Good Riddance 2023

 

It's the last day of 2023 and I can't say I'm not happy to see it go. The year was not all bad but the bad seems to outweigh the good. 

The bad: spending 2 months thinking I was going to lose my job. I naively thought finding a new job with comparable benefits would be easy but I quickly found that my lack of a college degree and lack of any professional certifications pretty much puts me at the bottom of any pile. My "resume" was crap and my interview skills were woefully inadequate. Fortunately for me, that 2 month scramble was all for nothing. I emerged with my job and a requirement to go to the Rochester office once a month. A deal with Chuck to do the driving in exchange for me contributing to gas ($25 per month) made it an easy ask for me. It's nice to be able to chat with Chuck in person during the 90 minute drive each way, so there is an upside there !

The good: getting the vinyl siding & new garage door done. Thanks to my inheritance from mom the entire job is 100% paid for. I refinanced my house in 2016 with a 15 year mortgage, so I'll own the place in 2031. The house looks amazing inside and out now, and I no longer feel ashamed when I roll up the driveway. I bought the house for $63k in 2005 and I'd say the value has easily more than doubled.

The bad: continuing to gain weight. I started off the year with a good effort at diet and exercise but the job situation destroyed that effort and I've yet to be able to get back into that mindset.

The good: enjoying a few days at Disney. While the trip didn't go as planned, I did have some good times.

The bad: being sick throughout the holidays. I don't even feel like going to Kim & Joe's today but I feel obligated. 

I ended the year with my family but I can't say I enjoyed it. I was so tired and still coughing and it was a big stretch to be out until after midnight. I didn't get home until after 2 am and I was completely exhausted.