It's been a while. First, let me say 'happy holidays, yo.' Oddly, given all that has happened in the past year, this is the first year in probably 20 that I have actually felt some seasonal spirit. While the search for work continues and seems bleak, I am focused on the good things that have happened this past year and if you knew me, you'd be reaching across the table to feel my forehead to hear me say that. While I call myself a realist, most hear me describe the world as a pessimist. C'est la vie . . . you see a rainbow in the puddle, I see the oil spill from the car next to the puddle. I call it how I see it. That said - this year has been filled with tiny triumphs. Whether it was the mortgage assistance from Georgia's HomeSafe program, Chris being declared cancer free, or finding Laika in the street and giving her a home (and me a completely new take on life) - this year has been hard, but it has been good.