I look back at this past year and I realize that my biggest accomplishment was also my biggest failure. When the year started, I wrote down a dollar amount on my mental chalkboard. Looking at the YTD gross of my last paycheck, I achieved it. But what did I achieve? I traded my time for money. I spent the year working my ass off. And when the year was done, my company laid me off. I can’t stop thinking about all the time and energy I invested into my territory. Time that was mine. And how that territory, because of my work, will continue to yield $$$ for my employers but not for me. I made the money I wanted to make and yet I feel robbed. Robbed of my time and investment. I sold myself short.

This is eating at me because I need to find a new revenue stream but all I know is working for other people. Padding their pockets. Trading my time for money. There has to be a way to earn a living without having to sell my soul. The problem is I have no clue. I don’t even know where to look. And there’s this part of me that thinks that I should just be a good girl and get a job and earn money and forgetaboutit. I am going to try to figure this out and hopefully next year I can write about how I found a way to make money that makes me happy and allows me to live a good, happy decent life.

I recommend you read this: Tom’s Twelve Laws of Life

Everything stated rings true to my own experience — I have a feeling I will be reading and re-reading this list quite a bit.

I’ve been going to bed late for me. Typically I pass out right around 10pm. The last week or so, I’ve been going to bed after 12 and not waking up until 9ish. My alarm goes off at 7 but I’ve gotten pretty good at ignoring it.

Today is Christmas Eve and Pookie and I will spend the evening with my parents and sister having a wonderful Carpatho-Rusyn/Italian-inspired meal. My belief is it’s a mixed salad for the first generation or two and then it becomes a melting pot. I gotta get over to my parents’ place so I can help mom make the pierogies, mushroom soup, futchkies (bobalky), Aglio e Olio and smelts. Christmas will be spent with Pookie’s family. This will be my first time away from my parents on Christmas. I’m not overly bothered because I always felt Christmas Eve was the more exciting celebration and Christmas day always seemed like a downer. Regardless, I will do the best I can to behave myself and not embarrass Pookie or soil my family name.

Now let’s get down to business. What dress do you think I should wear to Pookie’s Family’s Christmas supper?

I’ve written about some of the weird things my sister says. Vomitose, enterjoyment, dramastically are some of her words. Today she came up with a new one:

“Donna, I told her I needed to go to the library, like AESOP!”

I spent most of the day at my parents’ house. Lisa came home a little after 5 and asked if I’d like to go to the mall with her and get a Christmas present for mom. After shopping, we came home and made dinner. I had a glass of wine and then another and then another. Mom came back from work and said, “Gosh Donna, you still here? Are you planning on moving back with us?”
“I haven’t been here the entire time, Lisa and I went to Macy’s.”
“Why did you go to Macy’s?”
“Because we had to buy you a Christmas present.”
“What did you get me.”
“A coat”
“What color”
“Black.”
At that point I could feel Lisa’s eyes boring through me like a laser.
“I think I just made an awful mistake….”
“No sh*t, Sherlock” said Lisa.
I shouldn’t have had the second and third glasses of wine. Oops.

Is anyone else using Picasa to manage their digital photos? I LOVE it. In fact I love it even more since I upgraded to Picasa 3. The Redeye Removal has improved dramatically. Now instead of having to select the eyes, Picasa automatically selects the red eye for you. All you have to do is make sure it looks okay and then click Apply. Easy! They also added a new tool that I just think is the grooviest tool ever! It’s called Retouch and it removes zits! It is really easy to use and the result is fantastic. I wish Clearasil worked as good. All you have to do is set the brush size to equal the size of your blemish and then left click. The zit immediately disappears! You left click again and the change is made permanent. Sometimes if the zit is close to the side of your face or near your hairline, the fill isn’t quite right so instead of clicking to accept the change, you just move your mouse around until the right fill color appears and then you left click to accept. It seems to me this is just like the clone tool in Photoshop, just dumbed down for us regular folks. The other great thing Google added is you can now edit a picture you posted on Picasa Web Albums, retouch it in Picasa and then sync it back to Picasa Web Albums. This is perfect for all those photos that I posted prior to the retouch tool. Yes, I am going through my Web albums and removing zits. I feel like God. Or a Superhero… Super Complexion Woman to the Rescue! Look out zits! You will soon be blasted to kingdom come!

I started cleaning out a box of doodads. I threw away the birthday tiara. I put the Wonder Woman pez dispenser and the little Tokyoplastic figurine on my desk. I have two flashing mouth devices and two harmonicas that I am unsure of where to put them. I am thinking of having them live in my jewelry drawer. I also have five key chains that I am also thinking of putting in my jewelry drawer since I hate to throw them away.
– Toe nail clipper key chain
– Elvis Presley key chain
– Barnum and Bailey key chain
– Matchbox car key chain with light up headlamps
– Rhinestone heart key chain

I also found 2 dog tags with my name but my parents’ address. The real Pièce de résistance is the Annie Topps Album Sticker of Punjab. It’s sticker #10.

Wait, I also found a little stuffed mouse wearing a dress and hat. I remember a girl named Juliet gave it to me for my 7th birthday. I think the mouse is the winner for today.

Here’s a slideshow of my loot.

What do normal people do with this crap? Is it put into a shoe box and forgotten or do people typically throw this stuff away? I don’t know!