Well, a year older, definitely a year wiser for sure!
Had a very good day. Even the bittersweet moments are good. Moving forward on what is needed and enjoying a special day of pampering as well. Been researching colleges and universities... actually narrowed down what I want to study for the first time in my life.
A friend is helping me to research where to go for post-secondary education. I don't have the qualifications for music, so I'll be going for a liberal arts major at first and then adding music composition as a dual major once I get my piano and sight-reading skills up enough to pass auditions. Then a minor in business administration to make sure I have real-world employable skills to complement the more esoteric fun stuff. (And the fun stuff will make it easier to stay focused in the more boring business courses!)
That will give me four years of life on loan, and hopefully I can build a strong foundation during that time.
Some schools now have courses online that are part of the degree programs, so I may be able to physically handle a full course load after all, depending on how many courses I can take online. Narrowing the schools down now, cross-referencing chosen studies and then pollen indexes, financial costs, and possible busking income, then bonuses. Heh.
Steve gave me a toothbrush, which was really needed. His mom slipped some money into a birthday card, which was really sweet. My mother actually sent me some money over the net, although I'd have preferred an email. It's good to know she's alive though, I thought I didn't have a mother anymore because I hadn't heard from her in so long! So that was a very good day.
I am healthier than before, thanks to people who gave concrete help like allergy treatments, and it will only get better from here because the basic nutrients can be assimilated now. I am getting stronger every day of good food and clean air.
And, Steve didn't give up on me. We might be separating and I might be sad about that... but we'll be better friends by separating, I think, and this way he'll still be in my life.