Happy New Year!

Ah, it's time for a recap of 2011, and some thoughts about the upcoming year.

Why do we do this? After all, there's no real cosmic significance to the date of January 1st. Yes, a year is indeed a celestial occurrence -- the Earth has made a complete loop around the sun...but the "starting point" was chosen arbitrarily by some Roman or Greek dude, like, a million years ago. Who cares? Don't you think the solstice would make better sense as the date to celebrate a new year?

Doesn't matter, Terry...let it go. It's been this way for over 2,000 years, so I guess it's a tradition, just like eating M&Ms whenever there's a Hope/Crosby Road movie on TV. Or bowing your head in thanks whenever the Raiders are eliminated from the playoff picture. In any case, now is the time to talk about the year past and the year to come, so I guess I am obligated to do exactly that.

You'd think my college degree in Journalism would inspire me to do a little research to refresh my memory about 2011 before I delivered my recap. But no. I'm just going to wing it...which means that I'll only include stuff that happened in the past couple of months since I've already forgotten what happened before that.

So what were the biggest events in my life in 2011? Well, the biggest one would be the job change. I am so pleased that I had the opportunity to rejoin ITN Energy Systems, and am looking forward to being a part of a company that has such great potential for introducing world-changing energy technologies. It was fun to have been associated with folks who launch rockets and explore space, but it's also pretty cool to hang out with brilliant energy scientists, too.

I do miss working with my Lockheed Martin pals, and I especially miss the wonderful world of webcasting. But I may someday be able to do that sort of thing with ITN. We'll see.

The other big change was when Tanner moved to Seattle. I know I make fun of him a lot, but the truth is that I'm an enormously proud parent, and am confident that he'll be a successful adult. As much as I miss hanging out with him, I'm glad that he has struck out on his own and is doing well in his new location. It was great to see him over the Christmas break, and I wish I'd have had a bit more time with him. But he's back in Washington now, and if I want to see him again soon, I'll have to plan my own trip to the Great Northwest. Stay tuned for that.

Athletically, the biggest event was probably the Triple Bypass. The registration for the 2012 event opens tomorrow, but because it's so popular there's a lottery to get in. I'm not sure when I'll know whether I'm in or not. Whether I make it to that event or not, I do plan to do a lot of cycling this year.

I'm also planning to run more. I've had 3 weeks of running without injury, which I think is a modern-era record for me. I'm not sure what sorts of competitions I'll enter, but I expect to run in a race or two throughout the year.

In fact, I was planning to get a good leg workout this very morning, but it didn't really work out that way. There was a guided "nature hike" at Roxborough Park, which sounded interesting. But when I arrived at the park, I discovered that the trails were all hard-packed ice. The other hikers all had YakTrax or other shoe spikes, and were walking confidently while I was slippin' and slidin'. I ended up bailing out on that adventure, and went off to find another, less dangerous trail. But all I found were places that were better suited for Eric Heiden or Peggy Fleming than for Clouseau-esque goobers like me.

Oh well, it was a good day, regardless. I wish the weekend had a few more days in it. I did get all the laundry done, but have a few other chores to get to.

Anyway, back to plans for 2012 -- in addition to the runnin' and ridin', I do intend to swim in a few meets. I've also signed up for the USMS "Go the Distance" challenge, which rewards swim mileage with prizes and merchandise discounts. I've never been good at tracking my workouts, but I'll try it. (At least for a while.) The 100 x 100s event next Sunday will get my distance off to a pretty good start. There's also the 1-Hour Timed Swim event in January, and I may participate in that.

Beyond that, I guess I intend to just enjoy life. I may even attempt to become a bit more social...and might even try to figure out Facebook. (That is NOT a promise, though, so you can't hold me to it.) I intend to sleep well, eat heartily, enjoy music, and do my best to stay young and healthy. And I'll tackle a few things I have never done before, and promise to blog about them when I do.

And most of all, I intend to continue to enjoy the support and companionship I get from you, my friends. Let's challenge each other to have a fun and love-filled year, with all sorts of achievements and triumphs, OK? Thank you all for contributing to the rich and wonderful year I had in 2011. I have a very strong feeling that 2012 will be even better.

I hope you enjoyed all your holidays, and have begun January in the best possible way. Many adventures await as the next 12 months unfold. Let's all have a great year!