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My Year in Review

31 Dec 2013

I've seen a few great posts today from people reflecting on some of their accomplishments and favorite things from 2013, so I was inspired to put something together myself. Instead of just listing things off, I thought it would be fun to go through my Twitter feed and pull out some of my favorite tweets. Some of them were accomplishments, others were fun things I did, and some were just ridiculous things that popped into my head. Hope you enjoy!

On Quitting My Job

The end of 2012 was not a great time for me. Lots of things were going well in my life, but I knew I was not happy at my current job. I wasn't learning anything, I was constantly frustrated, and to be honest, I was pretty depressed. I decided to quit my job and form a partnership with some of my coworkers doing contract web development through our own company.

This was exactly the change that I needed. Working remotely has had a hugely positive impact on my life. It's given me freedom and flexibility, challenged me with new and exciting projects, and just made me an overall happier person. I live in VT for the quality of life, and now I feel like I am able to enjoy it more than ever.

On Having a Sick Dog

The beginning of 2013 was an exciting time for me with the new job, however, my dog got really sick the week I started. We didn't know what was wrong with him for a few days. Then finally...

The poor guy had to spend the evening at the emergency vet recovering, making sure he didn't have any real damage from the pine cone. He did make a swift recovery though, and was back on his feet in no time.

On Feeling Better

Speaking of not feeling well, I gave up dairy in the fall of 2012. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but was something I needed to do. I had been feeling sick on and off for a number of years, and finally decided enough was enough, and gave it up entirely. 2013 was the first full year on a dairy free diet and I can truly say I've never felt this well in my entire life. I've lost a ton of weight and am cold pretty much constantly, but it's a small price to pay to actually feel well.

On Holding Babies

I feel like everywhere I look, someone is having a baby, and for whatever reason, people really like holding them. I had never held one before, so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. No one told me what to do with it, and I figured you can't pet it like a cat, so I just tried my hardest not to drop it.

On Being Sad (Panda)

A friend/neighbor/former coworker of mine lost his dog in March. And by lost, I mean he died. I was sitting by Gordie's side during the final moments of his life, and it was one of the saddest things I've ever seen. This experience made me appreciate the things I have more than ever.

On Taking Vacations

My wife and I went on some fun vacations this year. Despite my immense fear of flying and rattlesnakes, my wife convinced me to fly out to Big Sur, CA where they apparently have rattlesnakes everywhere. It was like snakes on a plane, except the snakes weren't on the plane (that I knew of).

We also went to Bar Harbor, ME in the fall. We've been going there every year since our honeymoon, and plan to go back again in 2014. My wife and I are both originally from Cape Cod, so I think what attracts us here is the combination of mountains and ocean. Acadia National park a beautiful place!

On Selling Drugs

The series finale of Breaking Bad wouldn't be for another 4 months, but my neighbors were cooking up a storm of meth right down the street from me. I live in a quiet residential neighborhood just North of downtown Burlington, and never would have thought to see something like this. Turns out they had been cooking meth with their child in the apartment. Pretty fucked up shit.

On Receiving Tweet of the Week

The optimist in me got "tweet of the week" in Seven Days last summer. It wasn't my favorite tweet of the year, but I think it sums up the weather in VT pretty well. As I'm typing this, we're looking at a low of -14°F this week. I also thought up "ForeverAloneSquare", which was my response to people who tweet FourSquare checkins. Please stop doing this folks. If I wanted to know where you were, I'd use FourSquare.

On My Dog Turning 5

I love my dog. I mean the cats are great and all, but bonding with a dog has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Sebastian turned 5 this summer and I'm hoping he makes it past my 40th birthday to see what I look like when I'm fatter and balder.

On Making Friends

I joke a lot about not having friends and being alone, but in reality I have a lot of really awesome people in my life. It wasn't a resolution of mine to make new friends or be more outgoing, but that was definitely one of the themes for me this year. The conference I organized was a huge part of that. I've also been involved in organizing many of the local software user groups and have met people through those as well. I am really looking forward to doing the conference in 2014, and can't wait to share the experience with everyone again.

Laughter is the Best Medicine (besides Percocet)

Life is too short to take seriously all the time. Here are a few of my favorite tweets that still make me chuckle.

Happy New Year and thanks for reading!

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