Everything is better than previously reported actually. My career moved up, my income followed. I was able to make extraordinary investments in wine as people were selling off cheap to raise cash. And while I didn't pay off my mortgage as I hoped, that happened because I diverted the extra cash I was making on my payments towards investments. So I'm still on track.

But the real reason I'm checking back in is because there was one thing this past year that did change for me. And it may or may not have happened regardless, but I think the recession did bring it into focus for me. And that is my discovery of urban gardening (or I should say suburban gardening). What a rush and how fulfilling. Who knew?!