20 to the 13

Or I suppose I could have titled this post "New Year, Old Place" as we have returned home.

We made the move back successfully, millions and millions of thanks go to the SO's parents who not only paid for the truck, but helped load it and drove it back for us.

Very much thanks to the kind people who stopped by here and picked up a copy of "Youth".  Four copies total sold, and a smattering of "other" work, enough that with the meager sales I had previously, I'll be getting a deposit for 15 dollars in two months!  Every little bit really helps!

And also thank you to the few generous souls who reached out to help in other ways.  I am confident that with careful (precisely careful) money management, we can meet all our bill obligations for almost a full month.  I received a little bit of Christmas money from extended family, and it's all funneling toward bills.  It's a good thing I'm a good cook, because I am going to stretch those dollars until they weep.

The job search has been paying off in the form of interviews for the SO, today's the first day this year he wasn't on a phone interview or out the door in his only suit and tie (funeral wear!) to try and impress someone.  So far every company has been moving him onto the next and the next interview.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!  My own luck on that front has been desolate.  While going to Japan was great for me as a person and a human being, it really torpedoed my "career".  I worked for two years in fast food when I returned home, and then have been off the last four months, so despite the BBA, I guess I'm not a great candidate.  (Other's results may vary!  Don't let my results keep you from seeing the world!!)

But I'm keeping my head in the air!  I am steadily moving us into a livable position, unpacking boxes like we mean to stay (and we do!).  Neither of us are smokers, but the apartment we were in was surrounded on all sides by them.  Moving back into our house, you can really smell the smoke on everything, so laundry is keeping me pretty busy!

A long while back we bought a bunch of Totino's pizzas as a sort of emergency-quick food, but we picked them specifically because on the inside were free Netflix rentals.  Since I got the living room unpacked and cleaned out of detritus (empty boxes, full boxes, etc) we've been using those free rentals to keep ourselves entertained at night!  Just a side note - Total Recall (2012) was GREAT (better than the original IMHO)!  The Watch was incredibly subpar.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time and The Woman in Black was severely underrated (it was awesome and I gasped at least thrice!)

For my writing, last year I made a meager 13.3% of my writing goal (66,636 words).  The goal was half a million (500,000) new words written for the year.  Despite my failure to meet that goal, I am setting the same goal this year.  I let myself get overwhelmed and lazy last year.  This year, while waiting for new jobs to post, I could be spending at least some of that time writing.  If you recall, 500k in a year is less than 1,400 words/day.  Even if I tossed in a few 2k days, I would be able to manage the goal AND take a writing vacation.  I'm already a little behind (whoops) but I intend to get back on that tonight.  The SO is going to his parent's to watch the play-off games and I have begged off.  It will leave me with about 8 hours to type my little heart out!

So that's pretty much our news.  I feel like 2013 is going to be a great year, even if I have to punch it in the face until it agrees.  Who's with me!?! :D