Tuesday, January 29 - The State of the Blog

For the first time in 7 years, I am actually inspired by something George W. Bush has done. Even though I couldn't bring myself to even sit through an hour of his State of the Union address, mainly because his speaking ability and voice has the same effect on me as that poor woman who had epileptic fits every time she listened to Mary Hart, I decided now was as good a time as any to talk about the State of the Blog and by extension the State of Me.

As we move into the second month of 2008, I have to say that I am probably in the best position of my life mentally, financially, and physically.

While I have had and continue to have long term doubts for my mental well being at my current job, the act of jettisoning all of the negativity that I have towards it has done wonders for my general mood and happiness. I am going to continue to peruse alternatives, but for now, this is as good a place as any to earn a paycheck. Depending on the outcome of the gubernatorial election, I have given a lot of thought to leaping back to the State if a Democrat wins. I was generally happy there for 9 years, and seeing as I am so close to being vested in a State retirement plan, I would be crazy to not consider doing it, if the proper opportunity pops up.

Making that opportunity pop up will be one of my major goals for the year. Obtaining my last job at the State was frankly more about the political resume that I had accumulated through college with an internship with the former Governor, now Senator, Bayh and a stint at the Democratic National Committee in the fall of 1996. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was not qualified for the job in IT that I eventually got, but it certainly helped having the party behind me in getting my foot in the door. Since then, I have only had a few flirtations with the Indiana Democratic Party, and since I have lost almost all contact, I need to re-establish it if I want to go back into State Government. How do I do that? Well, I have to figure that out. The easiest way is to volunteer for a gubernatorial campaign, but the major problem with that is the candidate with the most name recognition is being fully supported by my current boss, who is a lioness of the Democratic Party. So, I have to make sure I play my cards right, and I certainly do not want to make a choice until the primary in May.

The other person playing a role in my overall mental stability is Tyler, whom I will not be commenting too much on because he has made it known that he prefers not to be blogged about. Of course, that is his choice, but it makes it difficult because he is such a big part of my life. After a few months of turmoil marked by bad lines of communication on both sides, I think we have settled into a very organic and evolving relationship. Will 2008 be the year that I make my parent's realize this is not a phase by having them meet Tyler? We'll see, but the fact that I'm not overly concerned about it says a lot about where I am mentally. There is always the possibility that the souffle of love will blow up in your face, but I think that tightrope is a big reason why we keep coming back to it.

Of course, the foundation of my friendships is just as equally important, and while I think we all take issue with some part of each other's personality, Blanche, Maestro, Romeo, Mom, Athena, Brooklyn, and Xena are all very much an important part of who I am, even if I don't make that readily apparent all the time. And...now...I will be moving on before this gets too sappy...

Financially, 2008 is shaping up to be the best year of my adult life. With the plying of the majority of my tax refund to my debt reduction project, I will be relatively debt free by April. While I will still have pesky student loans and a computer to pay off (not for long), I will be completely out from under the ulcer inducing uncertainly for which I only have myself to blame. Of course, now I have to work on my post-debt life, and how I never want to get into that situation again. It will be an ongoing process, but really, the act of relying on cash and not credit for the past few years has been enough of an education to hopefully keep me in check.

Finally, my fitness. I have gone into great detail of what my goals are in this area, and I do not want to repeat myself. For me, 2008 will be the year that I get back into shape on my own terms. I will not have the luxury of a personal trainer this time, and so far, I am happy with my overall level of motivation and the results. I just wish we were further along in winter so that I can get out on my bike again. I plan on biking as much as possible in 2008.

And that, my fellow Blogmericans, is the State of the Blog. I appreciate your support through the past 7 months, and I hope this has been as fun for you as it has been for me.