It’s been quite a year — but aren’t they always? I suspect when I stop having years like these, I’m gonna get bored real quick. It’s had more than its fair share of ups and downs, but it’s not what I would call a “bad” year (events of 11 September notwithstanding, of course).
And now, for the annual recap of events and activities:
- Began living with a cat again (Chris’ cat, mind you)
- Promoted to Sr. Developer on the MBUSA.com project
- Tuned up my car and fixed a few outstanding problems … an expensive proposition
- Welcomed Kathryn to Calgary for an extended visit
- Hiked across a frozen Lake Louise … need to do that again
- Went to Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump again
- Stopped briefly through Fort MacLeod, for no particular reason
- Visited the Glenbow Museum for the first time
- Went up Calgary Tower for the second time … great sunsets from up there!
- Saw the play Camelot (my first in Calgary)
- Visited A&B Sound far too many times for my own good
- Began playing the best video game ever made: Virtua Tennis
- Wandered around Banff a few more times (including a particularly long wander on Canada Day)
- Celebrated my first full year here in Calgary
- Said farewell to friends who moved to Ontario
- Spent a very strange evening bowling with coworkers
- Actually, I’ve spent a few strange evenings bowling with coworkers (and friends)
- Drove through the heart of downtown and Kensington screaming the words to Wayne Newton’s “Danke Schoen” out the car window
- Disagreed vehemently with some of the Academy Award nominations and winners
- Saw my first hockey game in two decades, and ended up seeing a few more as a result
- Watched at the Calgary Hitmen won their division (Hitmen crowds are way better than Flames crowds)
- Briefly experienced the thrill of being “popular” (basically, being invited to too many things at once)
- Went out fairly frequently for parties … at least for some of the year, anyway
- Learned what a blepharospasm is … the hard way
- Got far too tired and stressed out for someone my age and tax bracket
- Accidentally broke my cell phone
- Had yet another massive Easter meal with the Western families
- Made a return visit to Vancouver
- Went to Seattle for the first time in over a year
- Saw my first Blue Jays game (technically a Mariners game) in almost a decade
- Froze my keister off in the stadium, and realized I’ve dried out living in Calgary
- Visited with old friends from Radical Entertainment
- Got to play “Simpson’s: Road Rage” months before it was launched
- Rode the Aquabus a lot
- Said farewell to Katrina and her husband, as they prepared to move to San Francisco
- Laughed myself silly through three viewings of “Shrek”
- Learned that my father had contracted lung cancer
- Travelled to remote Innisfail for a bachelor party
- Got dragged to a strip club; made a promise never to visit one again
- Watched as the poor bachelor (see above) was humiliated beyond all reason
- Volunteered twice to cook dinner for Calgary’s hungry, and will gladly do it again
- Attended Janine and Dory’s wedding in Innisfail
- Went white water rafting again … and I need to do it again this year!
- Zipped out to Bragg Creek, just ‘cuz
- Found the Elbow Falls
- Visited Banff (Bamf!) on Canada Day (along with half of southern Alberta)
- Had lunch at the Banff Springs, before we…
- Hiked up Sulphur Mountain in Banff (Bamf!) … need to do that again, after I get some more exercise
- Found CN 6060, a steam locomotive I remembered from my childhood
- Joined the Rocky Mountain Rail Society so I can continue working on 6060
- Made many visits out to Warden to work on the locomotive
- Slowly began my transformation from a “normal” person to a train stalker
- Bought a digital camera, and have been loving it ever since
- Travelled to Ottawa to see Gerry and Sam get married
- Visited with old friends Rebecca and Stefan
- Saw just how much Ottawa’s changed in the last few years since I lived there
- Watched the Changing of the Guard on Parliament Hill
- Rode a VIA train from Ottawa to Toronto
- Went home for my birthday — first time in about four years
- Got a scooter from my parents, which I used regularly
- Rode a train towed by 6060 for the first time since I was about five
- Got extremely drunk at Critical Mass’ president’s house during the company picnic … as did a lot of other people
- Revelled in seeing “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in a theatre
- Found an amazing cheese shop down on 17th Ave.
- Explored the prairies, finding small towns and beautiful sights
- Went to Dim Sum more times than I could even begin to remember
- Saw my oldest friend Mark marry his wife Darla
- Watched in horror as the World Trade Center towers collapsed
- Glued myself to the TV news for hours on end learning everything there was to know about the disaster
- Wished there was something I could do to help
- Got the chance when Critical Mass did a tribute site for a company that lost a huge number of employees
- Chased CP 2816 (aka CPR Empress) from Field, BC to Calgary on its inaugural journey
- Began to really learn what a railfan is, and that I’m becoming one
- Returned to Vancouver again, this time for Radical’s 10th Anniversary party
- Realized that Vancouver isn’t such a bad city, and would consider moving back, under the right circumstances
- Was lucky enough to follow 6060 on its historic journey from Stettler to Jasper
- Went to Stettler many times
- Went to Red Deer
- Went to Camrose
- Went to Edmonton
- Visited an old university roommate and friend, Jon
- Went to Edson
- Went to Hinton
- Went to Jasper
- Drove the full length of the Icefields Parkway
- Stopped briefly at the Athabasca Glacier
- Went to the funeral of Tom Arnott, who died during the trip
- “Returned a favour” by filling a friend’s filing cabinet with candy
- Saw a Flames game, and wasn’t impressed — the Hitmen are better, I think
- Was overjoyed to learn that my father’s chemo and radiation treatments had cured him of lung cancer
- Co-bought a Playstation2 with Chris
- Flew home for Christmas
- Saw my sister get engaged to her boyfriend of many years
- Got food poisoning from some bad Chinese food
- Rang in the New Year at a friend’s home in north Calgary
My only New Year’s resolution: Get a life. I spent too much of the last year in the office.
