Well, you all know the drill by now. It’s the first week of January, I just
started the 3-Disc Rush Clockwork Angels Live concert, so it must be time for
the one and only… What I Learned, What I’m Thankful For, and What I’d Like to
Forget, the 2015 Version.
So pull up a chair, enjoy a glass of wine, and read on as I
reflect on my year that was.
As I am sitting here listening to Rush, I have to start out
with the fact that I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to see Rush
live again this year. It was the 7th
tour I’ve seen them on. I was
especially thankful to get to see this tour, as it is (supposedly) the last
time they are ever going to do a full tour.
I’ve been blessed to see them as many times as I have, but I would have
been really bummed to miss the 40th anniversary tour.
I would like to forget that they didn’t play anything off of
my favorite album, and really just cut out what I thought was some of their
best music. But really, after 40
years, they can do whatever they want, and I’ll still enjoy it.
I’m thankful that Sara was able to see them with me, even
though she’s not a big fan. She’s
really the only reason we went to see them, as she bought the tickets months in
advance as a surprise for me. I would
have had a hard time justifying the expense, and possibly even talked myself
out of going. But she not only
wouldn’t allow that, she also made me by a T-shirt which I wouldn’t have
otherwise done.
I’d like to forget that said T-shirt cost more than both the
ticket and t-shirt combined from the first time I saw Rush.
I’m thankful that any of you are still reading this after me
starting with four paragraphs about Rush.
I learned that Thai Bloom is a really, REALLY amazing Thai
food place up in Portland. Seriously,
Thai food loving friends, check it out.
Order the Miang Kum appetizer.
Then continue ordering it until you’re stuffed. Trust me, you’re welcome.
I’m thankful that for the second year in a row, we didn’t
lose an animal or a family member. I
know that it just means that we are due for a year that we lose half our pets
and some close relatives. But until
that happens, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the good luck and health
holds out.
I’d like to forget that I didn’t get the full-time position
that I applied with for the county, the first time I’ve actually taken the
steps to get a full-time position.
I’m very, very thankful that I still have an amazing
position at a site that I love going to every day. I sit in the woods, listen to the birds and wildlife, and love
the drive every day. I have said
before that I won’t leave this job until something full-time that I will enjoy
just as much comes along. Until then,
while I will continue to struggle mightily every month to pay bills, I will
rejoice in the fact that I’m incredibly happy going to work where I do. Happiness means so much to me, it is worth
the struggle.
I learned that I have a new upper limit on the year-end
poker feast. This year, I did 26
courses for 22 people, the most unique dishes that I’ve ever done in one day
from out of my galley kitchen.
I’m thankful that once again I had Kim there to help me as
prep-cook extraordinaire, and this year had the added bonus of Sara being there
to help set everything up and help do some of the cooking as well.
I learned that spicy mango shrimp was my favorite new dish
of the year. I swear I could eat that
twice a week for the foreseeable future.
I am thankful that J.J. Abrams didn’t screw up Star Wars.
I’m thankful that I was able to watch the new Star Wars
without a single bit of information on what it was about, without a single
spoiler, without anything but the glee that I felt as though I was a teenager
again. I smiled for days.
I learned, or perhaps re-learned, that effort is so much
more important than execution.
I’d like to forget that I forgot that lesson for a long
time.
I’d like to forget the people who made me forget that
lesson.
I’m thankful that you all allow me to be cryptic on occasion
without stopping reading.
I’m thankful that I live in what truly is the golden age of
television. There is so much amazing
TV on right now, and given the fact that the movies are now outrageously priced
and the quality continues to go down, TV really has surpassed movies for an
entertainment experience. I always
give out one or two shows that I think people should be watching. This year, narrowing it down to that few is
truly difficult. So, trust me, you
can’t go wrong with any of the following shows that debuted this year: Mr. Robot, Deutchland 83, Better Call Saul,
Limitless, the Netflix Marvel shows (Daredevil and AKA Jessica Jones), The Man
in the High Castle. And that’s just
brand new stuff. There’s still Archer,
Game of Thrones, The Blacklist, House of Cards, Person of Interest, etc. that
have been on for years and are amazing.
Too much good TV.
I learned that I can actually go camping, as long as it is
solidly “glamping”. Sara and I went to
a 5-day camping event, and I was perfectly comfortable the entire time, thanks
to the fact that she Tetris-loaded the minivan to the point that we looked like
Lucy driving to the West Coast. But
it’s amazing how much easier it is to be comfortable on a camping trip when
you’ve got a king size air mattress with extra bedding on top, a propane bbq, a
papasan chair, ample heaters, gourmet meats and cheeses and wines, fresh fruit
every morning, and great company.
Really, quite easy to enjoy yourself.
I learned that dates stuffed with Chevre and wrapped in
bacon make a really yummy appetizer.
