This Post was originally published December 31st, 2013
This past year had its ups and downs (as they all do) but overall it feels like this would be one of the years that marked some important milestones. This year included some big changes from my car, to my job, where I live, as well as some tragedies that I will not soon forget
Like any workaholic my most important events revolved around work. Rite Aid was pretty good me, and after almost 6 months working at a busy store with really tough clientele I was made manager of a different store. In February I also resumed working Per Diem at the Hospital again, which gave me a chance to expand my horizons again. It has always been my goal to work here full time, and in July I finally got the offer. I started transitioning into a roll running the long term care pharmacy that had just opened. Once I came on full time at the end of September we have been able to make huge strides even though it sometimes feels like we are hitting a wall with some of the issues. I really like all the people that I work with and most mornings I get up actually excited to go to work which is a new experience for me. During the next year I hope to transition to full time, spend more time covering in the inpatient pharmacy, take a bigger management roll, and tackle more projects. It kind of blows my mind that I scheduled my first rotation here back in 2009 because of the simple fact that I was born here, and now its entirely possible that I will wind up working here straight through until retirement.
After work friends and family are the biggest thing in my life, yeah I know my priorities are all fucked up but what are you going to do. On this front 2013 was a lot tougher. I was able to spend a lot of quality time with family members who are moving back up north after 10 years in Florida and visit with family in VA, my cousin in MA, and spend Easter weekend with my Grandma in CT. It was a good year on that front, but to make up for it I lost an Aunt that I was pretty close with. My Crazy Old Aunt Pam (COAP) was just that, emphasis on the crazy part. We were able to create a good relationship after my grandfather passed away a few years ago. As much as she could be a pain in the ass I really enjoyed our long conversations about medicine and travel and life in general. I was lucky enough to have a great phone call with her 10 days before she passed away from complications suffered after 30 years of addiction. Her demons had a big impact on me when I was younger and I feel that I learned a lot from her over the years, and I often find my self almost picking up the phone whenever I need a long rambling conversation that ends with me being told that somebody loves me. Two other tragedies hit my cousins, but as tough as they feel, things are moving forward and through lots of prayer and the grace of god things will hopefully get on track. On that same vein I think that I have become more religious this year, bu adversity tends to do that.
My friends and fraternity brothers had one event define this year. Im not ready to talk about it, maybe next year.
For the first time since graduation I dont feel like I have had friends fade out of my life. Once everybody moves away it is natural to grow apart as people fall into their own lives, but in 2013 I feel like I kept in pretty good contact with most everybody. In fact I think that I grew closer to a lot of people who were on the periphery of my circle of friends and was able to reconnect with some people who were gone for a while as well as meet new people. I have always had problems meeting people by myself, so the fact that I was able to connect with some people in Burlington and Middlebury has definitely made my life better. Having these connections can only lead to meeting more people.
I didnt travel as much as I would have liked, or how much I planned. Outside of my normal trips to Albany and camp was able to pull off Gatlinburg, CT, MA, *sigh* Omaha, and Hollywood. The Hollywood trip was a business trip and was a real eye opener, I had a great time and got to learn a lot about my new field of Long Term Care. I didnt get my normal summer retreat to Lake Placid, or the long awaited trip to Boston, but maybe next year.
My living situation situation had to change because driving an hour each way to work a 7 hour shift wasn’t going to work. I would up finding a nice apartment in Middlebury where I think that I would be wiling to stay until I decide to settle down and buy a house. Aside from the threat of litigation from my former landlord in Burlington (long story) the move has been pretty smooth. Along the same vein I ditched the Rendezvous for a Subaru Outback (#vermont) which had to happen. After all those miles of neglect and all those burritos it was only a matter of time before it wound up dying on me and I got ahead of it. I like the Outback, but it feels a little soccermomish for me, maybe next time im going to go for a truck or SUV, but thats a few years down the road (car pun).
2013 included a lot of food and drink. I have been getting better at planning and have more time at night so I have been cooking a lot. I have always enjoyed cooking, especially for other people and now find myself hosting weekly dinner where I whip up something nice. I hope to start learning more techniques and recepies and build on the knowledge. Beer could probably have its own note, maybe some day it will, but I drank a lot of world class beers in 2013.
I know that this ties in to working, and is a bit of a taboo, but in three and a half years after graduation I have grossed more than $500K. Its an arbitrary mark, it doesnt count what I lose to taxes or what I spend on student loans, but it was always a milestone for me and I feel that it helps validate a lot of my hard work.
2013 overall was good, but the bad aspects were bad enough for me to give it a black mark. I had the opportunity for a new job, new car, new apartment, and even a new me, but I feel that 10 months of forward progress were kind of eclipsed by 1 terrible month and 1 month trying to rebound. I feel that the sentiment was echoed by many of my friends who have planned to blot 2013 out of their lives. I cant do that, I have always believed that its the hard points that define our lives. Its easy to be friends when life is good, its easy to be strong when your team is winning, but when life is stacked against you your true character shines through and true relationships are cemented. Thank you to everybody who was there through the good and the bad, hopefully next year will be better for all of us.
-O
Middlebury, VT
December 31st 2013
Owen Foley 