Hello friends.

Christmas was fantastic. Just fantastic.

Only blip: I was forced to deal with the inconvenience of a canceled flight and, therefore, a 5 1/2-hour drive home. The flight would've gotten me home by 11, driving home right after work would've gotten me there by about 8 or 9, and driving post-cancellation got me home at about 2. But oh well. I actually returned home earlier than I would have by driving back to The Ring Fingernail on Tuesday. Though, of course, I left earlier.

The upside to this: On Tuesday, I was on hold with the Northwest (Northworst - Ha!) Airlines people for about 15 minutes, then let Dave the guy on the phone know that I wouldn't be checking into my return flight. I was driving home because of Friday's canceled flight, I explain, and when would I be getting my refund? I was on hold for about five more minutes, then Dave said, "It should be processed by the end of the week."

That was Tuesday, this is Saturday, and I still don't have my refund... but maybe it'll happen. That'd be totally awesome.

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So let's recap, but briefly.

Saturday was Christmas on the farm, or in the vicinity of the farm. It's not about the gifts, but I came away from the grab bag with a 48-can cooler on wheels. Highlight: Santa presenting my uncle with a pair of boxers.

On the right leg:
Graphic: Vertical Arrow.
Text: "The Man."

On the left leg:
Graphic: Horizontal Arrow, directing towards crotch.
Text: "The Legend."

Uproarious.

Saturday, more importantly, was the first night I've ever had Chilean empanadas as prepared by Jenny's mom. I drank two Sam Adams at Jenny's house, and one Old Style at her townie bar. (Elgin natives are nowhere as attractive as Glenview's, for the record. They're downright ugly, in some cases.)

I'm really happy that Jenny's my friend. I was very, very tired when I arrived and very, very tired when I left, but those four or five hours spent with her were four or five of the most enjoyable hours I've had in a long time. Nothing earth-shattering or phenomenal, you understand, just extended time with a really fantastic person to spend extended time with.

Also, empanadas are better when eaten with one's hands.

Sunday, I think I slept about all day. I definitely fell asleep during the apparently-thrilling final Detroit drive. We had a fantastic dinner with the nuclears-sans-big-brother, and my fantastic aunt and uncle and cousins. I made an off-color joke that didn't go over well, but it happened in about minute 35 of a three-hour dinner, so I think it was forgotten by the end.

Then, The Boy and I drank a whole lot at The Glenview House, which is worth something. A few more high-quality locals, and beer paid for by people other than me, mostly my dad.

Monday was our second-straight truly fantastic Christmas, though, of course, they're always truly fantastic. Dave and Jeni and the dogs arrived at about 1, and the dogs were fantastically well-behaved, and we just kind of hung out. Gifts were wonderful but inconsequential, and I think I kind of sucked this gift-giving season (except for my mom's gift, Ring Fingernail-produced flavored coffees, an idea that produced swearing when I told The Boy about them and moans [!] of approval when consumed with dessert).

Unfortunately, I didn't win when we played Clue at the end of the night. Really, Clue's a pretty good way to spend a half-hour, even when your mom's falling asleep.

I got to talk about life with my parents for about an hour late-night on Christmas, and then The Boy and I got to talk about nothing for about another 90 minutes later that night. Awesome on both counts.

Tuesday, I ate two large meals in about three hours, consuming biscuits and gravy (mmm, biscuits and gravy) and a plate of hash browns at Jack's 24 Hour Restaurant in Skokie, then some onion rings and some soup and a chicken salad sandwich at Hackney's in Glenview, home of the legendary Hackneyburger. I felt ill for about six hours after meal number two.

Anyway, meal number one was with Deedz, the first time I've seen her since Nemo's wedding, and it was super. I wish I talked to Deedz more, because there's almost too much 'catching up' and not enough 'let's talk about dumb shit' conversation. But it's important to learn things like, hey, the wedding's in August (if you want an invite, you better speak with her in the next month, and you probably want an invite, because it'll be bitchin'), and, hey, the A-Train is already in the CHI.

Meal number two was the traditional near-Christmas meal with the parents and The Boy. Packed at 1 on a Tuesday, but I guess that's because it's a lot of people's traditional near-Christmas meal. They all got burgers, but I couldn't handle one.

The drive back to the parents' house was also awesome, because, as I stopped for gas, The Boy and I witnessed a teenage girl pull up the pump, stop the car, and realize that the gas tank was on the other side. She then took the car to the other side of that 'pump island' but, again, parked on the wrong side. She then took the car to the other side of the gas station but, again, parked on the wrong side. At this point, she backed away from the pump and appeared to make a phone call; The Boy and I were gone before we could see any resolution.

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So that's the fringe-mandatory Christmas recap.

