Evaluation & Review

Who gives you your yearly review and accompanying raise, if said evaluation goes well? The boss of course! Being my own boss, I am then in the position to review and evaluate my own performance. There have been years that the boss was rather harsh, and the whole process did not go so well. Lucky for me, I am a reformed perfectionist. Rather than my previous "type A" personality, I am now more like a B+, sometimes even a good solid C.

Let's take a look at where I was a year ago, and see how things have changed.

1. I was driving a mechanically challenged car. I wrote about in "Small Miracles". I did a good job keeping a positive attitude through all the troubles, but that hunk of junk was really getting to me. In October Carl turned my daily battle into a daily pleasure by purchasing me a 2004 PT Cruiser. It is a bright shiny blue (my favorite color), and runs just like it should. It is so nice to drive a reliable vehicle. Still no car payment, so no downside, definitely a step in the right direction.

2. As predicted, and vehemently protested, last year's Christmas Present sits unused. Didn't we look happy? How could Carl have been so right, and the rest of us so wrong? Boy, the grass looks good in those pics. That's one thing that did not improve in the last 12 months, the yard. Anyone interested in a used (well, not so much used) trampoline? It was so much fun, I don't really understand why we have ignored it for so long. Maybe we are all just growing up, even me.

3. It's now been TWO years!!! Two years without caffeine! I never saw it lasting this long when I started back in December of 2007. I think I deserve an A+ for this one. Last year at this time I was still struggling with the occasional headache in the migraine realm of intensity. I am happy to report than I have been headache free for most of 2009. In fact, I can't remember the last one. How's that for an improvement? In addition to sticking with my no caffeine commitment, I have started exercising daily, and eating better in general. I think that these two steps have helped finish off my tendency towards headaches.

4. Christmas in Paradise, again ... Twelve months later, same problem. Living in Hawaii is a lot like living in that movie Ground Hog Day, except that they had a nice white Christmas sort of back drop to the whole thing, and we have 80 degrees and sunshine. Don't get me wrong, it is truly AWESOME not having to ever, ever, ever scrap a windshield, or worry about your hair freezing if you don't want to spend an hour with the blow dryer in the morning. BUT .... it is hard to feel all Chrstimasy when your 5 senses tell you it should be the 4th of July. Is it wrong to serve BBQ and corn on the cob for Christmas dinner? I've made no improvement here, and might actually have back slid a bit this year. I'm not feelin' the Christmas Spirit at all and I've got less than 24 hours to get it or forget it.

5. Last December I had a rotten cold and was struggling with my Mental Filing. I am happy to report that I think that was the last time I was really sick with a bad cold or flu. I have had a very healthy 2009. I attribute the good health to the improved diet, daily exercise, and lack of caffeine. I also think that stress reduction has contributed in a big way. I have not found some magical way to live a stress free life, I have just gotten better at managing it. Letting go of my perfectionist ideals was a good place to start.

6. I have given up on the to do list ap on my iphone and gone back to my notebook. There is something about the physical act of pen to paper that really resonates for me. The tactile touch of the pen and paper, the permanent placement of the words on the page, the act of making that check mark when something is complete - it all really works well for my brain. Honestly, I love my notebooks, and I am excited to start 2010 with a really pretty new one I bought just for that occasion.

We have now been married 21 years, I still miss my family, my kids have grown up even more and I am still still just as unprepared for a tropic storm as I was a year ago. I'm still not excited about eating lamb, and I never did write that story about the missing shoes.