Random Musings on 2010

2010 was a year that, on paper at least, could very easily have sucked, at least on a personal level. It certainly started out okay...accomplished a few little things, like finally paying off our car. Just when it seemed like we were going to start getting ahead a little bit, the wheels started coming off a tad. Literally. Had to have some work done to the Chevy, as the bearings and tie rods that help hold the front wheels on were beyond repair. Then the timing belt blew on the Chrysler...while heading down the highway on a trip back from Connecticut, with the wife and the wee one in the car. On a Sunday. Fun times (thanks for coming to rescue us, Dad). Thankfully the engine didn't need to be rebuilt, but damn near everything around it did. Cha-ching.

After getting that fixed, I continued to not have warm fuzzies about the Chevy, so it was time to trade it in. Liberty Mazda in Wakefield would give us over a grand sight unseen, so we jumped at the chance and bought a Mazda. Granted it was a 2003 with few bells and whistles, but it had low miles and was fairly cheap. And it meant another car payment (yuck), but not a bad one.

Late summer brought with it news that tuition at the wee one's daycare was going to increase. We'd been through this before and were about to leave at one point, but the old Center Director worked hard to keep us there, so we had stayed. New Center Director, while personable enough, was less receptive, so when we told her we were probably leaving, she asked only "when is your last day?". Needless to say, we left for a new place.

Fast forward to late fall, and more car trouble. Chrysler again, but this time it was the transmission. Never, ever good. It should be pointed out that the wife and the wee one were in the car, and that we were on our way back from Connecticut on a Sunday...again. Sound familiar? This time, the car wasn't worth fixing...any amount spent to repair the transmission would be more than we'd get for it if we traded it. So, it was determined that we'd sell the car to our mechanic and buy a new one. This time? A Toyota. Yes it is another new car payment (that makes two this year), but the car should last a while, as it A)has low miles and B) wasn't involved in any of the recall shenanigans.

Bring on New Year's Eve...and some idiot drilling the front driver's side of the new car while backing out of a driveway across the street, and then taking off from the scene without leaving a note or anything. Thankfully, the mailman saw the whole thing happen and got the idiot's plate number. More on that later, I'm sure...

In spite of those issues (especially the car troubles), I'd have to say that 2010 was really a pretty good year, all things considered. The decision to move the wee one from KinderCare to The Goddard School has been a great one; she is really thriving in the new environment, and the entire center seems to be a more nurturing environment. We've also (very luckily) been able to keep in touch with some of the families that we got to know quite well from our time at KinderCare, and they've been great us and to Morgan.

Some other pretty cool things that happened:
-I decided to get in shape. No New Year's resolution required, just sort of a few 'enough is enough' moments. As of this writing, I'm down somewhere in the neighborhood of 52 pounds since June 1st through diet and exercise only. The diet stuff came first: exercise started a month-or-so later. According to the program that I use to map my rides/runs, I've logged 524 miles either cycling or running since July 9th. Not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things compared to some people out there, but it is 524 miles more than I've done in the last several years combined. Goal this year is to hit 1,000 miles total, which shouldn't be too much of a stretch, given that I have six extra months to play with, and I'm starting from a point where I'm in better shape.

-Saw Pearl Jam again. That's always a highlight of any year!
-Saw a reunited Face to Face again, and got to hang with Scott more than ever (between the Warped Tour and a Gimme's show). He's a great dude that I am lucky to consider a friend. Also, got to share the experience with Morgan...first punk rock show! And she was definitely a highlight of the show (or so the band said).
-This brings to a close the 13th year that I've been with the love of my life. Pretty remarkable in this day and age, I think. Still feels like we are 18 sometimes...don't let the gray hair (on me, not her) fool you! Though actually, I feel younger than 18 sometimes...and I'm certainly in better shape now than I was at 18!

Again, there were more than a few reasons that 2010 could have sucked (I didn't even include the whole fiscal crisis in Massachusetts and the goings-on in the Trial Court/Probation system that have cast an uneasy pall over everything at work), but those things really seem trivial in hindsight. I've grown a lot personally, and those areas where I feel I've improved myself had led to a more positive way of looking at the world around me and allowed me to gain inspiration from the people around me. All of that has made me a better husband, a better father, a better person...and you can't ask for much more than that.

Bring on 2011.