72.5 A hard-fought year, 2.

(I apologize in advance: it's a long one.)

Where was I? Oh, right. My year at age 27.

When I turned 27 last February the 28th, I was a complete wreck. Still reeling from the emotional fallout from the end of the relationship that brought me back to LA; still reeling from the untimely end of my car just three weeks earlier (which, in a deliciously ironic twist, happened on my way to shoot a scene for the VW doc in which I was to dramatize my life in LA before the Bus, roaming the city sans car).

The only thing that brought me any joy was watching the new season of "LOST" unfold on TV every week.

It didn't get much better for a while. I was working like a madman (mostly tutoring, though also still as a lowly barista). But all of the money I made had to go towards rental cars--rental cars needed in order to keep working (again, such delicious irony). Plus, my credit score was about as high as a hockey game score, and debts were stacking up. I was on a sinking ship, financially-speaking.

Relationally, it simply wasn't happening, either--and that didn't vary much throughout the year. I got stood up on what would've been my first "official" date in well over a year. Then my therapist tried to set me up with one of her other clients--which was not only pretty obscenely unethical, but also wound up as another notch in the ol' rejection belt (nice form of therapy you got there, lady).

And about 9 different girls (including my most recent ex-girlfriend) got engaged over the course of the year, most of whom I'd had at least a passing interest in over the years. Nine! Like salt in the wound, it was.

The VW documentary, the project I'd committed myself to staying in LA for--despite the difficulty with which it now took me to muster up the passion to work on--went from tenuous but positive progress for much of the year, to where it's at now: a near standstill.

And on top of all that: my guy lost the election.

So in a lot of ways, it was a pisser of a year, so to speak.

But, somehow I managed to make it through. And in the midst of all the frustrations and setbacks, some wonderful things came about for me:

- I worked my way up through the ranks of my company (thanks in large part to my parents' help with the whole car situation), so that within a year of my hiring, I was--and still am--considered one of its top three teachers. While SAT prep is not a long-term career option--I liken it to an actor waiting tables--it's still extremely gratifying to be considered "the best" at what you do, and this company has, by and large, shown me a lot of appreciation and support to that end.

- I was able to return to Iraq for a few weeks, work with my former students, visit with old friends, and just commune with my little adopted corner of the globe once again.

- I got to visit four amazing global cities that I've always wanted to see: London, Vancouver, Istanbul, and Copenhagen.

- I went to many concerts over the year, seeing many of my favorite bands on the planet right now, including: R.E.M., The National, Of Montreal, Spoon, Coldplay, Modest Mouse, MGMT, The Broken West, Andrew Bird, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, and Phosphorescent.

- I found a church home in LA, which has been a source of many remarkable blessings, not the least of which is the amazing group of friends I've made there.

- And perhaps most importantly, I was able to get much of my financial house in order. I haven't made it out of the woods just yet, but I've made a lot of progress and expect to continue doing so.

So maybe 27 wasn't an amazing year in any particular sense, but a lot of wonderful things still came my way. And perhaps the overarching theme of this year in my life is that I managed to tough it out when the odds (mostly financial) were kinda stacked against me. And that's something to be proud of.

It was a good year of growth and maturation. Which isn't to say that now, at 28, I'm the epitome of adulthood: my room is still as messy as it ever was, I'm neglecting work that needs to be done (including the work of cleaning up after my monster party from Saturday...but more on that later), and I bought both breakfast and lunch from nearby eateries instead of cooking for myself.

But I'm thankful for the growth that I have witnessed in myself. And am hoping that at 28, I will reap some of the benefits of this growth and the hard work that enabled it.