Topic: Daily Drip
As 2009 comes to a close, it seems to customary to reflect on what has happened over the previous year. For me, 2009 will be forever dubbed as "The Year of Change" for me as things has forever changed my life. I'll break the year down into more managable chunks.
The Spring of Disaster
Nothing sums up spring more than "disaster" as some devistating things occurred. First was when my aunt & grandmother were medically sent to the local nursing home. While it wasn't a major shock for my family & my relatives nearby (within 5 miles), it was the death knell to my father's side of the family. It was the last time I ever saw my grandmother alive before they took to the nursing home. While there were opportunities to visit her, my parents suggested not to visit her as she saw slowly slipping away... accusing my parents & my uncle terrible things, which she didn't really mean due to her condition... but I was greatful that I never had to experience first hand or it would have been more painful for me.
The other disaster was that my father had a stroke. I only heard about it as I was housesitting for my older brother at the time. Thankfully my mother was with him & was the voice of reason to quickly get him to the hospital. It was a bit emotional as it rocked my family a bit, but we all muscled through it.
The Summer of Emotion
This was more of a national deal than personal, but it still fits all the same. On the national scale, a lot of celebrities (Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes & Michael Jackson... to make a few) just seemed to suddenly die for some strange reason. On a personal side, it was an emotional roller coaster of highs & lows.
The first emotional event was the death of my grandmother, which occurred about 2 weeks before my younger bro's wedding. It was a sad time for everybody, but I was strangely detached from the grief a bit... mostly because I haven't seen her in months & it would have tarnished my perspective of her if I did. After her death, a small schism occurred over her estate... mostly between those who knew what they were getting & those who wanted more than what was mentioned. While my grandmother's will practically screwed over the entire family, as she left practically everything to my aunt, who is now a ward of the state (& cannot keep everything). My parents inherited her car, which my grandmother did to help take care of my aunt... or at least that was her plan before my other aunt attempted a "power move" by taking "Power of Attorney" over my aunt (which is a bit of a blessing in disguise at the time, as she relieved my parents the responsiblity), mostly in an attempt to get her hands on my aunt's money. My uncle took full control over the family farm, but had to pay the other family members their portion of the estate.
Next was my younger bro's wedding, which was in the works for at least 5 years. It would have been a joyous time, but it came bittersweet as his employer laid him off a week before the wedding... nice wedding present, "Congratulations on your marriage... now get out!" They took thing slow enough & my sister-in-law is well liked.
Near the end of summer was the International Video Game Hall of Fame (IVGHoF) launch party in Ottumwa, IA. While the roads were a lot to be desired (running in 9 spots of road construction going down & about 3 on the return... but it was a nightmare around Des Moines that night), it was one event that I just couldn't miss! Despite my shyness, I manage to meet Walter Day (founder of Twin Galaxies, who I worked with for 6 years now) & some of the original & modern Video Game iconic players like Tim McVey (1st Billion-Plus Holder on Nibbler), Billy Mitchell (Reigning Donkey Kong WR Holder of King of Kong fame), Todd Rodgers (Dragster WR Holder) & Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson of Empire Arcadia. It was a lot of fun & I even managed to get into the one picture on Walter's request (which was a bit of a shocker & an honor). It was a lot better than the local & state fairs, which were going on at the same time.
While I won't make it to Funspot in 2010 (due to a wedding), I will try my best to make it back to Ottumwa again.
Summer was when I FINALLY evolved to "Web 2.0" standards by joining Facebook. Before then, I was living in "Web 1.5" standards... if you want to call it that. I was still doing some things the old fashioned way with bulletin boards & chat rooms that were managed by a friend or a trusted member of the community. While I did make a few consessions by having my own blog (which you're reading now on my SECOND EDITION of my blog) & Twitter, I still avoided the social networking sites like MySpace & Facebook. While I was a late adopter of social networking sites (which is a bit off for me as I have a tendency to get ahead of some trends), it was ultimately a wise decision since MySpace's reputation is a bit tarnished (mostly by the excessive customization done by users, which ultimately destroy the functionality of the site. Honestly, who would visit a person's page that violates all the rules of web design & decency?). I've managed to revive some old connections through it with a few people that I haven't talked to in years... in addition to reconnecting with old classmates.
The Autumn of Discontent
Fall came down a bit hard as few more emotional distresses occurred. The one was so devistating that it still bring tears to my eyes when I think about it. The death of my beloved cat Butterscotch hit me hard & quick as it happen suddenly. I placed him outside (on a leash, per local ordinances) while I was doing my running in town & he was gone when I returned. I had him since he was only a few days old & he was a beloved member of the family who was with us for at least 12 years (I can't properly remember when we got him). He was so energenic that it his death came as a shock to the family. He was laid to rest on the family farm, which he would have been happy.
The other thing was that my father formally fired (although the issue is still unresolved) because they forced him to stay on disability, even though the DOT said he was OK to return to work. As previously stated, things are still a bit unresolved with his employer... so there's not much I can comment on. However, from what I've been hearing from others still working there... The executives are running the company into the ground, after selling off their milk division (which they claimed was making any money, but the rival company they sold to is doing good with) & slowly whittling away the benefits & pay of their hourly workers... Rumors are going around that executives are just taking & taking more while giving their employees less & less. Most likely the company will likely fold up & sell the remains to their rival company.
The last thing was the final settlement of my grandmother's estate... which my aunt delayed the auction so that her family members would be able to be there more than getting a good crowd. Because my aunt purposely delayed & didn't get the auction announcement in the advertisers in adequate time, the bidding group was very small. I know it seems petty & malicious for me to point & laugh at the train wreck the auction became, but it was my aunt's fault for inadequate planning & she got what she deserved.
The Winter of Renewal
With the auction of my grandmother's estate came the deed to her house. Under estate settlement laws, the family had first shot at the house & buy it at the appraised value. My father, with some fiancial assistance from my uncle, managed to secure the deed as we knew there would be some fierce competition from a few potential buyers if it was placed on the market because the main floor is handicap accessible.
After the auction was over, the move from the old house began. My Aunt & uncle did assist in the move, but they didn't fully succeed in assistance as they were the ones pushing the pace of the move faster than what my mother desired (as my father, in the presense of my uncle, tends not to have a brain for himself). It was yet another bittersweet moment as we were leaving a house we lived in for 28 years for the house that my grandmother (figuratively) built. The earliest memories of my grandmother's house was a small house with only steps out front & a detached garage. The deck was the first addition to the front of the house, followed by the addition of the back room & an attached garage (which properly enclosed the basement) & finally a fully furnished upstairs, complete with bathroom. While the garage was the only major addition to the house, things just slowly (& naturally) evolved.
While the house isn't completely new, it's a new place for my family to live & feels like a renewal of things to come in 2010.
//Cue attached song...
When it strikes 12:00 AM on New Year's Day, raise a glass to 2009... Thank God it's over! Hopefully 2010 will bring many more brighter days!
