aroraborealis

A year ago, I had just returned from four fabulous months in Guatemala, a time that I hope will turn out to have been the beginning of a life-changing period.

Over the course of the first quarter of 2004, I went to Arisia, visited Maine, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Niagara Falls, Ann Arbor, Tulsa, and Houston. Along the way, I also managed to drive

razil's and

blivious's car off Petersburg Pass in a big snowstorm.

In the second quarter, I angsted about where to live and what to do when I grow up, and I made a last-minute decision to spend another month in Guatemala. Then I found a fabulous place to live and moved in. Yay!

I spent much of the third quarter doing very little. I took Aileen home to Wyoming for the first time. I enviously saw my brother off to Argentina for a few months. I considered graduate school in Argentina myself.

In the fourth quarter, I threw myself an unbirthday party, bemoaned the results of the election, and even more, the process. I went to France with a fabulous crew and drowned my sorrows in foie gras, caviar, wine and cheese. I smuggled cheesy contraband back to the US. I had some interviews for jobs, none of which panned out for a variety of reasons, which is a good thing. I decided to apply for the Peace Corps. I went home for a winter vacation after my brother returned from Argentina.

Among a lot of really fabu people I met in 2004 were:

caitalainn,

txbelladonna,

evilari,

miss_chance,

palmwiz and

eveandodd

It's been a great year. I can't wait to see what 2005 holds.