Yearly Update

OK, no more promises to update posts more often, since I obviously stink at keeping it up. This past year includes a new (to us, and rented, so don't get too excited) house, new school for the kids, new football team, new enrollment in grad school (yikes!) and 10 year wedding anniversary. The kids are getting so big, and I'm learning new things at work, at home, and in life in general every day. I'm beginning to wonder where the collection of experiences and lessons is leading me. The random events that strike me as things to which I should take notice will come together someday and reveal their purpose, but for now, I'm in the dark. I've spent the last few months HATING my job, while at the same time being thankful that I had one to pay the bills. (It makes sense if you've ever been there.) In the last two weeks, I've been chosen for a special project team, got a new supervisor, and had the opportunity to have meetings with the bosses, and therefore observe what goes on behind the scenes. I don't exactly love my job, but certainly feel much better about it than I did two weeks ago. Today was election day. This deserves mention because the classes that I am taking for grad school are in policy (think politics). I do NOT want to be a politician, but my interest has grown by leaps and bounds since the last local elections. Only one of the candidates for whom I voted came out on top--and that one is so close that victory can't be claimed until absentee ballots are counted. So, I'm thinking that perhaps these classes are preparing me to be more involved in future campaigns. Could I make the difference? I'd like to think so, but who knows? I do know this: I have learned more about politics (the part that everyone hates about politics) from a particular personal acquaintance than I have from any of my classes. As this person is someone I have to deal with on a regular basis (the cost of cutting them out of my life is too great), I must become acustomed to dealing with egocentric people who schmooze to get what they want out of others and somehow take no responsibility for their mistakes, errors, or shortcomings. Yeah, I know I sound like a jerk. That's what I'm trying to learn and develop in my character these days. How to deal with people that get under my skin without sounding like a jerk. Maybe by next year's post, I'll be doing it better!