2011 – Year in Review

Just because a lot of people seem to be doing some sort of Year in Review, I thought I’d put some thoughts down to quickly document some highlights. That way when I’m old and senile (in two years), I’ll be able to recall what happened in 2011.



Here’s how 2011 panned out for me:

The good stuff!...

• Got engaged to a wonderful Italian red-head in my favorite town in the world – Riomaggiore, Italy
• Finished my MBA
• Travelled to Italy, China, Nashville, Denver, Green Bay, Seattle, Indianapolis, and the Quad Cities
• Watched a TON of roller derby
• Ate the best steak in the world (literally) – Chianini beef from Florence, Italy
• Was the Ethics co-chair of the Minnesota Chapter of the Special Libraries Association
• Went to my first LaCrosse match
• Was shirtless in public more times than I can count
• Sang Anthrax songs on stage with a throw-together cover band at Station 4
• Am learning Greek
• Joined a gym, but was raised to keep it quiet, so I have
• Ate some amazing food – I could include sooooo many things here, but some highlights are the Denny’s Super Mega Slamwich of Doom, Bar-B-Quest 2011, ICP Chex Mix, Eli’s Donut Burgers
• Actually found a legit beer I can drink and enjoy – Kwak from Belgium (one step closer to man-hood)
• Had an awesome birthday party at Grand Slam
• Played more disc golf than I have in years
• Went to some killer Demolition Derby to see Derby Dan crash his car up
• Ate bizarre animals – donkey, horse, jellyfish, octopus
• Won a Halloween costume contest (with D.Rough) at a gay bar
• Bought a new Mac laptop
• Found out the house foundation wasn’t cracked and leaking, but was actually a leaky hose in the air conditioner (saving thousands of dollars)
• Shoveled tons of snow
• Bought an awesome grill for the deck
• Went to the best party of the year – the Special Needs Halloween Party
• Saw some amazing films – Trollhunter, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, 13 Assassins, My Afternoons with Margueritte,
• Went to a rained out major league baseball game and ate non-stop
• Went to a minor league baseball game and ate non-stop
• Saw some amazing local bands featuring my friends – All the Way Rider, Rockford Mules, Lesser Known Saint, Earthrise
• Put multiple ads in the Minnesota RollerGirls bout programs, making all of my male friends mad at me for being the best fiancé ever
• Played in the best kickball league ever
• Got to see my nephew and niece's new babies!
• Presented to a Library Science class about what I do for a living
• Helped B.Sweet move into my old house
• Bought Ladder Ball for our yard – it was only a matter of time
• Hosted hours of Wii Big Buck Hunter on the 12-foot screen in the basement
• Went to the St. Paul Farmers Market a TON
• Saw amazing bands – Madball, D.R.I., The Ocean
• Went to some amazing weddings – Michelle and Isaac, Tracey and Carrie, Sam and Citizen Pain, Hüsker Stü and Scarmen Hellectra, and Reney and Smokahontas
• Did the .10K Triathlon
• Got to go to Cooter's Dukes of Hazzard Museum in Nashville, TN
• Went to my first Horserace at Canterbury Park – but only to go to the Food Truck Festival they were hosting
• Did some culinary damage at the Minnesota State Fair
• Helped paint Garrison and Myrna Killer’s fabulous Victorian house
• Went to my high school class reunion and didn’t make an ass of myself
• Got to go back to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving along with my sister from Michigan
• Decorated as much of the house as I could for D.Rough’s birthday
• Went to my first equestrian show (the fancy gate-jumping one, not the rodeo style)
• Bottled multiple bottles of hard cider with TheDoctor
• Grew some amazing facial hair and cut it into anger-inducing patterns

Downsides:

• Said goodbye to one of the most special people in the world – I miss you, Curtis
• Hosted far too few Bad Movie Nights (I’ll try harder this year)
• Racked up even more school loan debt
• Failed every biometric screening required by my insurance
• Didn’t golf a single time this year
• Missed both the World Pork Expo (Des Moines) AND BaconFest (Chicago) this year
• Only went to the Uptown Market a few times
• Missed every soccer game Killsbury Doughboy and A-Wow invited me to
• Missed the annual canoe trip in Mequoketa – my first miss ever
• Missed going to the Christian Homeschool Science Fair at the Har Mar Mall – those brainwashed kids are insane
• Didn’t get to go sledding once in 2011
• Missed out on significant portions of my social life, thanks to school (sorry Kickball, Librarian, and roller derby friends)
• Missed BobaFred’s annual BBQ – again
• Missed out on the Minneapolis Underground Film Festival (MUFF)
• Missed every men’s roller derby bout
• Saw some really terrible movies – Sharktopus, Zombie Strippers, The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi
• Went to an MMA fight - won't do that again

I’d say I had a pretty good year. No wonder I’m so exhausted all the time. For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that I like to do a theme each year. 2011’s theme was the year of being shirtless in public. I’m down to the wire for 2012, but I’ve got a few ideas. Here’s to 2011 being a better year than 2010. And 2012 should be even better, what with a wedding in April, trip to Greece in April, another wedding in June in Seattle, and roller derby trips to Niagara Falls, Seattle, and Atlanta!