What a Year It's Been!

Exactly one year ago today, around 4am, I gathered up my few belongings from the Extended Stay America, dragged the cats into their carriers and loaded everything I owned into my car and left California. I was in Las Vegas by breakfast time, out of Utah by dinner, and resting at a rest stop in Nebraska when the time change happened. I pulled into the familiar driveway of the apartment building in Chicago around 5:30pm on Sunday, unloaded the cats (who had been very well behaved through the journey) and went out and got a Lou Malnati's pizza, which I ate by the light of a string of Christmas lights. This was my time to start over. My time to leave the bad things that happened in California behind. To come "home."

In the past year I've reconnected with old friends, gotten a job I never thought I would have, made new friends, lost weight, and really gotten back to being Robin. It hasn't been easy. My car got repossessed in January. When I got my job in March I had a negative balance in my bank account that had been negative for probably 2 months. I was relying on Eric's mom to buy me food and pay my bus fare to go to job interviews. When I first got back, I had 2 pairs of shoes, 1 pair of jeans, and one bra. Slowly, but surely things got better. I got some new furniture, a new TV, a microwave, and was able to start replacing my kitchen stuff that I had left behind. My job allowed me to buy my own groceries, pay my own bus fare and even get some new clothes. I was able to buy a new a/c unit and a TV for the bedroom. I was able to get cable TV again and a new iPhone. I could even go out to dinner or go see a movie. The job also helped with the weight loss. Being a deckhand was a lot more physical than I ever imagined but it has been so much fun. I've met great people and made some really good friends. I go out after work for drinks, I go to movies, I joined a fantasy football league, I participate in a gaming group with co-workers.

So, one year later, I got up this morning, fed the cats, ordered some groceries, cooked breakfast and watched TV by the light of an actual lamp. I've moved forward this year. I've done a lot more than just coming home. I still have a way to go, but that way is definitely up!

Time To Get Serious

They say bad things always happen in 3's. Three things happened this week to make me realize that I really, really, REALLY need to get back to the gym and back on track with Project Dean.

The first thing that happened was that my gym kept charging my new credit card number a membership fee every 2 days. I had lost my card about a month ago and when I received the new card I entered the new number into my online account for Planet Fitness. Well, ever since then, they kept charging me. Monday of this week I was finally able to talk to the manager and he apologized profusely, gave me a refund, and then the very next day another membership fee was taken out. I called him back and he said that this time it was his fault, he refunded my money once again, and gave me a free month at the gym. When I went in to see him in person on Monday I said, this is obviously a sign that I need to get to the gym more often.

Second thing that happened was Wednesday. On Wednesday mornings I usually take the 5:50am train into the city so I can get to work early and get some things done before my boss comes downtown for the day, we end up in meetings and our brains hurt by the end of the day. This Wednesday morning I walked up the stairs to the platform and some of the other early morning regulars asked me which platform was #1. I didn't know. They said they were making announcements that our train was coming in on platform #1. There are only 2 platforms at our station, one heading downtown and one heading out towards Elgin, so I didn't know what the announcement was talking about. A couple more people arrived and then the announcement came that the train would be stopping on the NORTH platform. Well, I may not be that great at direction, but we were standing on the SOUTH platform. So as we saw the train headlights in the distance, we tried to gauge where it was coming from. Well, some of us decided it was coming in on the other side, so back down the stairs, and up the stairs on the other side we went. The train was now getting much closer and we noticed, it was back on the NORMAL side, where it always comes. So we ran back down the stairs and back up the stairs again. I was seriously out of breath by the time I sat on the train. The ride in is about 20 minutes and I really didn't recover my breath until I sat down at my desk some 25 minutes after only doing 4 flights of stairs. Ok, sign number 2 that I need to get to the gym.

Third thing that happened was that I looked at the calendar. Phantom Regiment starts their spring training in 9 weeks. Now, that may seem like a long time, but considering we're already halfway through March and I could have sworn that February was last week...9 weeks is closer than it may appear. I figure I actually have 11 weeks until Phantom does their "dress rehearsal" where I'm planning my first picture with Dean. So there we have it. 11 weeks. It's not the 21 weeks I had at the beginning of the year, but it's 11 weeks.

I'm setting smaller, realistic goals for myself. Work out 3 to 4 days a week and on the days I don't work out, take the dog for a walk after dinner (should be good for all of us).  I've also given up (mostly) on soda and am drinking more water. I'm also hoping that Winter finally leaves Chicago and the weather will be warmer so I'll feel like going for smaller walks at lunchtime, rather than sitting at my desk all day.

So...here we go again. I'm waiting...Dean's waiting...and I REFUSE to look like Jabba The Hut when I stand next to him in early June.

Good Riddance to 2011

The end of a year is usually a time to look back and reflect on the year that has just passed by.  Sometimes we'd rather not reflect on the year and this year is one of those times.  I should have known when Eric took a tumble down the stairs last New Year's Eve that 2011 was going to be a challenge and I must say it was. February brought "Snowmageddon" and I twisted my knee horribly walking through a snowdrift to get to work. Not to mention our furnace died that day and my car got stuck in the snow trying to get to Home Depot for a space heater. Eric lost his job back in early March and so money was tight.  We lived paycheck to paycheck and if it wasn't for Eric's mom, there were times when we would have had to live on ramen noodles. There were changes at work, which weren't necessarily bad, but they were challenging. We went through 2 new bosses, more responsibility and I'm still a contractor or "temp" as they used to be called. Yet another year of no paid holidays, no sick days, no vacation time, and no benefits.  Personally things were rough as well. My brother did something very bad back in July and is now awaiting trial. I never thought I'd be communicating with someone in prison. I didn't read as much as I wanted, I don't think I even touched my guitar, and I probably watched too many hours of TV instead of going for walks. I didn't make it to a Cubs game or any sporting event for that matter. I also didn't talk to good friends who I should have kept in touch with more often.

It wasn't all bad. We made our annual trip to DCI in Minneapolis and despite having thought we would have to drive back to Chicago to get the tickets we forgot at home, we were able to pick them up at the stadium and the show wasn't rained out.  We didn't make it to the Wisconsin State Fair, but there's always this year. I re-connected with my Aunt (due to the situation with my brother), who is basically my only blood relative left.  I had some great meals at some good new restaurants. I made some new friends and saw a couple of good movies.

So as I look forward to 2012 I look forward to reading more, playing my guitar every day and writing more as well.  I will try to be a better friend. I will continue to do my job to the best of my ability even though I will continue to be in a "contract" position.  I will cook more, exercise and maybe take a trip or two. Eric has a new job and that holds promise. I'm going to save money rather than spend it. I'm going to not look back at the bad except learn from the experience of the past year and grow from there.

Happy 2012!