

11/29/2011 8:49:50 PM

I'll come back when it's 2012.

11/29/2011 10:59:24 PM

2010:

Quote :

"-Uncle died -Got a new job and a huge pay increase -Family relationships remain strained as ever. I just can't deal with some people anymore. -Haven't made many new friends, but got to know some people better -Got a new car -Took a great trip to San Diego -Went to DC for Rally to Restore Sanity Overall it was a 6/10 year. My uncle's death really threw me and the rest of the family for a loop."

2011:
Career: B- I'm mostly bored and uninspired by my job and I think it shows. People at the company aren't happy either, 5 people (good people too) left my team for jobs at other companies. The only reason I'm not actively searching is that the pay is really good and my own lack of motivation.

Family: C- Still estranged from a lot of them. I think that's just going to be the norm. My paternal grandfather had a heart attack last week, which was scary as hell. He had an operation Monday that went well, but I'm still worried about him, my dad, and grandma.

Social life/Friends B I'm a bit of a loner by nature, so this isn't a big issue for me. I have a decent circle of friends that I can hang out and do stuff with, so that's enough for now.

Health: B I started this year at 190 lbs and it looks like I'll finish at 190 lbs. Some pants fit me better than they used to and some people have said I look more muscular, so that's a plus. Would still like to lose 10 lbs or so.

Money: C+ Still have a lot of student loan debt, not to mention the mortgage and car payments. I make enough that I'm not scraping by though. As long as the job holds up I'll be good.

Love: A Probably the biggest highlight of the year. I'm only 6 weeks into my current relationship but it's going amazingly well. Obviously 6 weeks in is way too soon to act like I've found my One True Love though. Still, I've never been this excited someone... ever.

11/29/2011 11:28:20 PM

Career: Started a new sales job at the start of the year. I was super excited about getting out of car sales and starting at a small company. 8 months later I was moved out of the territory because even though I had made a lot of connections and had planted to the seed for the business, I couldn't get Durham to spend the money on a stupid product. So I started working on making the service better. The office won't really listen to me about changes so...I'm quitting soon. Still no closer to figuring out what I want to be when I grow up D

Family: I entered into 2011 with my dad in the hospital with complications from a brain tumor. I'm ending it with his passing on Dec 12. F

Friends: Gained some pretty cool friends this year. A

Health: Up and down due to stress and the joy of comfort food. Could no longer afford my health insurance so that's not fun. I did drop 12lbs and that felt nice but two months later I gained it all back as my dad got worse. *sigh* C

Money: low sales = no commission. New position = slightly better but still with the same company but working for a startup means I make as much as I did in my two part time jobs in college 2nd job doing freelance photography help with extra money and helps me get my customer service fix. So hoping to find a new job that actually pays me real money asap d

Overall, I grew up a lot this year. I'm trying to end the year off with a smile on my face but that's why I'm bringing in 2012 in downtown. I'll be drunk and covered in glow sticks! 2012 will be all about self improvement!

12/22/2011 1:20:44 AM

2010

Quote :

"Spirituality: Embraced Zen. Not so much for religious reasons, because Zen doesn't really take that approach - but as far as a paradigm shift and lifestyle re-adjustment, it's done well for me. A Family: No deaths, but my grandmother's health got a bit worse. Knowing that, I can't possibly give this an A - even despite my relationship growing with my mother and brother, my uncle's prosperity, and the near-total elimination of my dad from my life (this is a good thing). B Friends: My friends are still my same awesome friends. I have a good group around me and I don't feel like I thank them enough. Even my distant friendships improved this year. I got to do a good amount of traveling to be with some of them for some time, and many came here to New Orleans to enjoy what we have to offer. I look forward to much more of this in 2011. A+ Love: Ever the patient person I am, I've put up another year of mostly empty travels. I do, however, have prospects now that I didn't have a year ago, so that's promising. I didn't spend too much time groveling over one particular woman as I did in 2008, and I didn't make myself inaccessible as I did for a stretch of 2009. I think I found a balance that just needs to actually be applied to someone as a relationship partner, but I also don't wanna just rush into something. B- Job: Hard to believe I was on the verge of quitting or transferring out of my department this time a year ago. New management above me trusted my intelligence and eagerness to help the department run more smoothly, and I've found a sense of belonging rather than just filling a role as I had been previously. It's still not my ideal job, but at least now I can point to things I've done, changes I've imparted, etc. A- Other: The Saints won the Super Bowl. I made it through jury duty and managed to mostly enjoy it. I was able to increase my credit line. I've watched a friend's music career really take off. I met Muse's bassist, Chris. I have nearly 13,000 mp3s. I'm rehabbing a faulty knee. Didn't gain any weight and may have even lost a bit. Didn't wanna include this in love, but I eluded a stalker situation; this girl just didn't GET that we would not have been compatible as relationship partners and still speaks about me as though there's a possibility there - but I've washed my hands of it. Overall: A Very good year, I accomplished a lot and set the table to accomplish a lot more. I can't wait to see what 2011 brings."

