This is my beginning of the year post. It's late and I've been busy. I firmly believe a person has time for what he wants to do. Which is why I’m blogging now. This post was started a long time ago and got longer and longer. Stuff keeps happening. Not all of it’s noteworthy – I have no way of knowing which so I just dump some of it here. Here’s my end of year rant and new year plans. Let’s see what becomes of it.
Highlights:
I've met the girl of my dreams and we've had a fairy tale year. Last weekend we went off to Annapolis, MD for the day and got engaged on a floating dock at the end of the pier. It was a perfect day surrounded by sailboats and blue water. Of course there's much more to the story.. and I'd love to share it in person. We’ve had a date for a few weeks already and, of course, a website. rebekahandjeremy.com
I have one of the best jobs around. The work is cutting-edge, complex and rewarding with the right amount of travel.
I just returned from a week in Scottsdale, which was wonderful. I took an early flight and spent Sunday in Flagstaff. I also get to New York, Chicago and New England fairly often with more vacation days than I know what to do with.
Driving back into Flagstaff brought back a flood of memories. It’s a small town perfectly balanced between gritty and left.
I walked campus end to end. It’s not the same as when I was a junior living on campus, where daily bike wrecks, poetry readings, campus evangelists, the line at Starbucks, twenty minute lunches on the bike path between classes at opposite ends of campus, undie runs, Quidditch, Army recruiters, hookah circles and long-boarders were nothing out of the ordinary. The woods were a few minutes away for a cool run, long bike ride or epic ski trip.
I still keep in contact with a lot of my professors and ran into one while walking around downtown. The air was impossibly clear and I loved seeing things in high resolution again.
I was taken aback, again, by how friendly everyone was. People talk to each other while standing in line. Passersby willingly helped me dislodge a stuck disc from the top of a pine tree on the disc golf course. Flagstaff still holds a special place in my heart.
DC isn't known for its mountain biking, much to the disappointment of yours truly. I found one decent trail that's more than ten miles long. It follows a stream, which means that it's too muddy to ride for several months of the year. Looking forward to riding this and more trails in the year ahead. Michaux State Forest in PA is still my favorite place for mountain biking in the east.
I've put a few hundred miles on the road bike this year, mainly on paved commuter trails in the MD/VA/DC area. The W&OD, Mt. Vernon, Capital Crescent, Custis, and Four Mile Run trails are my most common rides.
There is a fair amount of hiking here, too. While hikes here don't compare to hikes I've done in the Southwest they are a welcome way to escape the city jungle on the weekends. Hiking is something the Girl and I both enjoy. There are great hikes along both sides of the Potomac River, and Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest are a close drive to the south.
DC coffee isn't what it could be. While there are a few good hipster cafes that know how to prepare a good cup (mainly Filter), other places lack atmosphere, expertise, or both. I'm a Starbucks Gold member by desperation.
And a Goodnight to all.