So this is the New Year, I don't feel any different.

I like that somehow there has been a universal, yet unspoken, agreement that this year we all change the format we use to say the year out loud. It was always "Nineteen-ninety whatever", and then Y2K happened. And people would say that. "Hey, it's Why Two Kay!", but that made sense since it was all hyped up and the world was supposed to end since All The Computers were gonna freak out and cause planes to drop from the sky and the nukes to be launched and Wall St. to collapse, and all the other stuff that happens in futuristic science fiction written in 1953. But nothing happened, and it was right back to saying "Two-thousand blah" for the last ten years. side note: and 'blah' they were. Ugh. My twenties. So full of ups and downs, probably more downs really, and what-the-hell-is-going-on's and what-am-I-doing-with-my-life's... Overall they were blah. And here it turns 2012, and everyone's all like, "Twenty-twelve". No memo, no presidential decree, no professional athlete endorsement, just BAM. "Twenty-twelve". New, clean, minus a syllable, sleek and modern. side note: Perhaps this is an indication of people everywhere hoping for a fresh start? A desire to live cleaner, simpler, more positively... The "two-thousand"s didn't kill us, but sometimes sure seemed they were trying to. Things can only go up in the "twenty"s, right? A modest change to promote a new outlook. Maybe people believe, subconsciously, that this is the year that "a change is gonna come"...

I guess I can say I'm one of those people. I am not one to make resolutions because, well, I know myself and in the end I'm lazy and a procrastinator and a general non-go-getter, and all of those things plus resolutions equal massive failure. That's no good for the old ego, you know? But, 2011 was pretty ok. So I would like bigger things from 2012. I feel like karma has sort of jerked me around for a while and that it should be out of reasons to screw with me since I think I'm an alright gal and not a bitch most of the time. The question is how to go about getting the things I want out of this year. Some of them require money, which sucks because I don't have any. For those I suppose I'll have to work more in planning mode, which also sucks because traditionally me and plans don't generally agree. Honestly, if I can get through most of the year without any unexpected and/or expensive items of bullshit (see UGA Vet Hospital crapola for Joe, 2011), I'll be mostly happy.

The other stuff, well I guess I just have to wait for something to happen there. The smitten is clearly a no-go. There was a false start involved, not the best way to do things but it happened and we're all adults, followed promptly by a mention of acting irresponsibly and him not being himself, and then I felt bad since this amounted to being informed I was both a bad influence and a big oopsie. Le sigh. So I sent an email (dumb, dumb, dumb) basically coming clean with the smitten while still trying to be funny and cool about it all and to say I wasn't judging or anything. No response. Not that I expected one, and even said one wasn't necessary since I already felt like a bad person and though I was trying to say something nice knew it was unsolicited and most likely not wanted information and didn't want to obligate anyone to anything... anyway. Way to go, Erin. Screwing things up since 1980.

I went to Cincinnati for Christmas. It was overall a good trip. There was the usual arguing over political differences and my father making not-funny stereotypical "jokes" and then calling me "too sensitive" when I told him he was being rude. Other than that, it was fine. I rented a car and drove up. Dad bought me a vacuum cleaner for Christmas, which is awesome. He also loaded me down with a bunch of other stuff. I went up with a suitcase, a pillow, and three cases of beer. I came back with a suitcase, a pillow, one case of beer, a vacuum, some throw rugs, a coffee maker, a George Foreman grill thing, a guitar amp, a guitar stand, a bass amp, a bass, a box of old photographs, some pots, random kitchen accessories, and 40 or so albums he's had since the 70's and 80's. The rental still averaged 38-40 mpg on the way back.

As I'm still without internet at home, I did this post on my phone. One lesson: save frequently!!