Old Blog 1: First of 2005

Firsts in 2005

First time I:

climbed 94 floors in under 18 minutes (actually, first time I climbed that many consecutive stairs);

visited Southern California;

quit the best job I ever had to pursue the untested and unknown;

drove over 2000 miles with my mom;

have been to Texas, Oklahoma and Arizona;

became a member of the San Diego Zoo;

was employed within a week of moving to a new town;

had unlimited access to a trampoline, foosball, ping pong & indoor skateboard ramp (although I didn't make use of any nearly enough);

attended a Gong Show in which my date was gonged;

met the Scots;

stumbled onto a nudist beach by accident;

played kickball as an adult;

stepped up to the karaoke mic;

have ever seen a movie projected on the back of my house;

introduced linus to the concept of a dog beach;

lived in a place with a pool;

witnessed the largest thermometer in the country read 104 degrees;

saw the Virgin Gorge of Nevada;

realized all the hot springs available in western Colorado;

drove through tornado alley during a wicked electrical storm. SCARY & SPECTACULAR;

visited Wichita, KS;

discovered the joys of a floatie in the pool;

uncovered my exceptional skill at floatie racing;

wrestled a black widow in my tub;

shooed a lizard from my doorstep (twice) and bathroom (once);

climbed a California peak;

discovered the Velodrome Bike races in my 'hood;

found the Hash House Harriers (running club);

employed my bike year round (since becoming an auto commuter);

saw the glow-in-the-dark red tide;

realized that store displays are the only indication of seasons changing in these parts;

visited Chicago as tourist (since having called it home for 6 years);

observed a temperate Halloween in which ladies could wear practically nothing AND hang outside;

had an in-&-out burger (not as awesome as I was led to believe);

walked Hollywood Blvd – powered through LA traffic;

adapted to the weather staying warm but the sun still going down at 4:30pm (screws with the body's constitution, I'll tell you what);

have needed no special clothes for "winter";

run outside in short sleeves in December;

spent Christmas Eve on a beach;

felt the warm sun on my skin and face in late December.