In February I got a $1000 tax refund. I spent Valentine’s Day with The Musician, my 24^th birthday with friends, and danced with my crush at a club. At work I got a near perfect performance review.

In March I mourned the anniversary of a friend’s suicide, introduced Texas Lexi to Charlotte, and met Crystal Dempsey (who has been perhaps the biggest promoter of my writing and a true blessing to know).

In April I ditched The Musician, celebrated surviving the year after ending my engagement, and learned that I was considered in the law firm’s latest round of layoffs.

In May I went to the BoB awards,  started dating my crush and current boyfriend, adopted Rasputin, lost my second job, and quit blogging after a prominent partner at my law firm followed me on twitter (now you know the true story).

In June I drank gin drinks and hung out at the pool, grew increasingly stressed and dissatisfied at work, attempted to play tennis, and went to a Summer’s Eve party.

In July I traveled to Brazil and Atlanta, reunited with some old friends, and lost my best friend to Boone.  My health hit a low point and I took some time off of work.

In August I went home to Pittsburgh, rode the coasters at Kennywood and visited my sister in Houston for the first time. Also for the first time, I realized that my life uptown had an expiration date.

In September I finally started to feel like myself again. I spent Labor Day weekend with my best friends from college and planned my comeback.  I applied to grad school.

In October I brought back KUWTB, got the flu, stopped by barcamp, and waited.  I was encourage to apply for a promotion at work and was rejected via automated email.

In November I learned I was accepted to grad school, coined the term “Disco Chicken”, lunched with two Observerites, and spent my first Thanksgiving in Charlotte.

In December I finished something I started a long time ago, but because of that I missed out on a great opportunity. I lost my law firm job, moved out of uptown, and for the first time in many months, felt like I was where I was supposed to be.

I feel fortunate for all the losses of 2009. This year I’m only unpacking the boxes worth keeping.

SQUAK

Now I’m not usually one for rumor spreading, and I can neither confirm nor deny that this actually happened, but one little birdie told another little birdie who tweeted in my ear that a certain memo went out around the City of Charlotte specifying that the glittering sculpture decorating Tryon street outside of the Bechtler should only be referred to by it’s official title “the Firebird” and not by any other nicknames, like, idk, DISCO CHICKEN. What more could a blogger ask for?

Here’s wishing you and yours a very happy holiday from all of us at Keeping Up with the Belks! And all of us equals Me(ck), and sometimes Rasputin, when he’s ghostwriting for me. I hope you get everything you want.

(and yes, that IS a disco chicken made from hershey kiss foils. you’re welcome.)

I am going to make mistakes. And seriously? Most people, including lil ol’ me, understand the difference between it’s/its where/wear your/you’re there/their/they’re. Sometimes the hands are a typin’ faster than the brain is a processin’, ya see?

Let me spell out the difference for you: in my last, aptly titled, post “Mistakes”, I spelled discreet wrong twice. I spelled it “discrete” and spell check did not challenge my assumption.  I’ll admit, I thought I used it correctly. It took a friend’s comment using the right form for me to realize my mistake.  I blushed at my error and made the necessary changes.  I also happened to use “where” once when I meant to use “wear”.  Listen, I’m not 12.  I know the difference.  And if I had noticed it before I clicked publish, it wouldn’t have happened.  But it did, so, you know, get over it.  Commenting for the sole purpose of pointing out a grammar mistake or a typo is not contributing to the conversation.  The only thing it tells me is that you want to score a point for yourself. So, um, go you.  If that’s all you’ve got going for you, then the internet is your oyster.  But this website is not.

This is my blog. I’m the only person who is working here, and I’m working for free.  If you want to be my editor, then please remember to include my paycheck.

I’ve been putting off writing this, my official come back post, for over four months now.  Frankly, trying in one post to reintroduce myself to all of you, to sum up everything this blog was and will be about, to be funnier, wittier, snarkier, and more candid than I’ve ever been before, well,  it’s just too much damn pressure.  So instead of trying to live up to my your unreasonably high expectations, I’m just going to say, Hey! I’m back.  And my gawd, have I missed you.

You can find all of my old posts here on the newer and shinier Keeping Up with the Belks (KUWTB.com).  Feel free to take a moment and bookmark me now, I’ll wait.

I drawed this.

That’s better.  Mad crazy props go out to the fine gentlemen at Web Design Company That Shall Remain Nameless Dot Com for the build. That’s my real (giant) figure in the header and that’s George Shinn’s actual helicopter too.  I know, right?

I’ve been blogging, or should I say, essay writing in my extended absence.  Those new, albeit slightly outdated, posts will be popping up over the next week.  If you are new to KUWTB feel free to check out my brand new Say What? page — there you’ll find frequently used terms as well as introductions to my cast of characters.  And if you need some more Meck, like, right now, you may like some of my favorite posts from below:

• Here you can read the post that launched a thousand dreams (I know, right?)

• Or, if you’re bored with my words already, you might like my favorite youtube videos.

• Maybe you’d like to know some of the crazy things that people say on elevators and the Gold Rush.

