Yes, I know there are still 2 1/2 weeks left in December, but I am not sure if I will have the time to do another long blog until after the holidays (although I hope to be wrong!).  Therefore, I decided to go ahead and post my Year in Review blog now.  Unfortunately, it's not as exciting as it has been in years past, but it's a tradition now, and I will stick with it.

January

I finished my job as a Store Manager at Hallmark on January 5 and filed for unemployment benefits shortly afterward.  I had been a Store Manager for eighteen months, but when my store was closed, I decided it was time to move on.  I had been offered a position at a store in Mansfield, but retail was not a good fit for me, and I took the chance to leave gracefully and with no hard feelings.  My three weeks vacation and personal day were paid out to me, which allowed me to pay the bills for the first month while my unemployment was processed.  I took the first few weeks of my unemployment off just for me, catching up on some books, watching movies I hadn't seen in years, and rediscovering my love of video editing, icon making, and photography.

February

I began actively job hunting this month.  There weren't a lot of leads, but i did register with some temp agencies, with the hopes of landing something as an admin or a data entry specialist.  Focusing on upgrading my office computer skills, I ran a couple of tutorials on Word and Excel to learn some new things, and practiced my typing to try to get my speed up a little.  I met with a career counselor that Mom knows, and she helped me fine-tune my resume.

March

Like typical Ohio weather in March, this month was rather dreary.  I received no interviews from anywhere, even though I expanded my job search from Newark/Granville/Heath to New Albany/Northern Columbus/Westerville/Gahanna.  I sent out numerous resumes, spoke with seven different temp agencies, and attended my first job fair, with no results. 

April

One of my best friends, Joanne, turned 30 this month, and she was having a birthday party with a group of her friends up in Lakewood (near Cleveland).  I hadn't seen her for months, and hadn't been up to her place in a couple of years, so I took advantage of having a weekend off and spent three days with her.  I was introduced to this group, and we bonded pretty quickly.  They partake in a group called Dagorhir (foam weapon medieval/fantasy battles) and their big national battle (called Ragnarok) is held every June in Ohio.  They invited me to go camping with them then, and they even tried to convince me to move up there!  It's nice to be so loved - LOL.  Even though Joanne got sick from a bad hamburger, we all had a wonderful time, and one of the Lakewood group, Kida, makes the best-ever pina coladas.  I am hoping to get back up there soon to see them all again.

Also in April, my friend Marcy got married!  I knew her from high school, and even though we didn't talk much at the time, we grew closer in college.  I was one of her bridesmaids, and this was the second wedding I was a part of (at the first, my friends Sidley and James, I read a poem at the ceremony).  We had the bachelorette party at the Funny Bone at Easton, and then went to Gameworks, where I quickly got back in my groove at the skeeball area!  The rehearsal and dinner were the following night, and then the ceremony was held on April 25 in Columbus.  It was  abeautiful ceremony, and Marcy looked so gorgeous. 

May

May means one thing for me - Marcon!!!!  Marcon is a sci-fi/fantasy/etc convention held here in Columbus, and I have been helping out with it for three years now (I am already planning on assisting in 2009).  Many of my friends also volunteer, and I attended a planning meeting earlier in the month, and then there was the con itself.  I served as a panelist on three panels (one on Harry Potter and the OOTP movie, one on The Prestige, and one on Firefly/Serenity). 

For the first time, I also entered the Masquerade in my Susan Coronation gown from Narnia.  I entered solely for the experience, not really having a skit or performance of any kind - I have ideas for future costumes, but this year I merely wanted to know what to expect.  So imagine my shock when I actually won an award for Workmanship in the Novice Class!  I felt like I was in a dream; I didn't think I heard my name correctly.  It felt so amazing to hear my friends screaming my name and whooping it up, and the audience clapping - for me!  It wasn't the first time I've ever won a costuming award (I got one at the Yule Ball at DragonCon in 2007 for Best Accessories as book Luna Lovegood) but this was surreal for me.  I've never thought my costumes were all that great, and Susan was only the second one I was happy with, so this made me feel a lot better about what I could do.

