2005 started with the feeling of not being able to breath. Figuratively. I hated where my life was. Where it was, and where it was going. I was with a boyfriend who I’d argue with and who would semi-frequently leave bruises on my body. I never thought that I’d allow myself to be in such a horrible situation like that; I’m usually so strong-minded and always refuse to be unhappy. 2005 is ending on a completely different note. I’m with someone who is beautiful and caring. I am living outside of Canada and am totally, 100% happy with my life.
January
I was in a relationship with a skinny pot head who didn’t believe in using soap. He worked at Staples and I worked at a call center and took calls for Kraft Canada and Kraft. It was a bad job but I had really great coworkers. I was in the process of applying for my job with BME, and on January 17 I was offered the job to go to Mexico. “Happiness” doesn’t begin to explain what I felt. It not only meant getting a great job, it also meant I was able to leave everything behind- including the boyfriend- and start again. I sold my first vehicle, my vintage Vespa Moped.
February
I started packing up/selling off all my stuff in British Columbia. I stretched my tongue to 10g. I was happy and sad all at once.
March
I said goodbye to Penticton and my boyfriend and visited my best friend in Toronto for a few days before heading home to Nova Scotia. Got my vertical labret pierced, again. On March 15, I moved to La Paz, Mexico. On the afternoon of March 16th, I knew I was going to marry Clive, and shortly after midnight on March 17, Clive and I shared our first kiss. Before the end of the month, we shared “I love you”s.
April
April started off with a bang with the infamous April Fool’s article. I realized that I’d lost 25lbs in less than a year. We got the most adorable kittens delivered to our doorstep. And then we got ringworm from them. That was fun. Not. Also not fun? My 25th birthday.
May
Clive left me to go fishing in Ontario, and I was really lonely. I was surviving off of cigarettes, V8 juice and Kraft Dinner and the internet. I lost more weight. I worked a lot.
June
Clive and I had our finger amputation story published in a magazine. Clive came back from Ontario, and I was HAPPY. And then I was very, very sad because our beloved cat Cola died mysteriously. Clive and I decided to leave Mexico together shortly after BMEfest. Oh, and then there was the little event called BMEfest! With Sea Lions! And new people! I also saw my first suspensions. We said goodbye to our cats and the La Paz BME family. I took Clive to Nova Scotia to meet my family and meet my home.
July
I caught my first fish albeit, it was very small. Clive took me to Michigan for a week to meet his family and to fish and hike and camp. Clive turned 25! Clive and I moved to Mississauga where he started working for a major bank and I stayed at home and kept writing for BME. We took a trip with Jonny and his girlfriend and a 20-year old nightmare came true: I came face to face with a bear on a fishing trip.
August
I quit smoking. I went blond to try to stop the comments that Clive and I looked like siblings. I hated every minute of it- much more than I hated the incest jokes. We bought our plane tickets to the Caribbean earlier than expected. I couldn’t wait to get out of Toronto! I went to my first suspension event, the All-Grrls suscon. BME published my favorite article yet- my All Grrls video article. We said goodbye to Canada and picked up and moved to the Caribbean.
September
We spent the first week camping where I was ravaged by the bugs, and then moved into a cute (and tiny) apartment. I stopped being a blond, I got hives from pain killers to stop an ear inflammation and I cut the shit out of my finger while slicing a lime.
October
My long lost sister contacted me for the first time in my life. We survived hurricane season, but nearly ran out of toilet paper in the process of boarding ourselves in the house. I experienced the most fucked up three days of my entire life. In related news, I took a trip to Nova Scotia for two weeks and missed Clive and the heat. I bought my first laptop and hated every minute of it. Note: I’m totally happy with my Compaq Presario, though I paid three times what it’s now quoting on HP website. Ugh.) I calculated how many flights I’ve been on in my life… more or less, this is the list.
November
My life changed again- but I still can’t announce how! I will in January, promise. Clive and I got in our very first fight. Clive and I went fishing a lot and drank pina coladas a lot. We started looking for a car- our search, thus far, has been unsuccessful.
December
I turned into the classiest fisherman ever. This picture ranks as my Most Viewed on flickr. My last article (?) was published on BME. I felt sad that my internship was over. We travelled to another island, Anegada, over xmas, for our first xmas together.
Overall, this year has been great. I left my awful boyfriend, gained a much better one, landed a dream job, lived in three different countries (Canada twice, Mexico and the BVI), took five vacations (Toronto, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia, Michigan and Nova Scotia), lost weight (though I gained some back, boo), swam with sea lions, saw the Pacific for the first time and swam in my first Great Lake. Overall have a really great life right now. There was some stress (mostly financial), but in the end, I feel like I’ve come out on top. Tonight’s New Year’s celebrations will be a celebration of my life this year. This year my career is going to be something it’s never been- really, really successful. I’m going to buy my first car. I will probably be married.