Should I do a fringe-mandatory look-back? I guess, but quickly.

- - - - -

My 2006 really started in December 2005, when I decided to leave The 'Port. That was a pretty big, and a not-regretted-at-all decision.

Companies that have paid me since December 2005:
Team 1
The Radio Station that carried Team 1's games
Bullshot's sister's former company. Yay HR, kind of. Or, rather, yay money!
Team 2
Current

Locations that have received magazine subscriptions under my name since December 2005:
The 'Port
My 'View
The R/DS' place. Pour out some beer for your homie.
Current.

So, a volatile year, but I'm pretty sure I'm happier today than I was last December 30. Certainly, while my life is no more settled, I'm 100 percent happy with my out-of-baseball decision, and I'm mostly happy with my current employment decision. Maybe it's depressing, in a way, but I'm understanding now that it's okay to have a 'job' that is just a 'job,' and not a 'passion.' I've got a 'job,' and I enjoy my work in general, and I enjoy the people I work with, and I enjoy our volleyball games, and I enjoy our scrappy Texas Hold 'em games, but I certainly don't feel passionate about my industry. I'm just happy that it's a pretty good place to hang out, and they give me a paycheck. Most people just work for the paycheck, right?

Probably the night with the most impact on my life was December 14, 2005, or right around there. That night, I did some website reading and determined that I'd order The Hold Steady's Separation Sunday for The Boy. Had I listened to any sound clips, I wouldn't have, but I didn't and I did, and now I realize that Craig Finn is the greatest.

Anyway, I met some great people this year, which is nice, but I also became a lot closer with a lot of people that I really care about, and that's a lot more important. The four months I spent in my parents' basement were about the most fun I've ever had in my life, seeing them a lot, and seeing Gurs a lot, and seeing The Boy fairly frequently. I got to see my sister as a grownup in the city. The Tigers-related trips to Detroit/Ann Arbor allowed me to see a lot of Nemo and Carrie and were, in a lot of ways, 'about the best' weekends I've had. Even though I didn't feel completely comfortable making an ass out of myself during Mags' walk-off homer against the A's - sadly, Nemo couldn't make it, and I didn't want Mr. Nemo to think poorly of me. Ha!

I generally liked the people I worked with this summer, and generally didn't mind the people I worked for this summer, though I've kind of lost contact with them already. I'm excited at the fact that I work with a much wider array of people at my current place of employment, with an actual age range (other than 'first year out of college' to 'I finished four years ago,' which is what it is in baseball) and people with far more varied backgrounds. Though we're all nerds, which is okay.

Also, I dropped about 20 more pounds this year and, two jobs removed from my life as a fat guy, people are now incredulous when they hear that I experienced 15 years as a fat guy. Since I began running in late April, I've advanced from a starting point of 1.1 miles in about 11 minutes to an outdoor distance of about 7 miles in about an hour. My longest outdoor run was 8 miles; on the treadmill a few weeks ago, I did 10. So dumb, really. I can conservatively estimate that I've run at least 80 percent of the days since I started running, sometimes twice a day during the summer and now for about an hour or so after work. Agian, so dumb, but really nice to have found something that relaxes me, energizes me, and gives me an outlet to listen to really loud music while watching the ESPN bottom line ticker with the sound down.

Related to the post-fat guy life, and I'm comfortable that I won't return to the fat guy life, it's neat to be able to eat ice cream or a cookie and not feel nervous about it. Though that's how one returns to the fat guy life, perhaps.

So, things I'm proud of from 2006:
I found a place of employment that's nice
I found an area to live that's fantastic
I've got some great friends
I really like my family
It's not about the money, but I've got much more today than I did at the end of 2005. Though it's not about the money. And, to be honest, it's not like I've got much.
The 'chops. A joke at first, though now I kind of like them. So does my mom.

Things I'd like to accomplish in 2007:
Get a haircut. My barber shop closes on Saturdays at one, I learned today. So I'll have to shoot for next week. That'll be my first accomplishment.

Buy a bed. It's never come up here (why would it come up here?), but I don't own a bed. The R/DS' place was 'fully-furnished,' which is to say there was a futon mattress to sleep on. When I moved in September, I also purchased an air mattress. Since mid-November, that air mattress has had a hole (now two holes), and electrical tape isn't particularly effective. So, since mid-November, I've been sleeping on an air mattress for two hours, and the floor for the rest of the night. So a bed will be a good investment, I think.

Move. Maybe alone, maybe with a roommate, maybe in The Ring Fingernail, maybe closer to work.

Avoid arrest. You never know.

Avoid traffic tickets.

Maintain friendships, and form new ones.

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That's all I've got. Be safe, and we'll see you next year. Ha!