dear 2008,

are you tired?

because after everything we've been through this year and after everything we've done, i'm exhausted. last year, you were beating down the door before 2007 was even out the window, and it seemed like you wanted everything from me, right away, with no pauses to catch my breath.

and that's kind of the way things went, didn't they? one thing after another, always hard and fast, with me always giving everything i had. which isn't to say the results weren't worth the work. look how much we got done: finally passing the Really, Really Big Exam, surviving two clusterfuck projects, and managing to keep my job amidst the bloodshed on the Street. and while most of these were hard-fought victories, the best thing you gave me this year wasn't hard-fought or a victory, at least in the traditional sense: the heft and history of the ring on my finger tether my weightless joy in anticipation of its promise.

2008, you surprised me. when i heard you thumping on my door last year, i was deadly afraid of how demanding you might've been. and while you were, indeed, demanding and while there wasn't a lot of time to get through the work, the relationship could've been worse. we could've parted on bad terms, like a lot of people around us. instead, i can't help but thank you for your formidable companionship. if it wasn't for you, i don't know if i would've made it.

i can see 2009, distant, hands in the back pockets of her jeans, shy and waiting for me to make the first move. she knows that she might not be a welcome partner, given how much she's going to ask of me and how little she can promise in return. but she's honest about it. she reminds me a bit of 2004 with her 501s, white t-shirt, and strong coffee. i'm kind of excited to see what she and i build together. she's willing to get her hands dirty. that's a start.

get some rest, 2008. after this year, you definitely earned it.

sweet dreams,


the dirty canuck