3 posts tagged “dec2008”
Ah, looking forward to a new year is always so fun! I have BIG PLANS, my friends. huge.
As per usual, much of my plans involve travel. The big! exciting! one is that I'm going to the UK for three weeks in April/May. Friends are getting married in Belfast and are being incredibly gracious in allowing this C-list-friend (at BEST) to crash the party. Since I'll be out that way, I'm going to spend a week circling Ireland, 2-3 days being wedding-focused, a week exploring Scotland, and approximately 4 days in Wales or something. I spent 2 weeks in London in 1999 so don't feel the need to dip that far south this time.
I'll also be going back to Ashland for the Shakespeare Festival. I may be going in Julyish this time - partly so we can experience a different season, and partly because I may be crewing for crazy bike friends on a weekend event outside of Portland. I figure I can head north to Ashland, head further north and do the bike race support thing, and then come home. They're not sure they're doing the ride, though, so it may be only Ashland, which is fine, as I'll have thoroughly pillaged my vacation time already.
Other travel: Florida to help my sister move/see her new place at the end of January. Portland and Rhode Island in December. I've heard rumblings of some friends maybe hiking Half Dome, possibly this fall, and I would love to do that (though... it looks scary hard). Every year I intend to camp and hike more than I actually do, so maybe a trip to Big Sur or Shasta is in order. Then of course there's wine country day trips, some biking, and hopefully I'll have visitors this year (though none booked yet!), and there you go: 2009.
What else does the year hold? Most importantly, I'm going to pay off my final scrap of debt: my student loans. Right now I'm saving aggressively so I can pay for all of my big trip as it occurs (I already paid for my ticket), but after that, Sallie Mae is getting the giant smackdown. And I will be 100% out of debt for the first time since I got out of college! (of course then I start saving for a mortgage.. but that'll take ages before I nerve myself up to purchasing real estate)
Well, I learned to knit. 12 scarves, 9 hats, 5 pairs of fingerless mitts, 4 pairs of socks, and 1 baby dress later, you might say I jumped enthusiastically into the deep end. I like knitting because it lets me sit in front of tv-on-dvd for a LONG time without feeling horrifically unproductive. I like making pretty things and giving them away. I like learning a new technique and having something to show for it.
I also traveled: to Key West, NYC, Boston, my college (for a reunion!), Rhode Island, Lake Tahoe (day trip), Yosemite (twice!), Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare festival, Portland, Oregon (twice! for miscellaneous hanging out), and did Cycle Oregon for the third time.
I was physically active: I hiked, snowshoed, and biked over a thousand miles.
I had visitors: my parents, siblings, and friends from Boston, NYC, Seattle, and Portland all stayed with me over the course of the year, and I had the pleasure of meeting several people for lunch or dinner as they passed through town.
I also cooked! My lunch group is going strong, and I think my favorite meals I provided this year were two recipes of my invention: a) Winter Mix: quinoa/wheat berry/barley, combined
with mushroom, roasted sweet potato, and two types of roasted beet; b) Masala lentils & black beans, served on a bed of mixed grains: brown rice and wheat berries, cooked in light coconut milk & water.
So, it's a really satisfying year to look back on. I think this is one of my favorite pics from Christmas at home:
yep, it's been ages since I posted. Addressing that may be a new year's resolution.. we'll see. I've been busy at work and at home, so the blog, she suffers.
But at this time of year there are lots of things worthy of updating: what tracking my spending reveals about my year, notes about my travels, plans for the coming year, all manner of good things. Today I'm working on a few posts and will dribble them out over the next couple of days. We can call that my Christmas gift to you, okay?
First off: charitable giving, 2008!
Last year I did the majority of my giving in the last few months of the year. I donated to my local public radio station, and to two food banks (one in Oregon, for old times' sake, one local). At the time, I resolved to donate more often, and to have my 2008 giving surpass that of 2007.
Well, I certainly didn't donate as I went along - I gave a pitiful $82 from January through November. That left me with some last-minute decisions to make! Here's who I donated to, and why.
Alameda County Community Food Bank - because I have never gone to bed hungry. I have never wondered where my next meal was coming from. Because I'm so grateful for the lovingly-prepared food my lunch group gives me every week!
Hope Line - because I read Post Secret every week, and because that page's founder won't accept donations.His preferred cause is Hope Line. I donated because Frank asked me to.
Chicago Public Radio/This American Life - I subscribe to the free This American Life podcasts, and love listening to them when I travel. They've asked for some support this year, as providing the podcast costs their parent organization money.
Doctors Without Borders - because I am a happy reader of the Yarn Harlot, and this is her favorite organization. Read about her Tricoteuses Sans Frontières/Knitters Without Borders idea here and, even better, here.
To forestall this rather uncomfortable feeling I'm having - I really didn't have that spare cash in my budget this month! - I'm planning ahead for next year. I'm going to set aside just under 1% of each month's income, and will either donate as I go along in the year OR will have a specific pool of money to use at this time next year! My giving ranged from $20 to $100 and I am confident that every little bit helps.
So, what's important to you? Can you share a little bit of love and money?
