As all the New Year’s hoopla tries to direct folks to see a shiny New Year ripe with possibilities, the cynic in me can’t help but note that each year produces more of the same. I am generally predisposed to see coming opportunities to be missed, crises to bemoan, difficulties to slip past, and other dark musings. My 2008 will begin with Jury Duty. Yep. On January 2nd I get on a bus at 7:30 to head into town for (at best) 2 days of punctuated boredom. Here in the city, one has to do jury duty every 2 years. More often if you don’t actually get on a jury. They pay $12 to compensate me for losing each day of income, as they have since the 1940’s.
But what of the year past?
After my early report on investment tax problems [1], I topped my previous record in spectacular losses in the stock market. Yes, I put a large chunk into a sub-prime mortgage lender just before it went belly-up. I finally exceeded my folly of 1999 when I rolled my entire IRA into a booming technology fund. At least mutual funds can eventually recover.
I did have some fun flash-dancing in the Missouri Botanical Gardens [2] and Camping and dancing in the Indiana Woods [3], and other places.
We took a 3,140 mile drive [4] over 12 October days to explore and photograph sunsets [4], a Gemini and Apollo astronaut, 100’s of hot air balloons in Albuquerque, Indian pueblos, casinos, Hillerman country, nuclear sites and museums, hot springs, modern ruins, and more. Food poisoning (probably from a mutton burrito in Window Rock) was the unique note for this particular trip. But it was a good trip, in retrospect.
My online jewelry business [5] is still puttering along on the shoulder of the information superhighway. I spend an hour or two on this every day, and earn enough to have to pay taxes. Most of the time is spent in giving out free advice and keeping up the site.
For strokes, I did win one category and get an honorable mention [6] in another in a very minor local photo contest. The local paper needed pix for its website.
Oh, yes. I also joined the blogosphere this year, right here.
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