Goodbye 2006.  You were a cool year.  I will commemorate you with a cheap online quiz.

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
Dumped a long termer, had a real job, visited Chicago and San Francisco, saw BECK!, moved out of the dorms, moved into my own place, played the Wii, was in a high speed police chase, played an MMO, broke addictions, and indulged in a certain substance.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
N/A, but I’m making some this year.  Yeah, that’s a good idea.  One will be to blog more… even if it’s not here   Sorry!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
One of my second cousins… that’s about it.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Grandpa

5. What foreign countries did you visit?
None, sadly.  I’m slackin’…

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Academic drive, money (only for half of 2006 did I lack this), success, peace of mind, a Wii god dammit.

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September and November 6ths were both pretty bad days.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
Getting my job, getting some courage, growing up a bit more.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Failure of school.  Failure to get my head out of my ass.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Minor illness, wisdom teeth removal.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My computer, I think.  If I ever fucking get it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Mine, in a certain emergency, Mike’s at times,

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The driver in a certain emergency, Mike’s at times, the people who sprayed my girls’ fire extinguisher all over their lawn and car.

14. Where did most of your money go?
down the freaking drain, to my computer, food

15. What did you get really, really excited about?
Playing Twilight Princess, going to San Fran, going to Chicago, going to LA,

16. What songs will always remind you of 2006?
Hollaback Girl (reminds me of my dance party), Where Is My Mind – Pixies, Gnarls Barkley, Arctic Monkeys, god there are like a hundred more

17. Compared to this time last year:
i. are you happier or sadder? About the same… nah I’m not quite as happy.

ii. thinner or fatter? hmm, about the same I think.

iii. richer or poorer? POOR as hell.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Studying, homework.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
ummm… biting my nails?  being a little bitch.

20. How will you be spending New Years Eve?
No idea.  Hopefully something fun and friend-filled.

21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
No.

22. How many one-night stands?
None

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Lost for most of the year, but I first saw Weeds over Spring Break and in the following months I liked it more and more until a couple weeks ago it officially surpassed Lost.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hmmm… HATE is a strong word, but definitely Matt, although I hate him a LOT less than during the first few months of last semester.  I strongly disliked Brian for a while but I got over that really quick and have forgiven him.

25. What was the best book you read?
Wicked

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Gnarls Barkley is up there, but I wouldn’t exactly call that a “discovery…”

27. What did you want and get?
To travel, freedom, better understanding, a trip to Boulder in April , a tattoo, a house, glassware, lots of musical experiences, DS Lite, a job, an Apple computer (although I didn’t actually GET it yet… fingers crossed.)

28. What did you want and not get?
A Wii, mental clarity, to see Jazz enough, for Phil to not go home, a working and stable long lasting (like permanent) relationship.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
The Science of Sleep.  Runners up:  Little Miss Sunshine, Stranger Than Fiction, The Prestige.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 20, and went to Hapa with my family.  I love making them eat sushi >:D
Then went back up to school and had a horrible, horrible barbeque with my friends that we enjoyed SO much.  It was a pretty great birthday.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Money management skills, concentration, non-head-in-ass-ness

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Mostly unchanged, though with a boost from my Express employee discount.

33. What kept you sane?
Friends, plants, Mike (also the opposite though), music, lots of sleep.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger :O and of course Hugh Jackman.  So basically the same.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Ammendment 44 and Referendum i.  Pissed me RIGHT the hell off that those didn’t pass.  UGH.

36. Who did you miss?
Mike, Jazz, Phil, Nate,

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Phil, Max, Hassane, Chris, Sylvia, Jackson, Gwyn, Sasi, Elliott… and more.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
Pull your head out of your ass.  ALSO: When making Liquid Crack, use only HALF a handle of Vodka, a few drops of food coloring, and if you’re using dry ice, make sure it doesn’t break up into the drink and kill people.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
WIND IT UP
WIND IT UP
WIND IT UP
Yodelehiyodelehiyodelooooo
This is the key that makes us wind up
When the beat comes on the girls all wind up
And the boys all look but no they can’t touch
And the girls want to know why they like us so much

If you haven’t seen Weeds, you should really get on that.  It’s officially surpassed Lost as my favorite show.

www.dailymotion.com

Sooo glad that that’s all over.  I got second place in my class on the results of my labours.  My design was definitely #1.  If I had had another week to polish it it would have been far and away the best. It feels so good that it’s over though.  Now I have nothing on my plate except a bit of studying for finals, and of course the SWEATER PARTY TONIGHT!

I’ve started a new blog.  A muuuuch more private blog.  I’ve been debating it for a long time, but I really feel that writing will be extremely theraputic right now.  And that I have a lot to write about.  I guess private, uninhibited writing is much more freeing than this, where I have to consider what I’m writing and who’s reading it and what I have to explain about my life to them.  I like that about private writing… I don’t have to explain myself.  I’m really excited to start journaling my life, actually.  I’ve kind of cut out feelings and emotions from this blog in the past years, don’t know if anyone’s noticed.  It’s just not what it used to be.  I’ll still use this for my public thoughts and rants and suggestions for sure, and for more, because I’m not gonna waste my lifetime premium account.

As the semester comes to a close, it feels very much like a brand new chapter is about to begin.  So very, very much is happening in these few weeks.  I’ve set myself up for it, because that’s just how I do things.  All at once.

