The Decade That Was

Merry Christmas Everyone

Well, I am about to head down to Wales for a few days over Christmas. Katie (aka Smelly) and I have hired a cottage down on the coast where I intend to do nothing but sit in front of the open fire and drink, read, eat, maybe consider moving so that we can to head down to the local pub, and start preparing myself for the new year and the new decade.

But with being very close to starting the new decade, it got me thinking about the last decade. Not only because I have no idea where the bugger went but, because sooooo much happened. And so on that note, I thought that it would be interesting to write a brief history of time – well the last 10 years anyway

2000 – started with a hell of a hangover and a new job. It was the year I became an Australian citizen and partied my through the Olympics. I met a boy who had the same name as an ex of mine – that should have been enough of a sign. We dated, we stopped dating after he had a few drunken mis-haps, I continued to party through the Olympic, moved house and met “The Yank”

New jobs are on offer and there are discussions around a role in Australia. Discussions about jobs in Sydney mean that there are discussions with Nameless. Things with Nameless end and the preferred job falls through (knew I shouldn’t have written about it)

2001 – “The Yank” went back to the US, I got “uninvited” to a wedding (no, I didn’t sleep with the groom!) but got to keep a bloody great present as a result. September 11 happened and I got a cat

2002 – I decided to go back to school and do an MBA. I also met Nameless in a Saturday morning gym class. He was the instructor dressed in yellow……..

Nameless and I went on a few dates. I wrote on a bar mat what I thought about Nameless. Nameless and I then annoyed the living hell out of each other – so that was that (or at least I thought it was). I spent the rest of the year study, study, studying and had little to no life.

2003 – Hmmmm, 2003 was study study study. During exams, cameo appearances were made by my good friends RedBull and Chuppa Chup – oh, and Nameless made some cameo appearances too. Then there was more study study study. I got a voluntary redundancy – I had planned to study full time but went overseas on holiday instead. Came back from my holiday, realised I had to get a job and decided that I wanted to move to London

2004 – Was uneventful (which means study, work, study, redbull, study, work, study and some more study) until I met and fell for “Mr Too Good To Be True”. Just for a change I did some study, study, study. And then I found out “Mr Too Good To Be True” was in fact “Mr He Didn’t Tell Me He Was Married” – devastated.

Nameless coincidently called about a week later. We ended up becoming Benefits (that is Friends with benefits minus the friends bit). I changed jobs, graduated, started seeing more of Nameless and we actually became friends

2005 – Nameless changed from Friends with Benefits to Good friends with Benefits, and a good friend who had recovered from Breast Cancer was diagnosed with secondary cancer – bah…. Moved to London, started the blog, got financially ripped off, got a temp job (phew) – and that was all before the beginning of May. Moved house, saw Nameless, bombs went off, more bombs went off, travelled, got a permanent job, travelled some more, moved house again and saw Nameless – and that was all before the end of September. Became friends with Rae – despite the fact that I thought she was a cheerleader on speed when she taught those early morning gym classes… A Cousin from my father’s side of the family “finds” me after 25 years and somewhere in there I celebrated my 30^th birthday.

2006 – Travelled to India for work, travelled to Nice for Easter. Met a a 26 year old French landscape gardner in Nice and had an affair with the 26 year old French landscape gardener. Travelled back to Nice; continued the affair with a 26 year old French landscape gardner; the French Landscape gardner comes to London to visit. Surprise, surprise there is another trip back to Nice and a another trip to India for work. I end it with French Landscape gardner, the French Landscape gardner comes to London, I REALLY end it with French Landscape gardner, go back to India for work and then Christmas in Australia

2007 – 2007 was my black year. I flew back from Australia early to visit a friend who had cancer. She had days left. Found out my landlord wassn’t using my rent money for her mortgage and had to find a new place. Not what I need. Have a big fight with Nameless – so that was that – again… January 26^th – Kara loses her fight against cancer.

I find a new home but have to deal with politics and nastiness at work. Nameless and I make up. There are still politics and nastiness at work, I end up with shingles – oh, and more nasty work problems. I end up being a complete bitch to Nameless, the politics and nastiness at work come to a head and I have a breakdown – so now I have a doctor’s certificate that verifies what we always knew – I am slightly (??) nuts.

Nameless and Rae are brilliant, I go to the US for a wedding and meet my long lost cousin, I change jobs, things start to get better (funny that), and Christmas is spent in Australia

2008 - Work, work and more work – and then the damn Soc Gen fraud is identified. Work becomes stupid busy and I go to Asia for work. Get off the plane in London from HK, have a conference call at the luggage carousel, hop on a plane so that I can spend Easter in Turkey. Work is beyond stupid, I go to Miami with Nameless and then New York for work.

Head back to Australia for a quick trip, Rae cant keep up her end of the bargain and the wee Charlie is born while I am on the flight home

Work is….. then there is a major merger/acquisition at work. Work is just plain stupid now, Nameless is over for work, Lehmans go bust and we enter the Global Financial Crisis. And that was just one week…

Meet Mum in Italy for a week to chill

Rae moves back to NZ

Lets not even talk about work, I go to Asia Pac for work, I am still not talking about work but I will talk about going to Boston where I spend Christmas with my long lost cousin and her family. The Yank joins us for New Years Eve

2009 – OMG, I think I can catch my breath now.

Back to Boston for easter where I decide to invest in a new camera. I start writing and photographing again.

Smelly moves to the UK, we take a short trip to Croatia, and I start getting involved in raising awareness for breast cancer. New jobs are mentioned. I take a well deserved 3 week break and make a trip back to Australia and New Zealand – 2 weeks in New Zealand running around after the wee Charlie Bear and a week in Australia to recover.