Let's see...

For what it's worth, 2009 already seems to be looking up. There really is no tangible cause for this, but there are some things on the horizon. First of all, tomorrow is the inauguration. Strange to think that this is a day I have been waiting years for and I will not be there. This is MY President. He is the person that I hitched my horses to over five years ago. Tomorrow, I will write something about what it means to me, but more on to the actual events. To be totally honest, I could have gone into the city for the weekend, but I think I would rather not deal with the madness. The history and magnitude of the event is going to be incredible, but I am not a huge fan of standing in lines for hours and standing in the cold simply to catch a glimpse of the proceedings. So instead, I will sit in a warm apartment and enjoy the day from a couch.

A few things on the job front...for those of you that do not know, I have been seriously thinking about moving back to Northern VA if things do not progress as I would like them with my job in Charlottesville. I love the town and I love the people that I work with, but if I am not moving down the path to a career that I want with a pace that I enjoy, then there is not a whole lot tying me down here. That being said, there are some new opportunities within my company here that I will explore in the coming weeks/months. Depending on how that goes, I will reevaluate my situation here and make a decision on whether to renew my lease come September. I would much rather not leave and move back up there, but I cannot rule anything out at this point. I really figured I would stay here long term and it seems a little odd to be considering it at this point, but I have to do what makes sense to me.

I am still trying to figure out what I want to do with my vacation time this year. I have pretty much come to terms with the fact that I cannot afford one of my normal ridiculous vacations, so I think that I am just going with smaller ones again. Thus far, I do not have any weddings that I need to travel to in 2009, so expect a few more camping trips and maybe another trip or three to Vegas. Or maybe I will just do like I did this week and give myself a five day weekend. Sometimes you just need to sit around and enjoy the town. Nothing like waking up on a Friday and knowing that you have nothing to do. Well, unless you count doing the same on a Monday and Tuesday following that Friday. Also, this sort of "vacation" will aid me in my goal to be a little more fiscally responsible in 2009. You know, after I buy a new computer and plan my first Vegas trip of the year. This will probably put a damper on my record buying and my random online purchases, but I suppose I need to grow up at some point!

Anyway, best of luck to anyone who is going to brave the cold tomorrow and see this historic event. I will absolutely be there in spirit and will probably be on the couch in tears at one point or another. Lame as that may be, it is the truth. Ah well. Here's to new beginnings and hopefully better days ahead. I think that is something we can all agree on at this point.