Nasty Anniversaries

What with all the awful things that happened in my life last year, I'm coming up on some very nasty anniversaries. And one has already passed.

Yesterday was the anniversary of my getting sacked -- excuse me, "made redundant" -- at The Hollywood Reporter. So I shall use the same graphic that I used last year to express my appreciation for the moguls who forced my bosses to fire people (anybody) to create a half-million-dollar savings in payroll. Some extremely talented people went that day (the fifth of a series of layoffs which were all called "the last layoff we're going to do.")

And after a year of anxiety and insomnia and occasional bouts of depression, my doctor finally offered me some pharmaceutical intervention, which I heartily took. So, at present, there is no anxiety and I feel just fine, if a little unfocused.

Good news and sad news: My sister Kittie finally disbursed Mom's estate to the siblings, so now my cash flow worries are over for the moment. First thing I did was put $10,000 into an 18-month CD. Second thing I did was pay off the credit cards. Third thing I did was make the full $6,000 contribution to my IRA and my next move will be to make the same into Steve's IRA. With the rest, we're planning on remodeling the downstairs: bamboo floors, slate in the entry, kitchen and on the patio, new doors on all the kitchen cabinets, granite countertops with glass tile backsplash. We want to get top dollar for this place when we sell it, and it will be nice to spend a couple years enjoying the improvements in the interior.

Steve's birthday is coming up next week, and even with a lot of money in the bank, I still can't think of what to get him. It's kind of nice that we don't go in for giving extravagant presents to one another. Maybe I'll get him a book, since he enjoys reading.

Two weeks later we take off for a couple days in Eureka (I'm trying to sell Steve on the idea of retiring there). Next notable occassion is July 29, when the Arizona horrible-horrible law goes into effect and I celebrate the 57th anniversary of my birth.

August is the anniversary of Aunt Kit's death.

October is the anniversary of my Mom's death.

November is the anniversary of my matriculation in web design classes and it will be second time we really don't know what to do for Thanksgiving because the Moms are gone and a familial focus went with them.

Hopefully sometime between all those observations, we'll get that bamboo floor and that granite countertop. It just feels like the outward things should change and renew, become fresher and cleaner and enjoyable once again. Because, on the inside, renewal is something you just can't rush; it moves at its own pace.