2009 was a good year

Really, it was. A year that I'll look back on as the year of several important steps:

1. I bought my first home. Yup, I finally got my credit and personal finances solid enough to embark on that important journey of home ownership. So far, no regret. I love my house and, although paying for a mortgage on my own is expensive, it still seems like it will be worth it. The pay-free summer will probably be a challenge, but I'm trying my best to save now.

2. I bought a car. This is a recent development and the title transfer probably will not occur officially until a few days into 2010. I've had my current car for eight years, and I loved that car. It was one of the first real adult decisions I made, buying that car shortly after I moved here, and, despite the fact that I got it at a horrible interest rate, I never regretted it. The car still looks pretty nice - the body is blemish-free - and it always remained reliable despite my riding it into the ground. I'm replacing it with a car that I don't love, but which is certainly better (seven years younger, 60000 less miles, a lot of bells and whistles like heated seats and remote startup) and safer. I'm also getting it for a great deal from my dad, so it represents my dad and his care for me. Hopefully it lasts like the Grand Am did.

3. Professionally, things are going swell. I was trusted with 12th grade IB English, with our school's brightest kids and, I say, the most high-pressure external testing pressures, if only because our school has several years in a row of 93-98% pass rates on IB English. The course is a lot of work, but it's meaningful work and the students work hard for me. (Let's hope that doesn't change with the flurry of college acceptances coming through.) I'm also team leader of the 9th grade team, which is a lot of work (herding divas is like herding cats, as our department joke goes ha ha) but it's work I do anyway and just try to get everyone aligned. Lastly, National Board seems to be going well; with a perfect score on Entry 3 last year, I hope to get it all done the rest of the way this January and February.

My primary goal for 2010 is to get myself in shape. I'm losing the battle of the bulge, bigtime, and it's pretty embarassing just how badly. I've become myself in around 2001. Then, I weighed around 310, and my current weight is up over 250. I've got to lose 50 pounds and get myself right again. I hate New Years resolutions like this because then January will come and I'll be crazy busy again. But I'm pushing myself towards a heart attack at 40 if I'm not careful. Heart disease runs in my family, and I certainly work hard enough and stress myself out enough to add these correlating factors as well. More exercise will help it all - the weight, the stress. Baseball season begins in about 9 weeks and I've got to get myself ready for that. I've got the house and the car, now I have to get my health.