I’m thankful that I suffered from anxiety and depression
much less this year. Perhaps it is
simply coming to terms with the fact that I’m never going to have any money,
perhaps it was just my body finally adapting as it has always done in the past,
perhaps it was something else entirely, but whatever it was, I had a better
year in 2015 than I had in the previous 3-4 years.
I’d like to forget that I read a LOT less books this year
than I have at any point probably since college. That is something that I will definitely change in 2016.
I don’t say it nearly often enough, and never as loudly as I
should, but I’m really thankful for Sara.
She was unfortunate enough to come into my life when I was absolutely
broken, mentally and emotionally. My
previous two relationships really fucked me up, I had lost my job of 16 years
9-months prior to meeting her, and I was just a complete wreck. She has never gotten the whole of me as a
man or as a partner. And yet she
continues to love me, support me, and give me the care and understanding that I
don’t truly deserve. I do a piss-poor
job of showing how much she means to me most of the time, but I can’t even
begin to express how thankful I am for her being in my life.
I learned that it is possible to make an absolutely perfect
sandwich. I didn’t make it. I’m good, but not this good. If you’re ever in Lincoln City, go to a
place called Hearth and Table. They
change their menu every day, so you might not get lucky, but if they have the
BLT available, order it. Don’t even
think twice about the fact that you’re paying $15 for a BLT. Trust me, you will want to savor every
bite. I would have paid $30 for it,
and not batted an eye. They make the
bacon on site. Fresh heirloom
tomatoes, that they roast on site, and then do something to make them come out
with this sweet glaze on them.
Perfectly toasted bread. It is
the best sandwich I have ever eaten, one of the best meals I have ever
eaten. And I’m a serious foodie,
folks. You have no idea how good this
was. Sara made the highly unfortunate
mistake of taking a bite of it. She
then looked at her ham and brie sandwich (which was really quite good as well),
and basically wasn’t hungry anymore.
One bite of my sandwich ruined her meal because she wasn’t eating the
same thing. Yes, it truly is that
good.
I’d like to forget the fact that Walt Whitson passed away
this year, before I was able to repair our friendship. Walt was one of the original players at
“The Rob”, and came every week for many years. In 2014, we had a big falling out over something relatively
trivial. I reached out a few times to
try to repair the relationship, but wasn’t ever able to do so. And then, in the blink of an eye, he was
gone. I miss his friendship, and his
smile, and wish so much that we could have repaired the damage that was done
before he was gone.
I learned how to make these amazing little dark chocolate
and toffee truffles. So very, very yummy.
I’m thankful that my dad’s fear of death continues to
overpower his failing body, and he’s still around. He looks awful, feels awful, and is generally miserable every
waking moment of every day. But he’s
still extremely scared of dying, so he keeps on ticking.
I’d like to forget that my dad has managed to alienate or
piss off all of his friends and family, so that I was stuck driving 300 miles
in a double round trip to Florence every time he needed to go to the
doctor.
I’d like to forget that I did a piss-poor job of keeping up
on coupons this year, and didn’t save nearly as much as I should have.
Max would like me to say that he’s quite thankful for my lap
being nice and warm as I type this out.
I am extremely thankful to Alex and Jen for paying to repair
our hot tub. It sat unused for almost
6-months because we just really couldn’t afford to get it fixed. But in a very magnanimous gesture, they
paid for the repairs, and we are both so thrilled to be able to use it
regularly again.
I’m thankful that Oregon legalized marijuana. I don’t smoke. I’ve never even taken a single puff of the stuff, as I find the
smell horrendous. But it’s really a
no-brainer to legalize it. And Sara
loves it, and is starting to make a career out of making edibles, so that
hopefully we can be a little more stable.
I also think that Oregon will be the Napa Valley of weed once it’s legal
nationwide.
As long as we’re on the political front, I’ll also say that
I’m quite happy that marriage equality is finally, FINALLY here for all of my
gay and lesbian friends. Congrats, now
you can all be as miserable as my heterosexual married friends.
I’m thankful that after two years of struggling, the crowds
at my weekly poker tournament have finally started to get back to a respectable
level. It was stressful to have only a
few people here every week, but now we’re getting back to having 13-15 people
here, with occasionally bigger crowds.
It is quite nice to see.
I’m very thankful for someone anonymously donating a big box
of food from the local Co-op to Sara and I.
Have no idea who it was, but we got a whole lot of yummy vegetables from
it.
On that note, I’m thankful that Sara eked out a win against
the yard this year. She’ll be upset
that I don’t describe it as a resounding victory, but the truth is, she was
gone for the first half of the year, and well into the summer. By the time she was home, there wasn’t much
to be done. But, we did get food from
our garden, and I ate a LOT of fresh strawberries. For that reason alone, I’ll call it a victory.
