2010 - A Year in Review

In a few hours, I will be heading to a friend's house with my beloved Patrick to kick back and bring in the New Year. Since I have some time, I thought it appropriate to take a moment and reflect on the ups and downs I experienced in 2010.

2010 started out with a record setting snowy winter in Philadelphia. 3 major snowstorms dumping 2 feet of snow each time and temps that did not go above freezing for weeks. This kept me indoors most of the winter. I was working part-time as the Managing Director of a modern dance company downtown as well as going to my local community college part-time to take prerequisites for another graduate degree.

Career
I made an important decision during the early months of 2010 - I was weighing my options of going to school to ultimately become a physical therapist, a research scientist, or a science educator. After talking to many professionals with experience in these fields, I ultimately decided to pursue my Masters in Education to become a secondary science teacher.

I had told my company I would be leaving the end of August to become a full-time student in September, and helped launch a search for my replacement. We conducted interviews, and hired someone who would start before I left for training. She lasted a week, then quit. I felt bad and torn - I was registered to go to school full-time in the fall, had the financial aid lined up, and was excited to make strides towards this career transition. However, I knew how the company could literally fall apart without someone in my position. I signed a consultant contract with them, working less hours from home for the first 2-3 months of the fall while they successfully found someone new to take my place.

2.5 years of high stress and unhappiness stuck in a career I realized I did not want to be in had come to an end. I loved being a student again and am so excited about this journey I am to embark upon. I am ending the year much happier than I started in this regard.

Travels

I was in school for the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters, not giving me much flexibility to take time to travel. I did get to experience three new towns in the US, however. In March, Pat and I went to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, meeting up with his friend from college and wife, and her parents. They mainly skied, and I got to take in the wildlife in Tetons, roam the streets of the downtown area looking at the beautiful wildlife photography and painting in the numerous galleries, and eat some amazing food.

In August, we went to Emerald Isle, in the Outerbanks of North Carolina for a family reunion. The beaches are not crowded, the water is cleaner than at the Jersey shore, the weather was perfect and some of our excursions (like wave running) and card games were so much fun. A week after returning at the end of August, we drove up to Newport, RI for Pat's cousin's destination wedding. We took tours of the mansions, walked along the cliff walk, and went on a boat excursion. It was a beautiful end to the summer.

Home

Pat and I entertained a bit in our home over the summer months. Pat's parents and brother and girlfriend came up for a long weekend in June. We went to take in Historic Philadelphia in Olde City and took a guided tour of Valley Forge national park. The following weekend we hosted Pat's college friends and family for the fourth of July weekend. On the 4th itself, some of my local friends joined us for a BBQ pool party. It was a record setting hot summer, so much of my free time was spent by the pool, with friends dropping by periodically.

The house is about 23 years old, and certain things started to die. The air conditioner decided to stop working in the 100 degree temps towards the end of July as well as the basement's bathroom decided to flood around the same time. A new HVAC was put in and weeks were spent trying to repair the toilet, which is still not entirely resolved. At the end of the summer, we were having problems with the filter in the pool. It turns out a pipe has collapsed so we will have to fix this before we open the pool in the spring.

In the beginning of the year, the wall oven stopped working, as did the freezer. The microwave seemed to only be working at half its power. When we bought the house the kitchen was ok, but we thought we'd renovate at one point in time to update it. With appliances starting to go, we decided to bump up the reno project - why buy appiances to match that kitchen when we would have to buy new appliances when we renovated to match or new style? The design process took nearly six months, then lining up the contractor took a bit of time. Finally, the renovation, which actually turned into a remodeling, began at the end of October. We added redoing the two master bathrooms (turning into one large Master bath) into the project. We are still in the midst of living in this construction, but i'm very excited for what the outcome will be, hopefully in the next 4 weeks or so.

Physical Self

I started out the year auditing a weight training and pilates class at my community college in the spring semester. The end of the spring, I took two six week swim classes which overlapped by a few weeks focusing on technique and on power. Towards the end of the summer, I started following the P90X program, which only lasted two weeks before falling off the wagon when we went on vacation. I only did 2 swim races, a 2 miler in Reston VA and the Chesapeake Bay 1 miler, both of which I did poorly. I'm ending the year the heaviest i've been in my entire life. I contribute this to two factors - having to eat takeout for the past 10 weeks because I have no kitchen and for not consistently exercising. I've lost much motivation in this area, and it has really gotten me down. This is clearly an area in my life that I want to focus on improving in 2011.

Burnout

My last day of the regular semester was this past Monday. I had a test on this day during my last class - Chemistry. I've done well in Biology this semester with all my tests in the 90s - so I only have to get a 70 on the final in order to get an A in the class. Same with Physics - my average is in the mid-90s and I believe with the way the final in that class is weighted, I have to get an 80 on the final to maintain an A. Even better, my Physics final isn't cumulative, only on the last unit covering calorimetry, fluid mechanics and thermal expansion (most of which I also learned in chemistry class, so I feel I have practice with it). I feel ok about these two exams (taken Friday and Monday) and about my chances of keeping an A. Chemistry is a different story.

