This site is approaching its five year anniversary. It's funny in a way that it's been up so long -- I've been through a lot in that time, and not much of it involves a five-year commitment to anything.

In the last five years, I've:

• Finished my BA;


• Started my MA (after a two-year school-free gap);


• Moved out on my own;


• Moved again;


• Lost Chloë, Mike and my grandmother;


• Gained Shadow, Thena, and Venus;


• Changed jobs a number of times, resulting in my current career job;


• Loved and lost a few times;


• Seen friends move away;


• Seen friends get engaged, get married, move in and out and in to homes, start families...

It's a lot for a little blog to take. (There was some more in there I remembered yesterday, but now I've forgotten it, too.)

We've moved from the original, much-maligned pink pawprints motif to the current dull, white transition motif -- which has been a transition for how long now? Too long. If only I had graphical skills to go with my new-found HTML skills. Ah well.

I was working on something on our work webpages today that was a challenge, and it was a fun one. I futzed and tried to figure out the best way to implement some navigational changes to the webpages, and I'm pleased with how they worked out. It's nice to look at the code and understand how to change it to make it do what I want -- and have it work exactly as predicted. Maybe I really do have an aptitude for this. :)

I miss writing. I miss having words I want to put on paper, other than governmentese. I have started writing a story again, but it goes in fits and spurts -- mostly fits -- and it's not yet online.

I have such high hopes and plans for 2007, and no desire to articulate them, lest that jinx it. I'm often afraid of chancing my luck on one thing or anything, yet I don't consider myself especially superstitious. Although realistically, I am in a few ways: throwing salt over my shoulder when it's spilled, touching wood when I say certain things... actually, those are probably the main two. I don't fear black cats (I sort of own one; she's more of a dark chocolate brown), I don't fear ladders, and I don't think 13 or 9/11 are cursed numbers or dates.

Anyhow, I'm also afraid of hurting people, which is why my life can be so segmented.

I'm befriending some really fantastic people at work (and outside of it); at work there are some great ladies who make me laugh, and make me glad sometimes that I am who I am -- smart, curious, open-minded, and interested in learning. Maybe the paths haven't always been easy to find or follow, but I've tried, and I've had some degree of success.

I think sometimes I miss my previous job because it had me running around the building more than my current one. Sitting at a desk all day doesn't seem to help my creative processes, such as they are, very much. Maybe it's time to follow the schedule R was laying out -- x number of pages per day. Also, more random brain dumps to unlock things.

I'm planning on a schedule of sorts come January -- school, gym, work... maybe fun writing will fit in, too. I'm sure I can schedule in some socializing and/or dating time.

This weekend is the annual Christmas dinner for my zone friends and me. I almost want to host a party for my other friends, but we'll see. I'm sure there will be other festivities.

Dear lord, this is a dull update. :) I wish I had some kind of exciting sex stories to share, or something of that sort -- since I know that's the only reason you all visit ;) -- but the stories I have in mind are going up on The WB soon. I can't post too often, otherwise I'll have huge gaps in there again. I'm also hoping to clean up some of the hosting issues that are going on with that site, so I can migrate it all to a server I have complete control over and fix up the archives and display. Stuff like that gets a lot easier when you know more than about four lines of HTML, which was what I was previously limited to.

I'm trying to decide what I want to wear to the dinner this weekend. It's either going to be an all-black outfit, or the maroon velvet jacket and skirt N lent me. If I go with all black, then I have to choose either between the tuxedo top or the corset top; if the maroon outfit, then I'll probably wear the black silk halter top I have. Anyone have any thoughts, based solely on the descriptions? :)

I also haven't forgotten about the art presents I'm supposed to be distributing. Now that the school pressure is slightly off (although I'll be doing some work over Christmas), I'll be able to get to work on those. I'm also hoping to clear up the backlog of presents I have, including wedding gifts and so on. It might help clear some space in my apartment -- for new projects, probably. I suck. :)