In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

2007 Redux

Jill

2007 sucked. I’m glad its over. Medea at Alternet gives us a few reasons why 2007 wasn’t all that bad after all, but I’m still pretty happy that 2008 is upon us. 2007, for me, started off really poorly but eventually went uphill. It began with Molly Ivans passing, inter-feminist fights, the conclusion of a bad semester, a shitty relationship, a back injury, sleeping problems, my first Christmas without my grandma, and generalized frustration and depression. It ended with a great semester in Germany, lots of new friends, a fabulous new apartment, many wonderful travels, amazing new co-bloggers, a new and exciting job (you’ll all be getting the details on this later…), and even a really good date. So things are looking up.

I don’t do resolutions, but as I am on a constant quest for personal betterment, my 2008 goals include getting my apartment fully decorated, going to the gym at least four times a week (including yoga twice a week and spinning twice a week), reading at least one non-law-school-related book a month, doing all (or at least most) of my law school reading, reading a wider array of blogs and being better about linking to other blogs, writing for HuffPo more often, eating more fruits and veggies, quitting nail-biting, being less self-critical, being more aggressive when I need something, recognizing that I cannot and will not ever make everyone happy, passing the Bar, and finally drafting that book proposal I’ve been kicking around in my head.

What will you not miss about 2007? And what are you looking forward to in the new year?

14 thoughts on 2007 Redux

  3. I will not miss my baby daughter’s ear infections (tubes in two weeks!), and onesies that say “Does This Diaper Make My Butt Look Big,” and studios that make books about girls into movies about boys. I’m looking forward to continuing to raise a strong little girl not to put up with that kind of crap.

  4. So, Jill, what do you plan to do with your spare time? Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the whole friggin’ family, that’s a lot of stuff you’ve got on your plate!

    I plan to do exactly what I did last year. Make it to Jan 1 again. That’s hard enough.

  5. Less a resolution, more a desperate hope: Not embarrass myself when I give my first conference paper in June.

    And in addition to all the serious stuff to loathe about 2007, here are two frivolous things that I hope will die a quick death in 2008: “skinny jeans” and those wretched bug-eye sunglasses that seem to be fashionable. Ugh. (I am aware that others might like said fashions. As is their right.)

  6. I started 2007 off with a memorable Jan. 2nd MRI, showing a pituitary tumor. The year did not particularly improve from there, ending with the death of my mother-in-law just before Thanksgiving. (Some part of me wants to add in a chirpy voice “But I lost weight!!“)

    My goals for 2008 are to prepare for my black belt and ditch at least one medication. Also, to get a literary agent. I have a book written, and am involved in the writing of a non-fiction book (actually contracted and sold!), so it seems like time.

    In reality, I’ll be satisfied with anything less traumatic than 2007.

  7. 2007 saw a favorite uncle and my father-in-law pass, both suddenly and too young. My marriage hit the two-year mark, a milestone I’d never achieved in my previous three unions. My blogging became less satisfying, but I still love it.

    I ran one marathon. I turned 40. My weight fluctuated all of three pounds. I got more wrinkles. I ate what may have been my last animal product.

    For 2008: become a better human being. Gentler, more patient, a better listener, a better husband.

    Jill, I love spinning. I don’t do it as much anymore, but gosh, what a great workout.

    And yay for fruits and veggies and Huffpo!

  8. After what we had to deal with in 2006 and 2007, G. has declared that 2008 will be The Year When No Cats Die. Yeah, the last couple of years sucked, and having two beloved cats die in two years was the shit cherry on top of the vomit sundae.

  9. What I won’t miss about 2007: depression and lonliness. But to be honest I haven’t exactly found a solution to either of those.

    2008: Looking forward to writing more original stories (not that I have anything publishable or think I will), continuing to try to plan for graduate school, playing lots of video games and watching lots of anime.

    Not such noble goals, but there you have it.

  10. things that I hope will die a quick death in 2008: “skinny jeans”

    Hurrah for praying for the end of inane fashion trends! Might I add “distressed” clothing to the list?

    This has been one hell of a year for me: I finished law school, passed the bar, got married, and sorted out where we’re headed after I finish JAG training. (So I am looking forward to moving to Seattle at the end of July.)

    Right now, I mostly have a dazed and confused look staring off into the future.

  11. 2007 had its rough spots (moved out of beloved condo in city to ‘burb house which I swore I’d never do, inherited a dog with the ‘burb house that was old and sick so we had to make decision to put her down) but I did get a promotion at work, was able to adopt another dog when we moved into ‘burb house, and found great exercise classes (hip-hop dance) that motivate me to drive 1/2 hour each way in traffic to the gym.

    In 2008 I’d like to spend less time at Home Depot, add a weight lifting/yoga classes to the exercise plan, and when I take vacation time actually go somewhere on vacation versus just working on the house.

  12. Man, I feel like everyone I know had a shitty 2007. One friend suffered his first intense bout of unrequited love (and first heartbreak), one lost a father, one a grandfather, and me? I spent the first half of the year in the home stretch of a slow and long-building nervous breakdown and the second half picking myself up from it.

    So: I won’t miss being too busy crying or staring off into space and quietly panicking to do anything else. I won’t miss still being in love with my ex (I thought I would, but I don’t, anymore at least). I won’t miss being so stressed and freaked out I got down to ten pounds too light for my frame (but still within the normal range, according to the ever-trusty BMI–thank god I have a gynecologist who took one look at me and my chart and prescribed three Ensures a day till I gained some weight). I really won’t miss how freaked out I felt at first being at my normal weight for the first time in two years (thank you, feminism, for helping me through my OMG THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE WENT UP freakout).

    In 2008, I’m looking forward to finishing my year off even more intensely than I started it (and my job is pretty intense), going back to school and conquering my fear of college papers, hopefully not failing any classes this time, staying in touch better with friends, and of course–and I can’t believe no one has mentioned this yet–bidding the Bush administration farewell.

    Also, evil fizz:

    Nice to see your limiting your ambitions. =)

    And my resolution is not to do stupid things like confuse your and you’re.

    If it makes you feel any better, you could totally make a grammatical argument that instead of the indirect clause featuring an implied “that” and the present progressive “you are limiting” (“nice to see [that] you are limiting your ambitions”), what you actually intended was to use the gerund “limiting” as the direct object of the infinitive “to see,” thus making the “your” function as the posessive which the gerund (according to admittedly very formal rules) must take (“nice to see your limiting your ambitions”).

  13. What I won’t miss about 2007: Lindsay Lohan, Michael Vick, and the prospect of President Rudy Giuliani.

    What I’m looking forward to 2008: a cleaner apartment, making more money, spending less time chasing girls and more time writing.

    And (please God please) a national title for the Dawgs.

  14. This has been a bad year, ending sourly with fresh plans for an amicable divorce and the relocation of my children to my wife’s home state. Am not looking forward to 1,500 miles lying between me and my sweet little boys.

    I am looking forward to living much, much closer to my job in 3-4 months, being car-free, meeting new friends and having the time to become friends rather than mere acquaintances. Look forward to spending time on causes that I wanted to get involved with, but was too tired after a 4 hour RT commute to consider – helping a Democratic president get elected, working on church-state separation issues. Most of all, just starting fresh, as much as I can.

Comments are currently closed.