• Here you can read the not-that-mean review that put KUWTB on the map.

• And here you can learn how to Keep Up with the Belks in 3 simple lessons.

• You should probably read about who made my shit list, otherwise known as the Chameleon Lemonheaded Coward Terrorist Pussy awards.

• Here is a taste of my more serious stuff, if you think you can handle it

• Click here for the guest post I wrote for Minimum Failure (represent!)

• This is the post that gets KUWTB the most search engine results.

• And this is 25 things you probably don’t need to know about Meck, but should read anyway.

• You can read here about why I hate Suite.

• Last but not least, this is the eulogy I wrote for my Ford Tempo. RIP.

When I left you in May, I tweeted goodbye with the emo lyrics of tAtu.  Today let’s part on better terms.  Say, to the immortal words of Mark Morrison?

Even weirder, my real life people have taken to quoting my blog to me. It can get a little uncomfortable. I guess it’s not so much quoting as bringing up certain topics with me and I’ll say “oh did I tell you that” and they’re all “well, I read it on your blog”.

For instance, tonight I was talking to Meck’s Sister (who shall hereinafter be known as Texas Lexi– a faker fake name) and we got on the subject of my new boy.

Texas Lexi: sooo you had a date on Saturday. Who is he?
Meck: sooo you’ve been talking to mom?
Texas Lexi: well no, I read it on your blog.

Later….

Texas Lexi: well, how does he dress, is he preppy?
Meck: no
Texas Lexi: is he country?
Meck: actually, no
Texas Lexi: wow sissy!

Still Later…

Meck: but there’s one thing *pause* he’s in a band
Texas Lexi: what does he play?
Meck: guitar
Texas Lexi: uh oh. Is he lead guitar?
Meck: IDK, there are only three of them
Texas Lexi: well you have to find out, it makes a difference.

And finally…

Texas Lexi: I want to meet him in March
Meck: well if we make it to official couple status by then you can
Texas Lexi: he doesn’t have to know, you can say i’m just a friend, or some random chick
Meck: yea, this is just some random chick i found wearing cowboy boots. weird, right?
Texas Lexi: She was on TnT talking about stocks with a homeless man!

I love my family.

I am extremely excited to be working with such a talented and forward thinking group. And I’m humbled to be in such good company.

When I started KUWTB last June, my research included many visits to CLTBlog and I asked myself over and over “How can I make my blog that good?”. Clearly, I can’t. The best I can do is try to keep up (keeping up with the cltbloggers?) So check in often. You never know when I’ll pop up– perhaps with a friendly review?

Also, a special thanks to the guys for letting me play writer with them. Matt, I owe you a Ritas…or three. Justin, I owe you a blackened tuna sandwich from Cedar Street Tavern.

If you hate Meck and KUWTB, no problem. I ask you then to cast your vote for CLTblog in the best local blog category. Also, you can vote for Strike City as the best bowling alley and include my name in the “blowhard” category if you want. And, of course, feel free to write in David Thompson as Charlotte’s best activist.

Please note the survey is kind of long, but Charlotte Magazine is one of (if not the) most respectable publication in this city, so I would really appreciate your support!

1. get my NC driver’s license
2. find a doctor in chatown
3. renovate KUWTB
4. launch my website
5. finish my taxes early
6. pay off one credit card and one student loan
7. start grad school
8. start taking dance or yoga at the YMCA
9. have two no spending days a week
10. try to get a story published
11. ask someone out
12. Complete the Charlotte’s Got A Lot 101 Things to do List.
13. take walks 3 times a week
14. read one book a week
15. write for 20 minutes each day
16. one new story, every two weeks
17. clean once a week
18. call my family more
19. start to study Russian again
20. visit Charleston
21. volunteer
22. increase my emergency fund
23. invest more time in people
24. stop sweating the small stuff
25. start planning my next big trip
26. make a schedule and stick to it
27. move to a cash only budget
28. Meck Sister visit
29. move
30. cross one thing off my life to do list
31. learn how to get around town
32. be the most talked about person on Charlotte twitter
33. finish everything on my to do list

Yes, yes I did.

I got two on Christmas which wasn’t all that irritating. Not as irritating, as say, talking politics with my grandmother’s new boyfriend over dinner. Plus one of the messages was from a number I don’t even have in my contacts list. Clearly, it meant a lot.

Having escaped spontaneous angry seizures on Christmas, I was not so lucky on New Year’s. In fact, midnight texts were out of control. I think almost everyone in my phone book sent me one. I also got a Happy New Year email via my work crackberry. This has led me to the following possible explanations:

#1 my friends were trying to start the new year right by pissing me off
#2 my friends were not having nearly enough fun if they were able to text coherently.
#3 my friends never read this blog.

The best part of the show was the fact that I won CLTblog’s contest so I got a t-shirt, sticker, autographed poster and CD. Thanks guys! I let Kirkley Fan take my place hanging out with band and I think she loves me forever now.

Today I was perusing NFL.com and I saw this poll:
So I voted, and these are the results:

hehehehe. poor jakey.

KUWTB make me LOLZ