2012-01-04 - 8:36 p.m.

In my last (7 months ago) entry I said that it was time to write an entry that didn't involve concert setlists or degustation menus. Since then I've been to Splendour in the Grass and Elton John, eaten at Marque and Four in Hand and been on weekends away to the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands, without a solitary entry. Perhaps it's time to focus less on what I'm writing and just get into the habit of writing again.

So this is the new year. Retracing my last two days at work I could easily add the second part of that song reference ("and I don't feel any different"). But I do feel different- at least for a few weeks- every new year. I'm a sucker for New Year's Resolutions as much as I'm a fool for having an unproductive afternoon when I've had an unproductive morning (call it a "New Day Resolution").

Work is still my main source of dissatisfaction. I've been doing (the specific role) what I'm doing for over 4 years now and I simultaneously feel like I've seen it all and need a change as well as not feeling like I've got nearly as much out of it as I should have. So in the last 3-4 months of last year I have started getting more serious in looking for a new role (same company), but haven't really been getting far. So I don't know if my resolution is to step up my search (put myself out there more) or take on my current role with a renewed sense of motivation to do a better job than I feel like I've been doing. I guess it should be both huh?

I guess outside of work there are a few situations at risk of stagnating this year, but I feel more in control of them. In my last entry I mentioned Jo getting off the blood thinning medication. Well, we've been (one of my friends pointed out to me how silly the term is when you think about it) trying, or more to the point no longer trying not to have kids for 6 months now, and so far , apart from some obvious fringe benefits, no luck. I guess we know quite a few people who were surprised how quickly it happened, and I think I heard somewhere that the average is 6-12 months, so there needs to be some people who it takes longer for. It's just that you spend so long trying not to that when you make that big decision you want immediate results. But there are things we can feel a bit more in control- I can cut down on alcohol and caffeine, we can follow the most current beliefs around timing in the cycle, get fertility checks so that if there is an issue we know about it sooner rather than later. One thing is for sure- both of us want to be parents or very close by the end of 2012.

The other thing we've started doing that we hope doesn't take all year is look for a house. As in- not an apartment, and- wait for it... not necessarily in the Inner West. So far we've looked at places in Ashfield, Croydon, Croydon Park, Ryde, Penshurst, Arncliffe, Bexley and... I'm sure there are others. We came very close to making an offer on a place in Arncliffe, and while fear of the unknown in terms of the area played a small part it was mainly just that the house wasn't right. Jo's main search criteria is that neither of us (her in St Leonards and me in Kurnell) should have to travel more than 15 minutes longer to work than we already do. I think if we do stick to that criteria we could come around to any suburb in that radius if the house (and yard, and things like parking etc) is right. I guess the question is- given that we haven't found anything quite right so far- will we need to go further out (at least, for one of us) to find the right place.

So there you go- I just started writing and that's what you got. Maybe if I get back on here within the next week you'll get a bit more of a "2011 in Review" entry.

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