I haven't been on top of all the lessons in Chemistry this semester, and I haven't found my teacher's teaching style to be conducive to my learning style. The material isn't necessarly difficult, there is just an incredible amount of information packed into a semester, and I'm having a hard time committing this to memory. So, up until the last test of the semester, based on the curve in the class, I had an A- average. Not bad, but still not an A. The final test and final exam is worth a combined 33% of the grade. So I can still raise it to an A - but it can also slip to a B. As usual, I ran out of time trying to study for the last test, and do not feel confident about my performance on that test. I'll go to school to pick it up today. The final is not a final made by my teacher, but instead is a final that all students across the country taking this science majors level class takes, distributed by the American Chemical Society. Suppossedly the national average on this exam is a 50.

I should be studying my butt off for this exam (and reviewing for the other two), but i'm feeling completely burnt out. Between school and the home renovation (which is taking waayyyy too long), i'm tired, and I want to get away. Get a break from it all. That will come soon enough when Pat and leave to stay with his family in TN for a week over the holidays. I just have to get there.

Feeling the tides change

When I woke up this morning, first thing I jumped on my treadmill downstairs - I've only been running sporadically for months, yet Pat and I signed up for the 5 mile turkey trot about 15 minutes from our house on Thanksgiving (which is now 2 days away). Pat, who is in terrific shape and is a fast runner, is going to try to win this thing. I just want to have a nice leisurely jog that will make me feel better about the turkey dinner i'll be eating later that evening.

My neighborhood Y opened a new facility a few weeks ago, which is less than a 5 minute drive from my house. I decided to check it out today - it's huge! And gorgeous! 3 indoor pools (2 of which can be used for lap swimming) that are deep (means faster splits for when I get back to swimming), 2 studios (+ cycling room & gym & mezzanine & indoor track) with lots of classes, particularly yoga and pilates, at the times that fit in my schedule. The weight/cardio area has all new equipment. And they're building an outdoor pool slated to open next summer.

So I just canceled my other gym membership and soon will be frequenting this new Y. I'm hoping making this change will help kickstart a new regimend for a healthier lifestyle (and weight loss!).

Checking in

I haven't posted much in the past couple of years and i'm sure no one is reading this anymore, due to my lack of posting. But that's ok. Much has happened - my life has greatly changed in the past few years. I met a wonderful man 2.5 years ago. We live out in the burbs, in a beautiful house that is currently under renovations, that is only 15 minutes from my childhood home. I finally left my career in the arts and am pursuing another graduate degree - this time in Education, en route to being a Secondary science educator. I love being a full-time student again - I love to learn. I'm officially one of those straight A geeks now. I've become a "mommy" to my man's 12 year old golden retreiver, who I spoil with love. I can actually cook now, and enjoy trying out new, healthier recipes. I've stopped doing triathlons, swimming races, and runnings races, and have gained way too much weight. I'm looking forward to jumping into something else soon, to get back to my old physical self. What that something else is, i'm not sure yet. I do not have a green thumb, nor do I want to - which makes it difficult living out in the burbs on a highly landscaped nearly 1 acre property. I'm still a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan - still go to as many games as I can - and while it's difficult to make it to the big game and lose, like the Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers have done in the past 5 years or so, i'm still grateful for the ride they take me on, and am always hopeful for the next season.

All things considered, i'm happy. I have a great life. Yet, i've found myself reminiscing about my college years, and my 20s. Looking back, I loved those years too, and I wouldn't change a thing. I miss the life that I had in New York, living in the city as an artist - with all the other artists I was surrounded by - all the creations we made and good times we had. But I know that if I was still in NY, my life now would not be what it was like then. I'm a different person now than I was then. My life is the way it is now, and i've embraced it and cherish the experiences I had that brought me to this point.

I see myself posting more often. While i'm happy, there are still things I wish to improve upon about myself. I want to be a better physical being - a healthier body. I want to be a better girlfriend and friend. I want to be the best student I can be and take advantage of this opportunity to learn more. I want to become a better cook, a better homemaker. I want to become a better athlete. I want spiritual and emotional health. I want to look at each day as a blessing. My intent with blogging, if only for myself, is to remind myself of all of this, and relfect on whatever progression I make.

Schizo

Some days I wonder, could I be schizo? For years, every day of life my life, I contemplate making a change. And often, I do end up making a change. But i'm never happy where I am.

It amazes me that people can stay within a position in a company for 10, 20, or 30 years. I haven't lasted any longer than 2 years in any one place. That's been my life in the cultural sector. For years, i've comtemplated leaving the sector, but if I do, how do I know I won't feel the same sense of wanting or unfulfillment like i've been experiencing for the past 10 years of my life?

My brain jumps from one thing to another constantly, but I rarely write anything down. If anyone happens to read any of this - I apologize in advance, but i'm going to try to make a point of writing about what my viewpoint is of that particular day -than you'll understand why I think I might be schizo.