Waking up to 2006
January 4th, 2006Sorry for the lack of updates in December – around the holidays things can get hectic. Speaking of which, Xmas was great and I got some new toys that will appease my gadget lust for a bit: a new Casio EXILIM S500 camera and an Apple Airport Express. Plus, I got a LOT of much-needed sleep over the holidays.
Regarding the new year, I’ve done a lot of thinking about 2005. Most of 2005 was a banner year. I got engaged, and I saw more concerts than ever before in my life – including 3 festivals (Coachella, Intonation, Lollapalooza). And I switched jobs to a healthier work environment. On paper, I’d have to say it might once again have been the best year of my life.
But there was that whole "getting laid off thing" which was just purely awful. Not that the actual outcome of that event was bad – quite the contrary in many ways. But it was the experience of getting laid off that was so awful. I have what is possibly an unusual amount of self-doubt on a normal day, and getting laid off gave me the impression all of a sudden that maybe all that self-doubt was warranted. The experience left me stunned for a few months. I hadn’t prepared for a situation like getting laid off: my finances were fairly messy, and I hadn’t saved like I should have been. I was spooked like I hadn’t been in a long time. Maybe ever.
But all drama aside for a moment, I was only unemployed for two weeks. And after a few job interviews, I had secured a full-time position with Gerard Design heading up their web work. So I guess it wasn’t really all that awful. What was awful was the realization that up to this point I had still largely been living like a teenager, and that life might require more responsible planning to avoid the drama of life’s surprises.