Hows my little '11 recap?

2011 Has been a really great year, a year that seemed to go by too quickly but great nonetheless. A lot of new and wonderful things came to me this year. This year was the first year I set a new years resolution and followed through with it. I gave up cereal, I miss Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Golden Grahams greatly, but I'm not hungry 45 minutes after breakfast anymore, that makes it worth it. I've had many good accomplishments and small changes to my usual lifestyle and am looking forward to more to come. Here's to 2012!....that is unless the world ends.

With no further ado, the highlights of 2011:

Best:
Movie (in theater): Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Just like when I closed the final book after finishing it, i left this movie feeling a bit empty. Since high school I've been looking forward to new Harry Potter books and movies and this year it all ended.

TV Show: True Blood.
This year I even gave Lost a chance, boy did that show blow.

Concert: Flogging Molly, Congress Theater, Chicago
Flogging Molly seems to be a staple for this award, but it was also one of the only concerts I attended this year. It helped that the Chicago River was green.

Performance: Blue Man Group.
If you ever get the chance to see these guys, do it. If you can get tickets in the "splash zone" it is 100% worth the premium, their performance is enhanced by their blue facial expressions.

Album: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Wow. If you like music with electric guitars at all, buy this one.

Song: Electric Chapel - Lady Gaga
So goddamned catchy.

Game: Angry Birds Seasons
Smurfs Village is a close second though, really close.

Book: The Passage by Michael Cronin
Easily the best book of the year (of the few I read).

Gadget: Lil Mac II
A new laptop. A much needed upgrade and used extensively for work. Fantastic.

Bar Night: Las Vegas June 10-12th
Not really one night, but really I didn't stop imbibing the whole weekend. Bare, Glitter Gulch, Flamingo, Stratosphere, Downtown, +$200, 10 hours sleeping, no complaints.

Getaway: Michigan
Belated 1 year anniversary and a MUCH needed recharge from the crazy hours spent working the previous couple of months.


Garden Growth: Brussels Sprouts
I really think these are pretty gross frozen, but fresh from the garden...Yum!

Race: Grandma's Marathon
26.2 miles of exertion and a massage worth running to.

Construction: Garden trellis
I have no idea if this thing is going to stand the test of time, but I'll cross my fingers.

Intoxicating Beverage Tour: Yazoo Brewery, Nashville
The tour was pretty great, but the strangers we befriended iced the cake.



Events of Note:

Random: Sauerkraut failure. Grey Butt hair. Mohawk.

Obsession: Learning about Minimalist footwear, running and so on.

Newsworthy: Japan's destructive earthquake and tsunami.
Sparked the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

News I'm oblivious to: Casey Anthony, Kardashians, Charlie Sheen.
Charlie Sheen jokes fall flat don't make them expecting me to laugh. Watching my facebook friends blow up over Casey and Kim was crazy. I couldn't believe how much hatred was expressed towards complete strangers' lives.

Travels: Chicago, Door County, Chicago again, Northern Georgia, Las Vegas, Duluth, Washburn, Michigan, Sand Ridge State Park.

The death of my wonderful old companion Chip.
First Annual Bockfest, 100% success.
Our new grill is amazing!
I lost about 15 pounds through this year and maintained that weight.


2012 has a great many things to look forward to. At work the winemaking process is moving more into my control, which is terrifying and exciting. Last year I resolved to write more blog entries to keep my faithful readers interested and this year I am going to improve on my sad improvement from 2009. There are a few travels that I am looking forward to, like a trip to Boston, Georgia, Tough Mudder Twin Cities, possibly California, and the usual adventures to see my great friends and family. I'm also looking forward to our newly enlarged garden, we added 72 square feet for more tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and new things! This year maintaining and improving my fitness is also going to be a major goal. I also keep talking about building some sort of piece of furniture and I think this is going to be the year it happens, a lack of tools is no longer an excuse. I'm also excited to step up my homebrewing adventures by moving to all grain brewing for the first time! With that comes greater control and effort, but the quality of beer should improve. Another important goal is for me to read more books this year.

2012, I'm ready for you.