2010 In Retrospect

2010, oh how I've come to know thee, let me muse over the ways...

March 10, 2010...

I moved into my apartment in Pittsburgh to be closer to my job at the credit agency, being cussed out from people who skipped paying their bills from the moment they took out the credit card -- which consisted of 8+ months. On this March 11, day, the employees began hearing the rumblings of something not kosher going on in the company. People where being called or sent letters saying that they we're fired. By the end of March, nearly an entire department of employees would be gone -- including me.

***

April-May-June 2010

I took the test to become a working member for the good ol' United States of America. Yes, I was now a government employee. I even learned how to fingerprint people and send those fingerprints out to the FBI, or wherever they sent the fingerprints to, to have them on record in case one of us gets disgruntled and decides to walk into a post office with a double-barreled sawed-off. No, I wasn't a postal worker. I was officially part of the United States Census! A temporary job, but I was also beginning to blossom -- or at least complete my training -- to become a content writer to provide business/finance articles for online viewing pleasure.

So I left a credit job where I had access to financial information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, mother's maiden names and bank account numbers to now work at a job of finding out where people lived -- including whether or not the owned or had mortgages on their homes. If I was of the criminal element, I would of had a field day with all this information!

Anyhow, I worked my job(s), makin' time and doin' fine, when new tenants show up downstairs. Since I don't have time to recap the whole affair, I'll just give the good parts:

1: Tenant pops open lock on bottom door leading to access to upstairs apartments.

2: Tenant relates to wife about note left on my door after I overheard him saying he planned on "gettin' up in here."

3: Tenant asks me about whether MY circuit breaker box is inside my apartment because he is having problems with HIS electricity.

4: Tenant's wife stalks Facebook page and announces it loudly.

5: Tenant sticks knifes into floor of his apartment for handyman to fix.

6: Tenant begins paying too much attention when bottom door opens. He pops head out and walks around block as I'll sit on doorstep. I'll do this countless times before their eviction.

7: Tenant's wife spits on pavement at my feet while I walk to my apartment. People notice enough to talk about it and shake heads at tenant's wife later on.

8: Tenants bragging about hurting people and getting away with it, about doing it again and not caring.
9: Tenants get evicted.

There is, of course, more to it than this. Stupid kid stuff that any parent would grab their child and beat the living shit over before sending them to bed without supper - including noise annoyance tapes and beating holes into the walls of their apartment. But I don't plan on spending MONTHS talking about these people. I do have a life, and I've come to the conclusion that the tenants were nothing but egotistical attention whores. Sufficed to say, I don't think anyone cried (not even the police considering the number of times they drove by the building when the tenant scurried back inside) over them leaving.

***

July-August-September-October 2010

The Census had ended and will begin anew in another 7 (or is it 10?) years. I had switched to working full-time with the online article writing. I could pay rent/bills by this alone. And I could work anywhere, even at the park or a friend's house while watching bad b-movies with friends.

***

November-December-January 2010

I'm still writing the articles, doin' time and feelin' fine. I spend time with a close friend over the holidays, laughing and joking around. With the holiday food came the holiday meals, and I began to gain a few extra pounds around the middle - about 20. After eating the leftovers, I begin to exercise around the park, wanting to get my 142 pound self back to a nice, slim, 120. I simply couldn't believe I let myself go like that, not after being so thin since... forever. No way! Drop the pounds and start looking as good as I did from May through October.

***

February 2 2010

My exercise regime did wonders. I dropped the pounds via a screeching ambulance to the emergency room.

***

March 11, 2010

I sit here, reading this post on my blog (not really, as I type it up the day before but you get my drift) reminiscing about the entire year. On this day, I'm one year older as I count the blessings and shake my head over the bizarre circumstances. I received nifty gifts already from several friends - at the birth of my daughter and for the day commemorating my life. Here's a photo of a gift.

Photo came from here.

If you don't know what it is, it's a baby carrier. You can strap it on your front and carry your baby all nice and comfty inside. Something great for a mother wanting her hands free when carrying groceries or out taking walks. Or exercising, because I have this roll of unflattering skin when I carried 20 pounds of baby/fluid/other stuff consisting of maternity.

I sit here thinking about my birthday, holding my daughter and glad where my life has led me every time I look into my wonderful Jaquline's sleeping face.

Before I get too teary-eyed, let me end this post. Yesterday, I was 35. Today, I'm 36. Tomorrow, I'll continue to enjoy life at ever ticking number of the clock as the years pass by.