January began ambiguously, with lots of confusion and question marks hovering in my mind; I can confidently say "ambiguous" was the operative word of the year for me (and some, if not many others...).
February was stranger still - my position at a small design-build firm slowly dissolved and I found myself working more frequent hours at Trader Joe's and wondering what to do next.
In March I ran away for several days to the Pacific Northwest with J, and the change of environment helped clear my mind of the fog that had accumulated over the past 6+ months. Viewing awe-inspiring architecture while traversing Seattle and Portland, eating richly with a lady with fine taste, and being out of Los Angeles for a bit gave me a renewed sense of vitality upon the return home.
April was a time for new beginnings, though to be fair new beginnings are constantly rumbling, shifting, and appearing and are not by any means a static mass that drop out of nowhere to surprise/delight/shock you. I made a point to travel to local sights that had been on my list of "places to visit" for a LONG time. I also won my dream road bike off of eBay and started riding my bike to work and all around town.
In May my friendship with A grew and deepened, and when not working at TJ's, we'd ride our bikes, go on hikes, have impromptu picnics, and lots of food adventures. It felt great to connect with a person on so many different levels; how wonderful it is to be so similar yet so different from somebody!
In June I went to Wyoming with L, saw some of the most amazing things I have seen in nature thus far, and upon trip's end, hit the ground running at a new job. I said goodbye to Trader Joe's, which even now I still miss.
In July, construction of a big project at work started, and I began heavily documenting every movement of the job site. Being paid to take photos is really a wonderful thing...
August was mostly about overcoming the learning curve at work and finally having the ability to contribute more to the team. I visited A in Berkeley.
September - I made a new friend who serendipitously became one to make art with, and started drawing more to keep away the empty feelings and confusion.
October was the month my sister and I moved out together. I didn't take very many pictures of anything during this time. I scoured flea markets, Craigslist, and thrift stores to equip our apartment and quickly settled into "new home."
November the cranes went up, and though I planned on scaling one to see Hollywood/Los Angeles from 150 feet up in the air, I will save that goal for next year. Sister and I adventured more on our own, when time permitted.
December has been how last January started - ambiguous in ways, though now things are startlingly clear. I have been writing, dreaming, pacing, ruminating and trying to make sense of events that have unfolded. I can only say that for every dozen bad or unsavory things that occur, it is possible to have something good ensue, and that is enough to fuel me on through the utter absurdity of life.
