*sigh*: It’s almost over. Last year I did a rundown on what I was grateful for and wouldn’t miss as the year ended. This year, I’m just too tired to pinpoint anything. Overall, I’m just glad it’s almost gone. Here’s hoping the new calendar year and the Chinese Year of the Pig are better. Festivities are just getting going in San Francisco – the big outdoor party and fireworks show are just down the hill from me. We may pop out to the street for the fireworks, but it’s really chilly tonight and a long time spent outside just isn’t getting a lot of positive votes. Another Kir Royale is sounding quite excellent, though. Hope you all have a healthy and happy 2008!

We’re hurtling towards the end of 2007 (thank any deity you’d like for that!), and I’ve been laid low with a flu bug and have had some time to look back on the year as I make plans for the new one. Lots of changes in my work and personal life made it a year that never seemed to settle on a rhythm for more than a couple of beats. I don’t mind a little change now and then, but this year it bordered on the ridiculous.

Work changes impacted me the most. They were mainly due to a promotion and a few circumstances beyond my control, such as people leaving the team, continual growing pains and changing processes. Most of it hasn’t been easy, and I nearly changed jobs twice. More changes are ahead, and I’ve decided to give it a little more time to settle out and see if things shift for the better. The UI part of the content team is reorganizing again – we won’t be sharing my boss with the category marketing writers anymore – so there may be half a chance for some structure to settle in. That should be for the good.

My personal life changed very intentionally. About this time last year, I decided to usher in a “less is more” and “higher quality, lower quantity” theme. I’ve reduced or eliminated contact with a number of people and left social circles that just don’t fit the new theme. Meantime, I’m making new friends in different areas and around different interests. I’ve gotten even more into open wheel racing this year, and have developed a growing interest in the evolution of online social networking via Web 2.0 and beyond. I’m reading more and spending less time on my usual message boards and email lists and have started volunteering for the Florida Wild Mammal Association. They are planning a revamp of their web site and I will execute those changes when they’re ready.

The theme for 2008 is already set: More Fun. Less Stress. I’ve got a few different activities in mind to try out for the new year, some mental and some physical, that should help me employ the theme quite well. I’ve purchased a URL for my photography and hope to get a separate site set up for that this spring – I need some more photos first. I want to learn more about the technologies that fuel Web 2.0 and perhaps employ them on my own sites. I will be re-doing my apartment from floor to ceiling in the next year. And I have a couple of physical activities I want to try in addition to walking and yoga to take better care of myself and eliminate stress while having fun.

The trick will be finding a way to prevent the work/career track from getting in the way of the personal track as much as it did this year. Wish me luck! *grin*

Must Rest: It has been a very busy week with way too many holiday treats and nagging sniffles mixed in. I need a really slow weekend and loads of detox tea! If I wake up before Sunday evening, I may muster a longer entry here. *grin*

Crazy Busy: A few of you have pinged me wondering where the heck I am and if everything’s okay. Yes, thanks, it’s all good. Just really slammed at work, and getting the holidays all squared away in the small spare time I have left. We are changing the way we schedule projects at work, and it’s going to be great when we get it all ironed out. But right now, we’re cutting over onto the new process and it’s causing some train wreckage. Finishing one release, scheduling a second, and doing discovery for a third, all while QAing last release and covering all the things that crop up during holiday. I’m also interviewing to hire another writer and my boss just went out on medical leave unexpectedly, so this coming week will be just as insane. I may continue to be scarce a bit longer…

Still a Busy Body: Did NINE loads of laundry today. Lots of linens needed washed in addition to all the clothes (been layering up lately due to the cold…). Spent the whole morning lugging, folding and hanging, then washed a lot of dishes from yesterday’s cooking marathon. Right now, a casserole of au gratin potatoes is bubbling away in the oven. Smells really yummy. Gonna spend the evening with the Speed Report and SpeedFreaks and anything else that won’t wear me out!

Busy Body: Loads of things changing at work (mostly projects) have kept me busy this last week or so. Now that Dancing with the Stars is over, I have two nights of my week back, and it’s just in the nick of time. I’ve needed the time to get things done or I’ve gone to bed early to help fight off a bug that’s going around the office this week.

Cookin’: Whipped up cream of potato leek soup, Thai peanut butter chicken, garlic herb chicken and “Clone of Cinnabon” cinnamon rolls. Need to do an au gratin dish tomorrow to finish up the potatoes, and I’ll have food for lunch and dinner most of the week. Found most of the recipes on allrecipes.com – great site with user reviews and comments that include tips and tweaks that are very useful.

BuhBye: I’ve removed the Dancing with the Stars videos I had posted here. They keep disappearing from YouTube and I have to find new code to keep them up. Just don’t have the time. We can go to YouTube and watch them there – just search for “Helio Julianne.”