Goodbye 2011 - Hello 2012

This morning, as I was lying in bed wondering if everyday of my 49th year was going to feel like a hangover, I reflected on the past year and started thinking about the year to come. One nice thing about having a birthday at the butt end of the year is that the retrospective holiday special includes all twelve of the previous months.

2011 was a year of travel beginning with our yearly Caribbean cruise in February with John and Jay from Fort Lauderdale, as well as with friends from Chicago, Germany, England, and other far-flung parts of the world. The ports were pretty boring in themselves this time out, but we kept busy with massages, excursions (ATV tour, zip lines, and Mayan ruins), parties, dinners, and trips to the shipboard clinic for John's crushed finger. This was followed by a trip to Chicago over Memorial day, an unexpected trip to Asia to visit the branch of the family taking root on the other side of the world, and a Thanksgiving excursion to visit John and Jay.

2011 was also a year of huge work projects as well as several large organizational changes that have left me feeling a bit rudderless. I was chatting with Alex last night and told him changes with my job were slowly sucking away my mojo - of course that comment could also be due to the end of the year blues, the slow progression of the years, or the gathering gravitational force of my sofa. Nonetheless, besides the several end of year trips I have taken, I have been quite the homebody over the past six months - early to bed, early to rise, and mostly hangover-free....

At Christmas dinner, my dear friend Clodagh asked everyone at the table about their new year resolutions. Since I had not started thinking of them as yet, I came up with the boring response of working to be more frugal while still maintaining my semi-fabulous lifestyle - hence my frenzy of retail therapy to close out 2011 - a boy has to shop after all!

This morning, between the pulsation of PBR-induced head pains, I conducted a more thorough inventory of the things I would like to work on in the coming year.

1. Break out of my comfort level and take more risks (career choices, relationships, spiritually)
2. Pay off my car by July (two years early) and increase my emergency fund by $5000
3. Have no credit card debt at the end of the year (The trip to Asia slammed my budget, I have two more big trips planned, but there are no regrets on that account)
4. Read at least 10 more of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century (only 31 to go)
5. Rearrange my work schedule to go to the gym in the morning before arriving in the office
6. Spend more time with cherished friends and make the effort to cultivate new friendships
7. Have at least two fully planned and executed parties for friends and family
8. Plan "Glenn days" for body and soul replenishment
9. Say "I love you" more often - but only when I mean it

It is going to be a busy year! Stay tuned.

Here's to wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous 2012.
Much love,
Glenn

MINI, Bus, Plane, Train, and Taxi – Raleigh to Hong Kong

MINI, Bus, Plane, Train, and Taxi - Raleigh to Hong Kong

Getting up at 5:30 AM is never something that I choose to do, but Dad and I were carpooling to the airport this morning.  So I needed a bit of a head start.  Everything went as planned and we got checked into our flight with plenty of time to spare. After a coffee and and an orange juice at the terminal we headed to the gate to wait among our fellow travelers. 

 On the flight to Chicago, I had the window seat and dad had the aisle. Unfortunately, the flight was full and the man in the middle seat was forced to squeeze in between us, but you can suffer most anything for 2 hours.  

We had plenty of time to grab some lunch in Chicago, so we headed over to the Wolfgang Puck’s, bellied up to the bar and spent way too much money for our last American meals with some tall Sam Adams draft beers to wash it all down.  Well, actually, I had a couple of tall beers.  Dad had a sandwich and beer followed by a cup of soup. His turkey club just wasn’t enough to fill him up.

Our company at the bar was quite lively.  The bartender was a flirtatious blond from Poland. We were joined by a deep-voiced housewife from Colorado, and a business man who ordered a “double martini, desert dry, with three olives – one for the past, present, and future.” We made a great foursome.  Lots of travel  talk and loud laughter to send us on our way.

On board our monster plane to Asia, we were seated in steerage – way in the back.  When I booked our flight, I chose seats that were across the aisle so that we would have a bit of leaning out room and still be able to chat during the flight.  But there was a family with small children seated near us, and dad agreed to move into another seat, one row forward.  He earned another feather for his heavenly wings by agreeing to move, but he was still close enough for us to chat.

Unfortunately, the movie on board was Mr Popper’s Penguins.  Really?  I wonder what the choices are in business and first class?  But, the drink service has come through and I got my first vodka tonic poured and off to the side.  Oh yeah, did I mention that I have an empty seat next to me for my stuff?  To spread out into?  Today is a bonus day!  Of course, I am only 30 minutes into my 15 hour flight.  My mood will definitely change. However, before I left home this morning, I raided the home pharmacy for things that could help me sleep.  I am stocked up with Ambien, muscle relaxers, and pain killers.  I can put two rows of this section to sleep if necessary.  

1.5 hours in: Hahaha – they just announced the food selections – Chicken Marsala with pasta (yum) or vegetable stir fry with rice (yuck). Unfortunately, dad does not eat chicken, due to a childhood experience on the farm. He vowed never to eat an animal that takes a poop and then turns around and eats the undigested remnants from the steaming pile.  Good for him!  And somehow he has managed to live to an incredibly healthy 68 years old eating beef, pork, and several other fowl that he did not witness pecking around in the poo.

2.25 hours in: That was the worst airplane food ever, but the brownie was nice.  2^nd vodka tonic has been poured and is steeping on the fold down table next to me.  Settling in for a little reading and perhaps some pharmaceutically induced sleep. Dad is very excited about seeing my brother in Hong Kong, who incidentally has planned for us to take a harbor tour following our arrival.  He has also made our dinner reservations for a restaurant overlooking Hong Kong harbor.  Since he is quite the foodie, I am looking forward to some yummy vittles and great conversation. 

3 hours in: For the love of God!  The Kevin James / Zookeeper movie.  I must be sitting in the family-friendly section. Another vodka please!

5 hours in: The pills are working – see you on the other side.

13 hours in: I am trying to come up with a proper simile for how it feels to sleep in an airplane seat in economy.  How about, “it feels like sleeping in a coffin that is too short,” but we are almost there.

Touchdown – tiny Asian people immediately jump out of their seats and start swarming all around me -  climbing on seats to retrieve their luggage, chattering away, all looking happy and pleased to be home. I am just sitting here, thinking about how am I going to push my way into the stream.  In the end it turned out to be a lot like jumping into a cold pool – just do it and get it over with.  Once you are in, it isn’t that bad.

My brother was awaiting us outside of customs – we are off to the city.