in with the new

Happy New Year!
And although it's just an arbitrary date on the calendar, Jan 1st seems to inspire a lot of things: hope, renewal of commitment, promise. Personally, this year I'm making no resolutions - I never seem to stick with them anyway.

There are, however, a number of things to which I am looking forward:

1) My Condo: I really hope to be moving in this year. After 15 months of delays, innumerable purchases (i.e. bed, dishes, curtains) and so many chants of "moving out soon, moving out soon" in the face of illogical 'rental craziness, I am so ready to move. It's times like these that I envy my friends who moved out long ago, opting to rent rather sell their sanity to live at home. I know it wasn't an option for me when I moved back home after undergrad ($60,000 in debt and nowhere to go). I would even be okay with putting up with all this if I was a big mooch and allowed to live rent-free. Alas, no. It's like salt in the wound.
...Anyway - June 25! Despite the anxiety I have over pre-inspections and post-inspections and living alone and figuring out who's going to take out my garbage, I look forward to waking up in my own place before my next birthday comes around.

2) Fulfilling Chosen One duties: H2 gets married this year and I am one of her bridesmaids. Aside from the usual mushy-gushy wedding stuff, I'm looking forward to the DRESS! Yeah, that's right - the dress. My bridesmaid dress is not ugly - in fact, it's awesome. and DARK purple. AND I have permission to wear sneakers underneath it (don't worry, they're dressy sneakers - I'm not totally devoid of class). In true Buffy fashion, I suggested that Chosen Ones get to bring a weapon of choice - I like a crossbow personally, maybe with a little stiletto knife in my garter-belt. No word on this yet; although, have been asked about flowers. Do these flowers have deadly poison in them or something? Will keep you posted.

3) A vacation, of some sort. Nish and I had a plan to go to Australia this summer. It was a good plan. However, that was when I was still moving into the condo this past December. Now with all the uncertainty of move-in dates and inspection dates, I have a terrible feeling that Australia may have to be postponed for a while (even as late as 2010, because NEXT year is a planned reunion in England - which is the perfect stopover for another trip I'd like to do... in Africa). In consolation, we may take a cheaper but no less cooler trip around North America. This would have us train it to Vancouver, stopping in any cities we'd like to see on the way. Either renting a car from Vancouver or Portland, and driving down to LA (picking up Leanne in SLO), getting on Route 66 and driving all the way to the beginning in Chicago. Again, depending on the rental situation, we make our way somehow back to TO from there. Whole trip? 4 weeks. And, sadly, still cheaper than Australia.

4) Relearning how to belly dance. Does this really need elaboration?

Here's to 2008!