Ringing in the Year of the Horse

Ringing in the New Year was a lot of fun, even without a cell phone in my hand.  I've gone without my phone for almost a week now and I am still alive.  I am living proof that someone of our generation will be able to continue converting oxygen into carbon dioxide even without a cell phone attached to his/her being.  I know, it's a shocker, and the best part is:  no, the phone is not broken, no I am not using this as a punishment for some ungodly sin, and no, the US Cellular's towers are not malfunctioning in Elkins, WV-- at least not so far as I can tell, but with this huge "Arctic Freeze" coming this week, who knows?  The best part is I chose to do this on my own.  It seems my transition from a regular cell phone to a smart phone is going to be a long, costly, and complicated process, so until I can straighten all of this stuff out, I've opted to turn my phone into an alarm clock.  Just one of the many changes that I've devoted myself to (as everyone does this time of year) because y'know what this post is, right?  Mandatory New Year's Resolution blog post (I promise to make this as painless as possible!)

I'm really not going to go into too many details about my experiences in 2013.  I had many good things, many terrible things, and many interesting things happen, most of which you all probably already know from reading this blog (assuming you have read any of my past posts).  January began with warm weather and also with me accepting the changes the previous fall brought to me, like ending a three and a half year relationship, changing majors AGAIN, and trying to decide what, exactly I wanted to do after college.  I was unbelievably anxious about returning to Costa Rica in March after four years, but it turned out to be one of the greatest international trips I've ever been a part of. Seriously, if you're having issues in life, go visit Playa Samara for one week.  I felt like my mental state was being completely reset, and it was the best week I've ever had, despite the drama that so often accompanies those trips. The end of the spring semester started one of the best summers I've had since my high school graduation summer (09), and I even made it to another beach (which hadn't happened in years until '13).  I don't know that I'll be able to revisit Ocean City, MD again without thinking about how great my introductory visit this summer was, but I don't regret the good times. The last semester was full of great disappointments, a couple terribly timed curve balls that shook up my planned future (what exactly is one of those at this point in life anyway?), and some of the best nights with the greatest people on this planet.  Christmas Eve I discovered an unexpected visitor in our house.  Oh, yeah, and then there was the whole graduating thing.  

I'm hoping that this year will be better, not only because I'm starting my first calendar year as a college graduate but also because I now have time to do the things I want.  I'm starting a new training style with my lovely pony that I hope will strengthen our already extremely unique bond (hopefully to the point of learning to jump).

I'm planning to join my father's little community band and finally return to playing my clarinet in a concert band setting, of sorts anyway.  My list of books to read is infinite. I've started an entertaining, old school correspondence with a best friend at Shepherd, and it's already brightened many days.  But mostly I'm hoping I can just get my life in order and figure out where I go from here.  I know the job I'm at currently is not a place for me to make a career.  I also know that I need to train my sights on places other than the freaking California coast as far as a future goes.  This new plan, this new direction, needs to be me one hundred percent. I've already had some fantastic leads to a great future career, so we'll see how they play out.  Until then, I'm hoping that I can take some time to do some stuff I want to do, save some money up for future plans, and then jet out of this town toward that career as a writer.  I've got some decent material.  I just need to sit on it for awhile before I make any big moves. 

So Happy New Year, readers. This year, make a resolution or two you may actually stick to for a change.  I am. :)