Review

So regular posting hasn't exactly been happening. September to January, yeah not much going on here - at least not on the blog. There has been no lack of activity at the house, and so this will be the first of a short series of excerpts from my journal as I have reviewed the past year. I normally wouldn't post a journal entry, except I hope that this may encourage you as much I have been encouraged in the remembering.

It is the last day of 2008. Usually I would not wax eloquent on my thoughts and experiences from the past year, for oftentimes one year simply blends into the next. I do not perceive the passage of time very well—at least in terms of minutes, hours and days. It is not that I purposefully ignore time, I simply don't notice it. However, it does seem fitting to review this past year, for so much has happened. As I tell my friends, I do not often seek out adventure, but adventure seems to find me wherever I go. I rather fancy myself a quiet homebody, preferring a fire and a good book (maybe a drink or a pipe to go along with it). But I always seem to be like Bilbo, running out my front gate with no pocket handkerchiefs, having no idea what I am about to do or why I was selected. (Here I must admit the possibility that my life is no more exciting than anybody else's, and that it may just be my incredibly vivid imagination carrying me away. Or perhaps it is a combination or my imagination and reality.)

What then has happened that would cause such a change in my regular habit? Let me begin by saying what has not happened. I have not graduated from college yet; I still find myself plodding along through my studies. I have not gotten married, nor am I even dating anyone (though I did go out with that one guy back in February). I have not traveled overseas anywhere—not Europe, not Africa, not Asia. In fact, my travels have mostly been limited to Michigan and Mississippi.

What has occurred then – Last winter I went to both the Phantom of the Opera and to an Over the Rhine concert, two of the best stage productions I have ever experienced, a feast for the eyes and ears. I am also fully engrossed in a book club that meets once a month. This may not seem like much to many, but it is a pleasant time that I savor. As a voracious gourmand of books, I spent the first couple of years in Louisville lamenting the lack of kindred spirits who enjoy reading for the love of language and story, who did not view it simply as a matter of spiritual discipline. But now I satisfy my literary cravings in book club discussion.

This would come as no surprise to anyone who has known me for any length of time, but I have lived in three different places this year. Sigh, I am now in my seventh residence since having moved to Louisville. I first lived at 2439 Idlewylde, then at 107 Fenley Ave (I had to think a while to remember that one) and now find myself back in Old Louisville on 1^st St. I move more frequently than almost anyone else I know. But, Lord willing, I will still be on 1^st St. at this time next year. Come May, I will throw an “Ashlea's Not Moving” party for all my friends who have helped me move in the the past.

Well, I am still at UPS. Who knew I would be there a year and a half with no view to leave in the near future? So while the employer hasn't changed, my position has. After having contemplated it for several months, I finally applied to be a part-time supervisor and was offered the job within two weeks of posting my application. It has been a good change, first because I am no longer in the union (yay!). Second, there exists a camaraderie amongst the part-time sups that is refreshing after the back-stabbing that goes on amongst some of the union members. Though it has been at times horribly stressful, I am grateful for my job and have no intention of leaving just yet.