I have made this a tradition here at hbn.com, a recap post about my year to be posted before New Year’s. And it’s a fun tradition. Reading those entries a year later, the one from 2007 and from 2008, makes for great entertainment. Well, at least for myself.

Internet:
I gave up. I kept reading most of my favorite blogs and picked up some new favorites  – Emmy, Rachie, Jenny, Becca, San. But in the end, I gave up. I am addicted to spending my time online, and unless I have no access to it in my home, I won’t stop. So I got rid of my internet access in late November. And while it’s been impractical at times, I enjoy life – particularly university – so much more that it’s frightening. Friends and family didn’t understand why this was ever an issue to begin with but I’m proud that I took that step; it’s been one of the best decisions I ever made.

Any online stuff I just will never be able to give up – online banking, blogging and reading blogs, news, research – I now do at the university library.

In spite of my internet-less existence, I decided to renew highwaybynight.com once again in late December. It will thus be around until late 2010.

Movies/Shows/TV:
I started watching more television again. To a large extent because I could; there was access at my new apartment (more below). And because that new apartment happened to be in the Netherlands and Dutch TV turned out to be so much better than its German counterpart. I quit Gossip Girl. I picked up Friday Night Lights and Cosby Show reruns.

I didn’t go to the movies once. Which I can’t believe. This is one for the New Year’s resolutions list. I did go see a play at the theater which was amazing.

Travel:
We went to my favorite island in the world – Texel of the Netherlands – in the summer; a family vacation. I had plans to go to Paris and to Brussels and to Amsterdam and dreams of going back to Kentucky but none of that ever worked out.

Health:
I gained more weight in spite of a few serious efforts and many half-assed attempts to lose it all. I’m going into 2010 without a solution to the issue of my being overweight. My brother, on the other hand, lost what little too much weight he had and now looks splendid.

I hate that I’m still fat – worse: that I have gotten fatter – but then, I haven’t broken any bones, I’m not in pain, with my internet cut down to almost zero I don’t even have headaches anymore, and I’m still breathing.

My dad found out he had to have thyroid surgery in early 2010.

Friends/Family:
I fell back into the old habit of only wanting one really, really close friend instead of hanging out with a group. This always happens and I try to fight it but I’m just happier this way. Sandra and I have grown really close. We are each others rock in Maastricht and at uni when we’re away from old friends in our respective hometowns. My bestest friend Nadine and I are still as close which doesn’t surprise me but is still worth mentioning because we could generally only manage to see each other every three months or so.

My little brother has grown up. It’s freaky. He makes a ton of money, he bought a car, he’s smarter than me. He’s surpassed me in most respects but I’m happy for him, and I’ve never been more glad to have that wonderful a sibling.

My dad lost his job in what was a ginormous clusterfuck of tricks, lies, accusations, and disappointments on the part of his ex-employer. Six months later, he found a new job.

There were a ton of internal tensions at my mom’s side of the family. They weren’t resolved. I made plans to have my cousin come visit me in Maastricht in January. My other cousin is going back to Malaysia to work in the spring of 2010 and I’m jealous.

We moved my grandmother from the only property my family owned into a much smaller place closer to us, and sold the house. Looking back, it seems like the move took all summer. And it probably did.

But also, I moved from Aachen in Germany to Maastricht in the Netherlands in May. I don’t remember much about this, likely because it all worked out so perfectly.

Kentucky:
Emails between my friends and family in Kentucky and me weren’t sent as often. Not as many presents were exchanged as they had in recent years. This made me sad but I couldn’t go see them, either. I used to miss Kentucky more than I do and I used to love the American way of life more than I do, and although I used to be miserable, I don’t like this new kind of indifference at all. I want to miss Kentucky, and I want to still want to have moving there as a goal to work towards.

The countdown in the sidebar is still there but I’m not sure that I’ll be going back to Kentucky next summer. Nothing’s for certain as of yet but. You know.

University:
Tough year. I wanted to quit uni before the summer. I didn’t. I wanted to quit when it started back up after the summer. And then I didn’t. Because I gave up the internet, and suddenly uni was fun again; I was motivated and wanted to work hard and get good results. And I did. (See good news in first entry of 2010, coming up soon!)

Most importantly,
Christmas and New Year’s was white. On my early morning walks, small streets in the neighborhood were snowy. The fields were empty of people, quiet, and cold. Which was wonderful. And that’s all I’m going to remember of 2009, thank you very much.

(That building on the right is my old high school, by the way! Also, all pictures were taken with a crummy, old camera that is not mine which is why they look so grainy.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, MY LOVES! LET’S HAVE A FABULOUS 2010!