Friday, March 11, 2011

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.

14 comments:

  1. What a great post! You made my morning.

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  2. Happy birthday, Michelle! You have such a great attitude--despite your creepy neighbors. Glad they're gone.

    I hope you have a wonderful birthday and another great year to reminisce this time next year.

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  3. Bruce: Glad you liked it!

    Maria: Thanks for the birthday wishes! I'm sure next year can only get better so long as I keep a good attitude about it.

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  4. Happy Birthday Michelle! Hope you enjoy your day. BTW, loved the fashion show pic of your little angel on FB. Precious!

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  5. Happy Birthday, Michelle!

    Suldog was right - all the best people really DO have early March birthdays. Heck, my two GFs before I got married were born on March 12th and 13th, so you're in good company. . .(I'd say it must be a Pisces thing, if, you know, it wasn't complete bullshit. . .)

    You may or may not care for me to tell you that when Jen & I were your age, we had five kids. . . (yeah, I thought not. . .)

    And hey, Jaquline's bday is 2-2; mine is 3-3, and my mom's is 4-4 (one of our kids was due on 5-5, but she crossed us up and came two weeks early. . .)

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  6. Ruth and Glen: Thanks for the birthday wishes! I plan on posting more photos of wonderful hand-knit stuff soon.

    Craig: You gotta love those fish! And the 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 birthday numbers are cool. Perhaps you might want to play those for the lottery? Thank you for the birthday wishes!

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  7. Happy Birthday. Thanks for the recap of your very interesting year!

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  8. When you have a baby, your life begins anew! Happy Birthday, Michelle, and best wishes for a wonderful 36th year! Give Jaquline a hug for me!

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  9. Angie: Thanks for the b-day wishes!

    BB Larew: Plenty of hugs to Jaquline!

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  10. Happy Birthday, Michelle. Among the gifts you have received in the past and which you are using well is your gift of story telling. Thanks for gifting us with your stories.

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  11. Judith: Thank you for the swell birthday wishes!

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  12. what a wild ride it's been, huh?

    well, i wish you a happy belated birthday and all the best to you and your precious girl.

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  13. You had an amazing year, MDGF. Me, too, and I have you to thank for some of the nicer parts of it. Here's hoping 2011 keeps getting better!

    YLGF
    xxxooo

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  14. Lime: Thanks for the birthday wishes. It has been something of a wild ride, and at times it took turns I least expected. But all of it turned out swell :)

    Suldog: I'm glad I could make things as nice for you as you have made them for, MLGF. I wouldn't dream of a world without the amazing Larue! xxxooo

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