First of all, there is, of course, school.  Which I hate, and have always sucked at.  Skip this paragraph if you don’t want to read about my troubles in this area.  My workload this semester is feeling very intense as the semester comes to its climax.  I’ve been working on this fucking Cartography project for the past week, and for the past couple days it feels like I haven’t stopped.  Because really, I pretty much haven’t; the vast majority of my days now are spent in the Geography lab, hacking away slowly at this gargantuan feat I must achieve…  It’s really hard, and no fun.  I feel like I’m sucking slightly less this semester, though, due in part to my fewer classes.  This has gotten me thinking about going to school part time next semester.  I feel like I’d be able to manage it a lot better, as well as have a full time job and try to start getting myself out of this hole I’ve been digging.  So that’s been the plan lately, to find a place to move out of the dorms next semester so I can go part-time, because you must be a full-time student to live here.  Of course, in order to register for next semester, I’ll have to pay for this one first, which I haven’t yet because of my twice-revoked financial aid.  I told you I suck at school.  My latest, and one of the more intese, cases of fuck-uppery has had me wondering if I’m really cut out for this at all.  Sure, I’m really smart and all, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why I suck at this so bad.  I’d been considering dropping out for a while until I can figure it out, but I know that won’t help me get out of my financial hole.  In order to pay for this semester, I’m going to have to take out a dire loan, one that will not be pretty to pay back, but I don’t have many choices.  My parents will have to co-sign on this loan, and they are refusing to do so until I meet certain conditions:  I have to get a job so I can pay it back (obvious one) and I have to register for at least one CLEP test.  If you don’t know, CLEP tests are by the College Board, they let you take a test and get class credits for them if you pass.  I’m almost a full semester behind where I should be in school right now, so I understand the need for this requirement too.  Honestly I don’t know why I haven’t taken them yet, just like I don’t know why I suck at trying to do school.  I honestly can’t figure out my laziness problem.  I’d like to.  I’ve been considering seeing a shrink… I think I’ll start next semester.

So as my funds came to a new low a couple weeks ago, I had to look for a job pretty damn quick.  It had been a long time coming.  Finally got off my ass on Saturday though and applied to everywhere within walking distance (still don’t have a car).  It’s looking really good so far, as the Sinclair I applied at seems to be trying to get me to start very soon.  Hopefully some minor scheduling conflicts will work out, as well as me being able to go home for break at least for a while.  If I had to work over the break, I could always stay with the girls, I figured.  So, that was taken care of.

Trying to find a place to live came to an abrupt and happy end last night, when The Girls, some of my best friends up here who have a house that basically has tied our circle of friends together this semester, told me that one of their roomates wasn’t coming back next semester, and that I was on the top of their list of people to move in.  I was SO happy.  I had been hoping so much that that would happen.  Of course I feel kinda bad for moving out on Adam, but I know he doesn’t care because Jake (his best friend) would move up one floor and into our room if I move out.  I would be happy knowing he’d get that chance… and also happy to help out the girls, who need a roomate badly.  Really, there’d be no place I’d rather move in Greeley, at all.  The more I think about it, the more I’m so happy that it’s happening.  I NEED a change and I can think of few better ones, for me and everyone else affected… So, that was taken care of as well.

However, something else happened last night.  When I came out of the lab, I tried to call Adam, and found my phone wasn’t working.  I remembered my recent conversation with Mike where I told him that we were officially over and that I didn’t want to come see him this month.  Looking back, I know this conversation should have happened a long time ago, but I really didn’t know what I was doing.  I’ve never had to do this before.  It’s so hard to dump someone, I haven’t felt like this much of an asshole in a long time.  He wrote me an email yesterday saying that he wanted me to send my phone back, since he was paying for it.  Well, of course.  I’m actually pretty ashamed that I’ve kept it this long.  I asked if I could keep it until I got a replacement, and he said he’d like to cancel the plan by the end of the billing cycle on the 12th, but didn’t seem like he had a problem with that.  Well, when I found my phone inoperable last night, and considered his most recent blog entry, I didn’t really have to guess what happened.  I mean, it was a long time coming, but he really couldn’t have picked a worse time, what with my job search going on and all.  Now if any of those potential employers try to call me they’ll get the disconnected message, and I’ll get no job.  Sad part was, Mike knew exactly what he was doing when he did it.  Turns out he had a big breakdown after that particular conversation and read some dumb, poorly written article about getting dumped and immediately had to discard all reminders of me… including my phone service.  Well… whatever.  I’ll do my best to pay for it on my own for now, because I REALLY need that phone to get a job at the moment.  I’m just really hurt by what he did yesterday because he knew exactly what he was doing.  Sure, I’m the dumper, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care anymore.  I do.  And I thought he knew that.  Now he’s cutting me out of his life completely… I mean, I don’t blame him at ALL, but it also doesn’t make me feel like any less of an asshole…  and I’ll miss him a lot.  So this has, needless to say, put a damper on the happier things that had been working out in the past couple days.  It’s really hard for me to focus on this massive project with all this going on.  I feel so exhausted from all this crazy stress.  I cannot freaking wait until winter break, even if I am starting a new job it’s going to be so much less stressful than this shit.

So if I can get my financial aid back next semester I’m starting to feel like I’ll be set again.  If not, I don’t know…  We’ll have to see what happens in the next chapter, because this one is definitely ending with a cliffhanger.