2009

Oh man, I just realized that I never wrote a happy new year post to the Roast Beef Concern! Better late than never, I assume, right? I don't know...maybe it doesn't even matter. I have seriously been writing a new year post in my head since about Christmas, but I just haven't gotten to the out with it part. I have the same problem with my children's book series about Bill the Cat, my young adult problem novel, my memoirs, and my variety of other writings (including the actual quarterly Roast Beef Concern newsletter). My mother thinks I have some motivation problems...I don't want to get into that now, though, so...

Happy 2009!

I'm glad for an odd year, aren't you? I feel safer - and braver - in odd years. I know...crazy. But I was born in an even year and graduated from HS, college, and Masters degree school in even years (whoa, I never really thought about that before!) and none of those years were particularly filled with joy. Most notably, a lot of debts came due in those years, and a lot of hard realities had to be faced at various points. If you know me, you probably think I'm being a little melodramatic, but seriously, when the first job you can even beg someone to give you after 6 years in college and grad school only pays $8.00 an hour, that's a pretty hard reality! (Luckily, an odd year came along in 2007 and granted me a *little* more earning potential than that).

But back to this year... On the subject of concern for how I will earn/use/keep some of my roast beef money, 2009 was already a bright spot on the horizon back in 2004 because my car was due to be paid off...TODAY, believe it or not (though I consolidated some debt and actually paid to get the title last April) and my main stack of student loans will decrease a percentage point in interest come November (because I've so dutifully been repaying on time since 2006). Last week I also worked up some sort of plan for paying aforementioned consolidated debt...all $8,000 left of it...by the end of the year (don't know if I can pull that off, but it's my goal). I really do want to have a grown up life by the time I'm 30, so I'm working as hard as I can. :-)

Soooo...I'm optimistic for the future, and you probably should be too. It's going to be a good year, this 2009. I just know it.