Marcon was also wonderful because I met two women who have become good friends (and LJ buddies) for the first time.  Many shout-outs to sistersola  and princess_lesa !

Finally, just before Marcon, I went to the midnight showing of Indiana Jones 4, and an opening night showing of Prince Caspian - the first movies I had been able to attend in 2009.

June

Over the previous few months, I had been toying with the idea of doing photography professionally.  I almost minored in it in college (if I could have gotten the last required class in within my four years, I would have) and have constantly been complimented on my work.  I seem to have an eye for finding something unique, especially in nature - I love landscapes, flowers, and other elements of the natural world.  However, I have done some portrait work too for friends, and they turned out pretty well (a few examples are on my Myspace page).  Therefore, after researching to see what was available, I used part of my tax refund to purchase a 12.2 mp Canon Rebel XS1 with 18-55mm lens, an external flash with two flashes on it (upper and lower), a new sturdier tripod, a camera case, and a handful of filters (UV, 4-point star, diffusion, and a macro set).  I designed a logo, letterhead, business cards, pricing lists, and example sheets.

I had my first time trying it out at a BBQ that my friends, Stacy and JP, held at their new home.  It's wonderful being able to take action shots without unintentional blurring!  Later that month, I did a photo shoot with my good friend Andy, both at Dawes Arboretum and the woods behind his home.  I ended up with over 350 pictures!  I completely enjoyed it, and I felt so creative and refreshed.  The photos turned out amazingly well - Andy even liked them, and I'd heard he normally didn't like pictures of himself.  His mom ordered about ten prints right then and there, and she wants me to do a photo shoot with her daughter and the entire family (both of which have had to be rescheduled - we are looking at early 2009 for getting those done now).

June also marked the month when I began really focusing on getting DragonCon costumes done.  I was planning on going to a nearby Ren Faire in October during Highland week, and being of Scottish descent, I was determined to have a traditional Scottish outfit for it, that I would premiere at D-Con.  So during breaks while job hunting (still no results, although I had one interview for an admin position through a temp agency, with no callback) I researched my family name and associated clan.  I learned that I am descended from the MacAskill sept, which is affiliated with the MacLeod clan, and learned about my tartan.

July

July stretched as long as the hot summer days.  No interviews, and I was becoming worried and frustrated about not finding a job.  I re-doubled my efforts, sending out more resumes, hitting the temp agencies in person twice a week (using up lots of gas), and attending another job fair.  On a good note, my friends Andy and Kelly decided that the three of us would get an apartment together - it is time for us to be out on our own, and sharing an apartment would be a good way to start (none of us want to pay full rent for at least a year).  I met up with my friend Candace for dinner before going to a midnight showing of The Dark Knight, and I gave her money to pick up the Comic-Con exclusive Fred and George busts for me (I collect these works of art from Gentle Giant).  I was also introduced to pascalbijou  through Grace, who recommended her to me for a headpiece.

August

AAAAHHHHH!!  August is Stress Month, a.k.a. Time-is-Running-out-Before-DragonCon Month!  I spent most of the month (minus job hunting) feverishly sewing!  In the end, I did have three new costumes - my Scottish Lass garb, my Tonks Advance Guard (which I was pretty happy with - it marked the first time I've gone way off pattern, including making a mock-up; I even made the hoodie and necklace) and my Dragonmaster dress (which was an original design, using colors I typically don't use, and is one of the best costumes I've done yet). 

On a good excellent note, I had two interviews, one at Chase and the other at McGraw-Hill.  And I got the Chase job!  I was finally employed again!  And not a moment too soon, because the unemployment ran out just then.  I was making a little less than I had at Hallmark, but more than unemployment, and I finally had my foot in the door.  As a temp, I had to work as such for four months (meaning no benefits or paid time off) but after that timeframe, I could post for regular full-time positions.

