h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Perhaps slightly more upbeat than a journal for whining about work...

Another year is drawing to a close, more or less. That is, if the world hasn't ended in the morning.

It's been a reasonably pleasant one overall for me.

I've survived nearly twelve months at work, for the company which was lovely when I started the job (aside from the lousy benefits and the fact that it pays 40% less than the old one) but isn't so lovely post-merger, for a variety of reasons. April's performance appraisal was a good one, and I received a better raise than expected, which was nice. Usually it's 3%, which is not enough to keep up with inflation.

I've cut myself loose of some people who weren't good for me, having decided that I'm done with "this person is racist, homophobic, misogynist, classist, anti-atheist, or in any way otherwise bigoted, but I respect him/her anyway" and from now on I just don't have time or room in my life for such toxic garbage. Excepting, sadly, very immediate family, some of whom I just put up with and others whom I love in spite of themselves.

We've moved to a new home, as of August. Yes, we're still unpacking: before we can unload the CD and record collections, we need to purchase appropriate furniture, and before we'll have room to do so, we'll need to secure an offsite rental storage unit for several storage bins and a couple of drum sets. (We're looking at one this weekend which offers 24-hour gate access for an additional fee, thinking it would be easier for K if he could load drum equipment in and out directly before and after practice or gigs, as opposed to carting home in between).

Once we've done that, we also need to upgrade the hi-fi, as the turntable was broken during the move. I've picked out a TEAC CD/cassette player combo unit, a new Harman Kardon receiver, and Klipsch floor speakers. However, Technics has ceased production, so fixing or replacing the turntable with like would be VERY pricey. Any recommendations for high-quality analog turntables (with anti-skating tone arm) would be very helpful.

Yes, we'd been house-hunting for over two years and finally decided on another apartment. What we pay in rent is about what we'd pay for a mortgage. But the cheapest houses around that don't require thousands of dollars in renovations are about $500K. So, a 20% down payment would pretty much clean out our savings, leaving little or nothing for a "slush fund", not to mention for such important things as bookcases and hi-fi replacement.

No one else in either side of the family has died this year, thankfully. One of K's cousins had a particularly ugly baby, which we'll meet at Xmas. Oh, and loads of baby animals, several of whom are critically endangered species, have been born at our local zoos this year (sadly, a few elderly or ill animals have died, too).

My nephew's got his driver's license, and, apparently, a car. Look out, pedestrians... Even K's niece and nephew are growing like weeds (though the last time we saw them, they were both acting like toddlers).

Both Herman and Minerva cats are doing well. Herman's even gained some weight back since we moved.

And that's about it... though there are still 10 days left, so anything can happen.