2015 Year in Review

Each year, I like to look back and see what I've accomplished (or NOT accomplished). 2015 had some surprises, but I'm glad I made it through. Here are some of the highlights, if you're interested.

• Hosted the 3rd Annual Scotch Pong World Championships - yes, beer pong, but with scotch!
• Went to a ton of old guy metal shows, including King Diamond, Exodus, Crowbar, D.R.I., and others
• Ran my first Half Marathon (actual 13.1 mile race)
• Went to fun cities to watch D.Rough play roller derby and to scream at the top of my lungs - Baltimore, Omaha, Madison, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, and even St. Paul!
• Actually made the annual canoe trip on the Mequoketa River!
• Went to two amazing weddings and one vow renewal ceremony on the beach
• Ate at some fabulous restaurants. Of note: Chimborazo, The Brewer's Table, Eat Street Social, Taco Libre, and Jimmy's Hideaway
• Spent a day in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan - we'll be back!
• Threw a super fun Raclette (melty cheese) birthday party for D.Rough
• Moved to a new work building up to the 11th floor (and I have a window)
• Got to take a work trip to our London office and catch up with old friends while there
• Hosted a number of Bad Movie Night themes - Black History Month, video game, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Christmas Wrestling, and others
• Put multiple Chao-related ads in the Minnesota RollerGirls programs - I'm a sponsor!
• Drank a lot of wine at monthly New Vintage wine tastings all over the Twin Cities, and an occasional friend-hosted wine tastings
• Played in my Wednesday night Uptown Kickball League
• Went to the Minnesota RollerGirl Surly Punch Pass Party and got schooled at bags/cornhole by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Cornhole"
• Did serious damage (mainly to my intestines) at the Minnesota State Fair
• Went to F1rst Wrestling's Wrestlepalooza 5 semi-pro wrestling event at First Avenue - so much fun
• went to Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts
• Went to a number of Minneapolis Scotch Society Scotch Tastings to drink Scotch I can't afford
• Got to see Chikara Pro wrestling - famous acrobatic wrestling league - and I'm all over the DVD they published from it
• Saw multiple movies - Metalhead, Whiplash, Acquatic Life of Steve Zissou, Coffy, Foxy Brown, The Bridge, Bottle Shock, Santa's Slay, AAAH! Zombies!!!, Pro-Wrestlers vs. Zombies, The Remaining, Total Retribution, Mantera, Nights and Weekends, Ondine, Saint Nick, Doomsday, Horns, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Metalstorm, LOL, Black Sampson, Three The Hard Way, Her, Margot at the Wedding, The Campaign, Japanese Story, Snow Angels, Charlotte Sometimes, Small Beautifully, Bomber, The Interview, Edge of Tomorrow, Oculus, Singham, Singham Returns, Cannibal: a Love Story, Monsters vs. Aliens, Vile, Black Gestapo, Jinx, Black Six, Intermission, Eagle vs Shark, The Chumscrubber, Death at a Funeral, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Frownland, The Sasquatch Gang, Crime Spree, Bounty Killer, Wolfcop, The Babadook, Love Me, Egypt, Monica & David, Death Camp Treblinka, Zombeavers, Creep Van, Elevator, The Edge of Hell, away We Go, Brothers Bloom, The Walking Deceased, My Mistress,Bound By Flesh, Get On Up, Lavalantula, Attack the Gas Station, St. Vincent, Theory of Everything, Paradise Now, Packed in a Trunk, Hector and the Search for Happiness, John Wick, The Pact, The Pact II, Nightcrawler, Before I go to Sleep, Appleseed, Franklyn, Golden Compass, Driver 23, The Atlas Moth, Solaris, El Samourai, Late Phases, Gozu, Half Moon, Santa With Muscles, Karate Robo Zaborgar, Crimson Peak, Wetlands, How to Be, I Am Santa Claus, Inside Ron Jeremy, Blue is the Warmest Colour, Aura, After Tiller, Joyeux Noel, Rudo Y Cursi, Session 9, Krampus, Moving McAllister, Camile, and a bunch more I forgot to write down
• Went to the Winter Carnival Beer Dabbler beer festival and drank around 30 small beers
• Got to hang out more with my cousin Houston from Denver, since he started working from time to time in the St. Paul office of his company!!!
• Attended a wedding with at least 50 people carrying sidearms openly
• Went to another wedding where people had to stop firing guns long enough to hold the ceremony
• Ran the 6th Annual .10K Triathlon
• Was in a rap music video. Dancing. Which I am unable to do. So it's horrible.
• Went to Pirate Fest at Mill City Nights - a night of heavy metal pirate bands: Alestorm, Swashbuckle, and The Dread Crew of Oddwood
• Grew some pretty abnormal facial hair styles
• Went to the best Superbowl Party in the Twin Cities with my kickball people
• Saw the biggest cock in Omaha
• Celebrated christmas in Florida with the in-laws and had a blast! 
• Went skeet shooting with my wife, which was hilarious

Some not-so-awesome things happened in 2015, as well. I like to list these as a reminder of what to look out for in 2015...

• Missed the annual July Birthdays Tubing Trip on the Cannon River 
• Went to VERY few meat raffles
• Did NOT eat enough poutine with this Twin Cities Poutine Crawl Club I'm in
• More friends of mine split up, which never makes me happy

Each year, I have a theme for the entire year. 2015 was the Year of Old Guy Metal shows. I still haven't really picked a theme for 2016, but I'm sure it will unfold itself in due time, as these things generally do.

I'm coming for you, 2016! Better be ready...