At the end of the month was DragonCon.  I'm not going into too much detail (there is a whole other blog with THAT writeup) but it was a wonderful time - much better than the disappointments I suffered last year.  I actually got quite a few pictures taken of me in costume, something of which I am unfamiliar with, being quite overweight and not drop-dead gorgeous, and also being quite shy.  The Tonks costume got the most pictures, and I had a LOT of compliments on the Dragonmaster.  I had both George Takei and Cirroc Lofton loving my Scottish garb, and I met several people that I either befriended on LJ shortly before the con (burnslikeice , ninebrandy ) or afterward (mishlai , tardisian ).

September

September began with very good news.  Ihad entered twelve of my photographs into our county fair for the first time (7 color, 5 b&w) and five won awards!  I came away with a third, two seconds, and two firsts - not bad for a first-timer!  The job at Chase was going well, and I befriended a couple of my co-workers.  Even though we got hit with Hurricane Ike, we were lucky - only losing power for about nine hours, and having very little damage.  And I turned 29 - I didn't do anything for my birthday (eh, haven't had a party since I was 18, not a big deal *shrug*) except stay home and watch all four Indy movies and all three Pirates movies. 

October

I had been called in for jury duty this month, for the first time, and I drove down to Columbus and got to experience the entire courtroom scene.  It was the first time I've ever been in a courthouse, so it was kind of cool, honestly, and if I got reimbursed for jury duty at my job, I would have loved to have served.  However, I had to put in a plea for financial hardship, and I was dismissed.  I hope I am called again once I can commit to it.

My best friend sidhe_etain  and her wonderful truethomas  were married earlier this month, and they had a reception/Halloween party called the Hallowedding party in the latter half of the month, which is where I first met lindensidhe .  The week after, I helped out at Narnia, the theme for Beggar's Night this year at the Shamblin family's home.

November

My position at Chase was ending mid-month, but I landed another temp position at the department where I am currently working.  I enjoy the work here more (Property Preservation - Home Lending/Default) and the people are very friendly.  There is always food being brought in and we are constantly having jeans days (we get to wear jeans through the rest of the year).  I am trying to learn as much as possible, and my supervisor has said several times she wants to keep me on as a full-timer *crosses fingers*

I voted in the historic election, stayed up to watch the election results, and listened intently to Obama's wonderful acceptance speech.

I've also started tweaking my Dawn costume design - I really want to do the costume contest next year.  And I have set a goal of having a first draft of the first book in my fantasy series ready to go out to publishers and agents by Halloween 2009.  It is time for me to start using my gift of creating worlds and memorable characters.

December

This is when it has finally hit me that I am no longer in retail - my nights and weekends are free.  I have been enjoying the holidays again, and my spirit is back.  The last few years I have had no interest in Christmas as anything than a day off of work, and been too tired to go anywhere or do anything.  I was even sick of holiday music before December even came.  It is almost impossible to believe how much has changed in a year - the only sad thing for me is my inability to get things for all of my friends.  It is definitely not about the getting for me (which is nice, don't get more wrong).  I have much more fun finding things for other people, wrapping it in pretty paper, curling the ribbons, picking out the perfect bow, and seeing the joy in their faces when they see the surprise inside.  Being off work for most of the year hurt my Christmas budget this year, and I know my friends won't care, but it is the part of the holidays I enjoy most, so it is a little sad for me.  They will still be getting homemade cookies though when I come to visit!


 . . . So that is 2008.  I have a feeling 2009 is going to be an amazing year.  I no longer set resolutions - they will just get broken anyway.  I do have things I hope to accomplish in the coming year.

I want to have my book accepted for publication.

I want to get serious about eating right and exercising, and start losing the weight, not just for my self-esteem, but for my health.

I want to make two or three really cool costumes.

I want to enter the Dawn contest.

I want to meet more of you - those I barely know, and those of you whom I've never met in person).

I want to return to Gettysburg.

I want to return to Scotland, and to see my family castle.

I want to keep working on my photography, not only making personal sales of portraits or engagement photos (both of which are in the works) but also possibly selling landscapes and animal shots to calendar companies or somesuch.

I want to get my own place, with a couple of my friends, and start to have a social life.

I want to begin dating, and get into a serious relationship.</lj></lj></lj></lj></lj></lj></lj></lj></lj></lj>


I hope all of my friends have had a good 2008, and I wish you an amazing 2009!!