Good god almighty, this morning I woke up with what may have taken the honor of being the worst headache I have ever had. I’ve thought that I had migraines before, but now I’m not so sure. It pulsed and pounded and sent me writhing all over the bed, opening the windows to let in cool air. Waves of nausea. The crush of light from the window. The inability to find a way to lie that could relieve any pressure on my skull and even down into my neck. Ugh.
In a cruel twist of fate, I was completely out of pain relievers, and was in absolutely no shape to venture anywhere to get a handful. I can usually sleep off a headache, but this one was so intense that I couldn’t even keep my eyes closed. So I had to break down and cancel lunch with Phil and beg him to bring me medicine, which he did graciously. (Also, he brought chocolate. His bedside manner has never lacked enthusiasm.) A gulp of pills and a quick nap later, the fucking thing had relented enough for me to stand up and get ready for work. Praise be. My skull still kinda smarts, though. I’m not convinced that I won’t be hatching alien and/or demon babies out of my sinuses in a few weeks, however. What’s the gestation period for those little scamps, anyway?
So this is the end of the world. I MEAN YEAR. 2008 certainly didn’t turn out the way I expected it to. In many ways, it turned out better. It took a turn for the wacky there at the end, but I think we’re getting back on the straight and narrow. At least I hope. Family’s a work in progress, after all.
2008 will be, for me, the year that the internet finally earned its keep a little and led me to an uncanny number of fabulous people whose company I adore. It was the year that old friendships were tested and strengthened and, in some cases, redefined. It was the year of a dozen silent heartbreaks. The year that I finally balanced hard work with hard play. The year that Memphis finally started to feel manageable to me. 2008 was the year that I barfed. A lot. Weird.
I’ve got big plans for 2009. Get a haircut. Go to the dentist. Don’t barf so much. So forth and so on. Sure, it’d be great to get rid of these ten pounds I’ve wrapped around my bones in the past year, and maybe meet and charm my soul mate (who will teach me how to cook) and write the Great American NovelTM (which will cure cancer) while I’m huffing and puffing on the elliptical, but I’m not going to sweat it too hard. My life is good to me, and it’s exhausting to constantly expect to level up.
So in 2009 — as best I can — I coast.
Farewell to 2008. I’ve put some of my favorite photos from the year after the jump:
I loved the photo of the balloons in the dumpster back when you posted it the first time. It’s so sad. But it’s not, too. Great shot. It’s on my office bulletin board, by the way. I’ll send you a nickel.
It was about ten years ago–when I was your age!–that I discovered Philip Roth had already written The Great American Novel. And that it was about baseball or something. I was pretty pissed.
i always love kitty photos. Your cats are super cute and very expressive.
I always enjoy your photos, so it’s a treat to see the best collected here like this. Yay!