Spirituality: Zen is still going well for me. I'm getting better at meditation and I'm doing a little reading to strengthen my knowledge core. I'd definitely like to keep down this path for 2012. A

Family: My grandmother passed away in February. I still miss her like crazy. Although my mom and I have grown even closer since then, other family members are gradually becoming the _______ you have to love from a distance. My dad didn't even try to weasel in a happy birthday message, so I guess that's good... D+

Friends: My friends are still my same awesome friends. I have a good group around me and I don't feel like I thank them enough. Even my distant friendships improved this year. I got to do a good amount of traveling to be with some of them for some time, and many came here to New Orleans to enjoy what we have to offer. I look forward to much more of this in 2012. (All of this happened and then some. Exact same message from 2010, but even more true. If that makes sense.) A+

Love: Those prospects from 2010? Dried up in 2011. One had to go due to a dealbreaker, but the rest have managed to legitimately confuse me. But the saying (sorta) goes, when one door closes another opens. Through this whole social networking thing, I've managed to draw and retain a woman's interest. We're not local - she doesn't even live in the States - but I'm at once intrigued and amazed by her and I wanna see what happens here. Strange grade, to be sure, but I'm optimistic A

Job: More responsibility, slightly more money, a lot more headaches, benefits cost more for a bit less. It's time to hurry up and finish school... B+

Money: Got hit with a couple of financial speed bumps. Thankfully I'm in a position to clear up the last of this immediate-post-Katrina mess and get on with life. My job is even helping a bit. B

Overall: A - finally, a good odd-numbered year! This one wasn't without its low moments, but overall so many great things have happened that it'd be in bad taste to dwell on the few little (and one big) things that went wrong. So many times this year, I had to mentally separate myself from what was going on around me, and just soak it all in. Many reasons to smile, and many memories to look back on.

12/30/2011 4:07:01 PM

I want to give an update since a lot can happen in a month and because I realized last night how much in love I am and how happy I am that I moved up to PA and that I met Jonathan. I feel like smiling

And I gained a lot of self-confidence and I think a big part of that was because I become a coach for Girls on the Run this fall and spent a lot of time helping girls train to run and build self-esteem, I hope to be a coach in 2012.

Oh and I got a new car.


And I still have the best kitty ever.

12/31/2011 8:52:26 AM

Career: B I quit my day job and started full time with my travel agency. It's really fun and I enjoy it. I knew going into it there would be a lot of hours at times though I miss my family. I hope I can get the two in sync this year.

Family: C My son started Kindergarten and I quit my job to have more time to spend with him. I felt we were in a rat race everyday and I really wanted to be home with him when he got off school at 3. My husband has been picking up more hours because of my decision. He's also been really patient listening to me, but I admit I have not been as there for him as I should be since I am so wrapped up in being a business owner. I planned a vacation this spring to kind of get us all back together.

Social life/Friends: A- My freind's have been so amazing this year. I've also gotten to meet some really great people. I just want to be able to keep in touch with everyone and I've been setting reminders to do so. Hopefully with all of my preparations this year it will be much easier to do.

Health: D So just because I work from home doesn't mean I have time to cook. Its really sad when the pizza place knows your order and when you've gone to wearing sweats because it's the only thing that fits. I hired a trainer at the gym hopefully I whip my butt into shape again!

Money: D I started a business money is at a loss this year. I am trying to be extra frugal with my personal finance, but all the money I have saved finds a way back into my business expenses. I need to get a better method of separating the two.

12/31/2011 2:36:11 PM

Taking a 1st world baseline index of 100 . . . about a 50.

Taking a 3rd world baseline index of 100 . . . about 1,000,000

12/31/2011 3:57:01 PM

Best year EVAR!

12/31/2011 4:31:56 PM

Career: B+ Good progress, only minor setbacks.

Family: B No real problems.

Social life/Friends: C- Needs major work these days

Health: A More fit than I ever have been, thanks to fire fighting.

Money: B Things are pretty good.

Love: F I suck at this.

Overall, on a scale of (worst) 1-10 (best) I give this year a 7. A lot of things are going very well but there is a lot that I feel like I need to accomplish in 2012.

Goodbye 2011.

12/31/2011 5:10:33 PM

Career: A-. In moving from Fl to Cali I switched to a new job which pays 150% of my previous salary plus is with a company that is much better for the semi-nomadic life chembob and I will be living for the foreseeable future. However, I did miss the deadline for the April PE exam which annoys me quite a bit.

Family: A Nothing spectacular but nothing terrible to report for the year. It was a good, solid year. I love my husband and was actually able to spend some time with him this year.

Social life/Friends: A. I have made some awesome friends since moving. Very excited about how my social life is taking off.

Health: C+. I was diagnosed with PCOS. Not cool. On the plus side (and the only thing that is giving it the +) is that I have lost 50 pounds since June.

Money: B+ There were some costs associated with the move and other miscellaneous expenses that put me behind in my budgeting. However, we did reach our savings goal for the year and are on track to finish paying off all of our loans by the end of 2012.

Overall: A-. There were some definite ups and downs to the year. Overall, I would say that this year passed with distinction.

12/31/2011 9:51:19 PM

Meh

12/31/2011 10:57:35 PM

Career: A - I finally got a new job at the end of the year that will allow me to continue to grow. It also comes with a nice pay increase that will allow me to live on my own again. If it wasn't for the new job, it would have been an F.

Family: F - Living with your parents as an adult can wreck havoc on your familial relationships. Thank God that is now over.

Social life/Friends: D- - I've been focusing so much on finding a new job and a better source of income that I have neglected my social life to a great degree. I did manage to hang out with my friends a couple times this year though, so I'd consider that one step above an F.

Health: B- - Again, career/job-related issues has wrecked havoc on my gym routine, though I still go ~2-3x per week. Also was hit with a few minor issues - nothing major though. Overall, I am still in excellent shape.

Money: A - Paid off a lot of debt. At the end of the year, I got a new job that is paying me 65% more money. It definitely IS possible to get a job in the 45K+ range after college - you just have to actively seek it out, present yourself (having your own micro business and intern experience helps a lot) and work hard for it.

Love: F - Not until I get all of my financial issues squared away. Subconsciously, if I am not 100% happy with myself, it's impossible for me to initiate any relationships. Not to mention, living at home is a major turnoff - so much so that it prevented me from even trying. I'd actually consider my lack of initiative for love/sex/relationships in that situation a good thing. I've seen better times in the past when I lived on my own, and will see better times in the future.

1/1/2012 9:38:27 AM