A quick trip to Boise this weekend, on a whim. I checked the flights on Friday at 4pm, saw they were wide open, and decided to take my first non-rev flight back home. It was cool, but not cold. Stayed at Shawn and Chris's place, and visited my usual haunts. Also had a decent French Dip at The Tavern at Bown Crossing, which is sort of a high-density shopping area plopped to the east of Boise. Shopped at Powell's, which is a fun candy store packed with lots of sweets and novelties. Later Saturday night I saw Keith and Daniel at the Lucky Dog for 80s night, which was packed and relatively fun.

My father had major back surgery a few weeks ago, and is getting around only with the help of a walker. He seems to be doing well, but he's lost a lot of weight and will obviously be recuperating for quite awhile. I also dropped in on my grandmother. She had injured her neck and back, and was also having trouble getting around and taking care of herself. I picked up her kitchen, cleaned out her refrigerator, and did a little grocery shopping for her. I'm afraid grammy won't be living on her own for much longer. It was sad and frustrating to see like that. I don't think she told her sons how badly she was getting on. My dad sounded shocked, and I hope he'll arrange a discussion with his brothers soon. She has a room at my uncle's house whenever she wants, but has resisted leaving her house and her friends. But it's time.

Back to Phoenix.

Labels: boise, family

2008: The year of complacency and chaos.
2009: The year of ending.
2010: The year of renewal.
2011: The year of change.

The year 2009 will go down in my personal history as one of the worst on record, followed closely by 2008. But most of the shit in 2008 happened in November, and apart from my job imploding, the rest of that year wasn't too bad.

By contrast, I end 2009 with a great deal of uncertainty. After a stressful and protracted bankruptcy, my employer ceased to be in July, and I have been out of work for the last five months. Jason and I ended our relationship of 10 years. We parted on good terms, but there is still much there that is unresolved. I'm now dog-less. Jason took Lucy to San Francisco, where she has a much better life than she would have here. Jason takes her to work every day, she gets frequent walks and dog park visits, and the temperature is not 100+ most of the year. Oscar, our tired old blind man, finally deteriorated mentally and physically to the point where it was time to let him go. Financially, I'm pretty fucked right now. Upside down on our house, drowning in debt, and unemployed. Of the three pillars of life–work, relationship, and home–none look great right now.

But I'm optimistic for 2010, if only because it couldn't get much worse. I have a couple of good job possibilities that I'm excited about. I will be taking some positive, albeit drastic, steps on the financial front. And I'm meeting some new people and having a decent time in Phoenix at the moment. I don't know if I'm going to stay in Phoenix long term, and I'm not yet sure what I will be doing about our house. I visited San Francisco for my birthday, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt like it was a place I could live again. I've also talked about Seattle and Portland as places I'd like to live. Perhaps in the next year or so I will make one of those possibilities happen.

So, I'll be drinking tonight to the passing of 2009. It won't be missed.

Labels: 2009, newyear, nye

This will probably be the extent of my decorating this year. I will be out of town for Thanksgiving visiting the family, and an empty house for Christmas.

The holidays are here.

The one-eyed terrier can finally see again, and he's in a place where there are cats to chase, and no pain.

Oscar Brown
April 25, 1996 - November 21, 2009