Year-end Lists 2018: Personal

For some reason, I started this post thinking that 2018 was an uneventful year for me personally, until I began to take stock -as we do this time of year. A lot of stuff happened! Some was not so good: I lost my job at Mental Floss, and was downgraded at Neatorama from managing editor to sole pro blogger. After a summer of worrisome but still enjoyable leisure, I became a part-time baker and deli clerk. The job was exhausting at the beginning, but I'm getting used to it and even enjoying it. My co-workers are great, the work is unskilled but wholesomely satisfying, and I belong to a union. I think it's good for me overall, because I get physical activity plus a chance to be around people in real life.

I also turned 60, which means I became eligible for a small widow's pension from Social Security. Now I have a skeletal but sort-of stable income, comparable to that of a retired person. A retired person who works every day. Lucky for me my daughters are semi-self-supporting. When they can afford their own phone service and car insurance, I'll be even better off.

The success of my kids is the bright spot in 2018. Princess came home after a year in France. She was accepted into a tuition-free college here in Kentucky, and had to make a momentous decision: to marry the man she loves or go to school. In the end, she decided to do both. The civil service was in July in France with his family and friends, and the church wedding was just last week here. The newlyweds are now in New Orleans on their honeymoon. The rest of the year, son-in-law is working on his master's in computer science in France and she's going to college here. If they can handle that for the next year and a half, they will both graduate debt-free.

The wedding was also an opportunity for a decent photograph of me, the first profile pic update in 14 years! Thanks, Brother Bill!

After a summer internship at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, Gothgrrl decided she wants to go to veterinary school. She's spending her weekends working at a vet clinic and is interning at a horse rehab shelter during Christmas break. She's also lined up a job at a wildlife sanctuary, if and when she can ever afford the required rabies shots. Oh yeah, both girls made the dean's list for the semester.

In other matters, it was an extremely rainy and humid summer, and my tomato garden failed this year. I didn't use air conditioning, so everything organic in my home turned moldy and had to be either cleaned or discarded. My refrigerator and oven died. So did my tiller and lawn mower, although my mower got repaired and then waited until November to die the second time. I managed to work around all that. I was very heartened by the results of the 2018 mid-term elections, even though Kentucky is still Kentucky.

One of the brightest spots of the year was hearing from you, the loyal core of Miss Cellania visitors. You offered encouragement when I was going through changes. You came through with money when I needed it badly. You sent me funny stuff to share. You kept me going all year long. I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate all that. Thank you so much!

Here's hoping that 2019 is a better year for everyone!


 

See all the year-end lists here.