How do you measure a year?

So, I'm now 24, and the last week or so has really made me go ahead and take a hard look at the past year, and the memories I've made and the fun I've had the last few years.

Last week, I think that John and I were much more like "us" than we've been in a while. Really, for the first time since the dramatic parts of senior year, because by then I was dating Karen, then we both were busy in Chicago, then came the breakup, and again our relationship changed again. I think now, with the distance of time and space, we might actually be able to get back to what we had before, except without seeing each other every day.

Its funny really, but if you look back over this blog, and as I think back to where I was at this point last year, it really is amazing how busy I've been, and the things I've been able to do, especially considering where I was emotionally at this point last year. In the last calendar year, I have lived in 5 states (Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Maryland, New Hampshire) and the District of Columbia. I have gone from basically doing not much at OCC, to interning or helping out at Chicago Mag and TKA, and now here I am writing stories every week, doing the job I wanted to do, the job I trained to do. Its really a rush. While I still think that last year (2004) as a whole was among the worst ever, I think that looking back on it, there were a lot more positives in the second half of the year than I thought (with the prominent exception of the election).

This past week I also received The Eminem Show from Amazon, which brought back many fine memories of trips to Jackson and Battle Creek with Laura and Susan. There have just been a ton of these memories flooding in this past week. Frankly, I'm glad of it. Sometimes its great to think about everyone you know, and the impact they've all had on your lives. Especially given what happened Thursday and how close I came to losing Karen and Audrey.