2010 on the horizon

The end of 2009 kind of shocks me. I mean, is it really the end of December? Really? Or is it some big joke and its still July or something. I guess it is a bit too warm to be July. 37C today... eew.

I suppose the reason that it doesn't feel like its been a whole year yet is that 2008 was such a huge year for me. So much happened! This year there have been a few things, but it was no 08, that's for sure. And really, that's a relief.

What happened this year? Well... most importantly I got a beautiful nephew. Charlie Jay Schunke is the best person in the world. I love his gummy little grin, his little open mouthed stare and the way he hoons around the living room in his little walker. He does no walking - only racing.

Mum told me that the other day Dad and Charlie were chasing eachother around the counter with Charlie in his walker, and Dad on the computer wheelie chair. How cute!

This year I also got back into painting, and I wrote a novel. A shitty novel to be sure, and something that will never see the light of day. But goddamn it felt good to do it. I wrote 50,000 words in a month! And next year will be better, because - well, it can't get worse! Onward and upward!

Goals for the new year? Well... They come under a few headings I guess.

Money:
I want to continue my savings so that by the end of 2010 I'll have at least $5000 for my trip to America in July 2011 for Leakycon. If I have more - even better! I might be able to travel elsewhere in America, maybe go visit Lils in Canada, or even go over to the UK and visit my heimat.

Me:
I want to be healthier. I know I say it too often, but seriously Amanda! You're 23 now - get a grip! I need to get into some kind of routine of walking more, and eating more healthy foods in smaller portions.

I also need to continue to be creative. I feel so accomplished when I get a painting out, and when I write poetry or stories. The big one in 2010 will be to write a novel in November that isn't as crappy as the last one, and that I can maybe work on to get published one day. But apart from that, I also want to produce at least 6 major paintings.

Us:
I need to keep my relationship with Nannal as honest as possible. I find the times when I get the most disillusioned with our relationship are when I let things happen in my head. I mean, when I have dialogue and play through situations without actually talking to Nannal about it. Reality checks are needed! I know are relationship is not perfect. But I also know I want it to keep going... which will be tough since we've been together for a little over 4 years now. We will celebrate (hopefully) our 5 year anniversary in November 2010.

For 2 people who at the start were afraid of commitment, we're doing pretty well.

Career:
This one is trickier. I want to get a job that will lead somewhere and will employ my mind as much as my physical labour. That is not as easily done as said.

To that end though I will be studying my Graduate Certificate of Criminology and Criminal Justice, so that I will be more qualified to work in a field that both interests me and employs more regularly than plain old anthropology or online anthropology (even rarer me thinks).



And I think that's it! Baby steps really. I need to identify the things that make me happy, and the things that will make me happy to achieve and break them down into doable baby steps. Life is for living, and I really want to feel that I've lived.

Me So Slack

So... its been a long long time since I blogged. I could blame it on something, but I won't. Instead I will briefly run through the major things that have happened between October and now.

1. I'm older!

Yes I had a birthday. I'm now 23 years old, and starting to feel old. Mainly because at the shops you generally round 23 up to 25 and that means I'm in my mid 20s and that means I'm like the age of most people on TV series, and that means .... I'm no longer a teen-ish young person! Not that I've acted that way for a very long time, but I liked to cling to the "old soul in a young body" thing. Now I'm catching up body wise.... Yeesh - Imagine how I'll feel when I get over the 30 line! Lol.

2. Job interview

I made to the first round of selection for a job in Canberra! I was so excited. All year I have been sporadically applying for jobs - jobs that I've really wanted, and jobs that I've only wanted because I needed the money. And all I seem to get is Dear John letters... "We regret to inform you..." But with this job I got one step further! So even if I don't get a phone call in a couple of weeks, I won't be so sad, because I at least got a bit further with this one.

3. Wedding

On the actual date of my birthday my cousin Samantha got married! It was down in Victor Harbour, which was exciting because it meant we had to drive from the Barossa down there. We decided to take the most direct route, which meant taking the way through the hills. It was.... interesting. Lol. And somewhat scary... But we got there! Nannal got me a laptop for my birthday, so we were able to navigate with confidence ... kinda.

Anyway the wedding was lovely. Even though it was over 36C in the Barossa when we left, it was only 23C in Victor, so the weather was perfect for a wedding. We were in this awesome garden, and it was just all very ideal.

After the ceremony we (by we I mean Nannal, Teeni, Jay, Mum, Dad, Aunty Ce, Uncle Roly, Megan, Emma, Pat and I) went back to the caravan park where we were staying, and Mum pulled out a birthday cake for me. It was very sweet. But it would have looked very odd to any one else - we were all dressed up in our wedding clothes (high heels and all), gathered around a small card table, eating cake off plastic plates. Add to that it gradually got quite cold, and I got a blanket to drape on my cousin Megan ... lol. But I enjoyed it.

The reception was interesting to say the least... It was all the normal stuff... Food, speeches (which stopped us getting food ...grr), wine and dancing. My cousin Peter got really drunk and had a spazz that Grumps "didn't love him" because he is gruff. Seriously... Grumps is the kind of man who will NOT express affection willingly to another male. That's how he was brought up. That's just how he is. Get OVER it. Peter's Dad got over it...

Anyway then the real drama started. My sister and Jay got drunk. Drama happened. Jay got offended and decided to come back to the site, take the swag and drive home. Yes, 4 hours home. He got about 1/2 an hour away before he crashed into someone else and wrote off the car. And he was 3 times over the limit.

But we didn't know this at the time though. I got a call at about 2am from Jay saying his phone was about to die, and that he needed to speak to my sister. He couldn't though because she was passed out... but he told me he'd written the car off.

So the next morning was a bit of sleuthing... Trying to find out where he was. Eventually we found out that he'd got a lift a bit of a way up the road from the station he was processed at to a BP where he caught a taxi all the way to Gepps Cross which cost over $250. Then he walked to Elizabeth shopping centre from there and bought a phone to call us to tell us what was going on. MENTAL!

4. NaNoWriMo

I did NaNoWriMo 09! And I freaking won! That's right bitches, I wrote a novel. I mean, its a shit novel, but its a novel nonetheless. And the point isn't to write something that is publishable straight away, but to just actually write 50,000 words in one month. It taught me what works for me in writing, and what doesnt'. It taught me what I like to write, and what I don't. And it taught me that I can actually write a lot of words if I need to. It was a wonderful experience. I already know I won't do anything with the story I wrote, but I learnt a lot for next year. Hopefully I can put a lot more planning into next years event and come out with something that I can use as a foundation to becoming published one day.


5. Lots of working

And finally - its Christmas! Which means people buy a shit load of chocolate... which means I'm going to be working pretty much non stop til December 25. But that's ok! Cos I need the money!

I am going to a) Pay off my credit card; b) Have at least $5000 to go to America in 2011; and c) Save to invest after 2011.

That's why!


Anyway, after a break as long as I had from blogging, this has exhausted my brain!


I'm going to go and make dinner!




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