Stairway to 2012

The 99% can chew on this^

This is more of a personal post aside from trucking, so if you don't read this blog for such then I'll see you next week. 
...No, really- this gets deep, opinionated, and there is nothing to read here about trucking.  Anyway, it seems as though pretty much everything seems to be revolving around trucking now.  Luckily I don't feel like its taken over my life, like SOME jobs have in the past.  To sum up, Christmas with the family came and went, the usual Christmas eve party at my parent's house, Christmas morning there and then some time Nana's house, followed by the after-party stocking and grab on the following weekend day, which this year happened to be the 26th.  I got a small pile of stuff in comparison to most years, but not a sinlge thing is going to waste, thats for sure.

Some of my Christmas cheer

I've always wanted to learn to play guitar since I first picked up Guitar Hero back in 2006, but the opportunity never presented itself.  Back in October, the guys at Ubisoft San Francisco dropped as good an opportunity as ever, Rocksmith.  More on that later, suffice it to say I now have a beautiful Fender FSR Stratocaster HHS to entertain myself on the road.  Thanks mom and dad for that, and Sara and Chris for the PC78. 

I also have an armful of tools of the trade fresh off my list I made after my trip with John.  I'm really ready for my own ride now.  To do that, its a matter of linking up with HQ and my FM on getting me a ride back to Gary to test out.  In the likely event I get assigned to John again, I should be rolling again sometime next week.

Buddy never sees the end of any party

 

As for my time at home alone today, I've spent a good amount of time doing laundry and cleaning up the house for my sawed-off New Year's party.  For those of you who don't know its been a 5-year progressively growing bash of 20+ friends from high school and college from 7 states converging here to play rock band, drink, sit around a fire, light fireworks, crash, and then tour Boston the next day. 
But that's different this year.
Given there was no guarantee I would be either here nor in NJ at this time, no big plans were made by me months in advance as usual.  The fact that I no longer live here was further reason to make the backup party in NJ.  Now most of the crew is attending that party, while the locals from northern states are coming here for an impromptu get together.  I still plan on having a damn good time regardless.

As I hinted at in my first (and previous) post, I've shared a pretty unlucky couple of years with a lot of friends and family.  We've powered through it, but overall with a few exceptions, '10 and '11 are better forgotten in my book.  (Which will seem cold after I list the following) I could lay down specific downfalls but that's no fun, better to do that in person at a time when people will listen but nobody will remember when they wake up- Namely tomorrow night just before we happily toast to 2012.  Just trust me when I say that these were 2 years I enjoyed very little.  I will say that family-wise, I attended 3 wonderful weddings, gained 3 once-removed 1st cousins, a brother in law, and a new job.

But, a handful of words got me through the worst of 2011:
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week
Your month or even your year

I don't do New Years Resolutions, partly because I never remember what they are.  But with any luck, I won't have to wait until December 21st for the next major turn.  It is more likely that will occur on November 6th.  In which case I will either reach a new personal level of hope for humanity...
...or sit back in my comfortable cab and watch the whole thing burn :)  Only time will tell.


Also, first paycheck clicked in today.  Sh*t was SOOO direct deposit.  Cheers to 2012!