(the title, a reference to XFN. the picture, a reference from 2007 to my excitement to move to San Francisco.)I've been debating for a while writing a post that is more personal. I don't typically like blogging about myself, as evidence through my writing at Shake Well Before Use, and most of my personal life can be obtained through Twitter already. I always think "no one cares" to read about me - there's so much far more exciting stuff out there to be consuming! However, I love reading my friends' blogs and the idea that they have someone that enjoys reading their more introspective moments in hopes of gleaning some insight.2008 was an interesting year. Interesting sounds so terribly boring. By "interesting", there were ups and downs, some of which were captured on this site. In work, there were a lot of great, new, rewarding experiences that I truly cherished and hope to continue. I've now worked in multiple industries: advertising, technology, science, government, and I could be an arse and stretch it to culinary with CupcakeCamp ;) . But, by the end of the year, I felt like I was having empty nest syndrome - NASA CoLab went into hibernation from being a program, Pownce shut down and Yahoo! Brickhouse, where I often coworked, was figuratively demolished.In dating, it was a year of biting the bullet and putting myself out there - both ways. I walked out of one situation, realizing I valued my independence and all the things I wanted to accomplish more than anything. I walked in to another situation, and for once lifted both of my feet off the ground.Outside of income-related activities, there has always been my personal work. In years past, blogging took up most of my time (at my peak, I was posting 6 times a day). In 2008, I unintentionally transitioned from blogging to creating projects like Spacehack and CupcakeCamp. I can't explain the amount of positive energy that is generated by being part of something that generates so many passionate people. Dare I say that it is no longer about the content or the context - it is about the community. While I miss blogging as often (and I'm seriously considering starting a community management column), I realize that this is in step with why I moved to San Francisco in the first place. I wanted to be around people who actually created things rather than just talked about what everyone else was creating. I also realized that my move to SF was very much following in my mother's footsteps. After watching Milk (a very emotional movie to watch after Prop 8 passing) and conversing with my mother about what it was like to live through that time in San Francisco, she told me that the first time she walked down Telegraph Avenue, she felt she had finally found home.I don't know what 2009 will be for me just yet. I'm filled with so much energy to release right now, so that's exciting at the very least. December was a personally painful month that I've now let pass through me (like a storm, as one of my dear friends put it). All I can (and care to) concentrate on now is what I'm here to do and the people who need to hear what I have to say.