Out with the old

Good riddance to 2010. Really. I had had some high hopes for what kind of year 2010 would be. It didn't take much for it to turn sour. Or maybe I just remember the bad more than the good. So I thought I'd try to weigh it out.

Bad ... Thought I'd made a good friend; turned out to be a jerk.
Good ... Met the best friend I've had as an adult and made other good friends.

Good ... Went to the dentist for the first time in more years than I'd rather say.
Bad ... Went to dentist, had tons of cavities, paid about $1,000 out of pocket. $5,000+ car repair early in the year, with the car out of commission for 2+ weeks; $300+ furnace repair bill with furnace out of commission for a few weeks early in the winter. Money got real tight.

Good ... Lost almost 10 pounds.
Bad ... Gained it back at the end of the year.

Bad ... one of my doctors was diagnosed with Alzheimers. A good friend was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer. My dad started out the year with some serious health problems.
Good: My friend found treatment for her cancer that's better than what her initial prognosis was. She's fighting like a girl. Dad is doing much better.

Good ... Buster started snuggling; main job feels more stable; went to social media conference for work; five years of survivorship; entertainment blog gained lots more readers; built a compost bin; cleaned out my garage; fixed my kitchen sink myself; saw Second City live with a good friend.

So OK, maybe there was more good than bad, but the bad was pretty bad (and there's some things I haven't mentioned because they're more personal than I'd like to share here). And some still have some repercussions rippling into 2011. A year ago, I had a lot of enthusiasm for what I'd hoped would be a great year. This year, I'm more reserved. Hopeful, but reserved.