I’d like to forget that Sara was gone for almost the entire
first half of the year. It was one
thing after another, some good, much of it bad. But the worst part was simply having an empty house for weeks
and even months at a time.
I’m thankful for the new friends that I made this year. I’m not going to name you, because I’d
undoubtedly forget someone, and then feel bad for doing so. But you’re all wonderful, and I’m glad to
have you as a part of my life going forward.
I’m thankful that I was able to find another fun poker
tournament here in town that doesn’t charge a rake, and is filled primarily
with terrible players that graciously allow me to cash nearly every month. Thank you, Brew N’ Cue for being populated
with really friendly people that I like being around, who as an added bonus,
are all just donating money to me every month.
I’d like to forget that it took almost 18-months for me to
get the paperwork transferred over on my mom’s car.
I’m thankful that I finally found the one woman at the DMV
who actually knew what she was doing, and was able to get me the paperwork that
I needed to get everything worked out.
I’d like to forget that I’m in absolutely terrible shape
after a couple of years of really just abusing my body. When your triglycerides are so high that
they can’t get an accurate reading on your cholesterol, that’s really never a
good sign. Here’s to hoping that the
fact that I’m feeling better mentally will allow me to start treating myself a
little better physically.
I’m thankful for Ubon Thai here in town. Nicest people, and really amazing
food. Going to lunch there in 12 hours
or so.
I’m thankful that I was able to see Courtney when she came
to Oregon.
I learned that the truly amazing history podcaster Dan
Carlin, lives in Eugene. If you like
history, check out his podcast, Hardcore History. This is unlike anything else you’ve ever heard. The guy is really outstanding. I’ve been listening to him for years now,
and not until this week did I find out that not only does he live in the same
town as me, but that he moved from Southern California at about the same time
that I did.
The amount of things that I’ve learned from that podcast
would take up another column altogether.
I mentioned it last year, but it seems that I was a little
early. I’m thankful that the Terry
Brooks Shannara books are finally being made into a TV show. I’m wary that it is on MTV, quite
wary. But the previews so far look
pretty amazing, and I’m looking forward to the premiere this week. Hopefully they don’t screw it up.
I learned that the single greatest deal in all food shopping
is the bulk spice section at Winco. If
you go buy a new jar of say, ground ginger, it’ll run you $5-7, depending on
where you get it. I filled two bottles
for 29 cents. I’m never buying spice
anywhere else again.
I’ve often avoided shopping at Winco because it’s this crazy
madhouse and a pain in the ass to get around.
But I finally found the sweet spot.
10:30pm on a weeknight. Hardly
any customers, and if you get done in under an hour, the crazy restockers
aren’t flying around with the pallet jacks running you out of the aisles.
I’m thankful that we were able to go to Kinkfest this year
(thanks again Dani). We had a blast,
and will be doing our best to find the money to go every year possible from now
on.
I say it almost every year, but I’m thankful for this Rush set,
it really is an awesome album.
I’m thankful that I was able to do a New Food Night this
year for my poker people, and that I was able to be one of the two
winners. This allowed me to give some
small payback to Pat for all of the work he’s done for me over the years, and
the fact that he was able to finally get the crazy bitch of an ex- to start
paying back some small portion of the money she cost me. It’s not much, and she’ll basically be
paying me until one or the other of us is dead, thanks to the wonderful deal
that Pat worked out. But every little
bit helps, and the sense of satisfaction I get every month when the check shows
up in the mail is worth nearly as much as the money. Thanks again, Pat.
I’d still like to forget that AIPCO is gone.
I’d also still like to forget that Diablo’s is gone.
I’m thankful for the people who came to my birthday party
this year, including Michelle who drove 5-hours to hang out for a few hours and
then drive back. You are a truly
wonderful woman that I’m glad to have as a part (no matter how small) of my
life. I hope to see you again at least
once or twice this year, and hopefully you can stay for like, a weekend or
so.
I’d like to forget that I didn’t see Dani or Adora nearly
enough this year.
I’m thankful that I have enjoyed relatively good health for
the year.
I learned that if used regularly, coconut oil helps my
rosacea quite a bit.
I’d like to forget that I rarely remember to use said
coconut oil regularly.
I’m thankful that we were able to attend the Festival of
Eugene this year, where Sara was finally able to see Bulls on Parade live.
I learned at that festival, that Three Forks Wok is back and
doing catering at festivals and such.
I am very thankful for this, as I have missed their food very much.
I’m thankful for the truly wonderful customers that I have
at my site. I’m very fortunate to have
almost no assholes that come in on a regular basis, and almost everyone that I
deal with on a daily basis is just a kind and sweet person.
I learned that Costco has the best rotisserie chicken. It’s like 50% bigger than anywhere else you
can buy one, and it costs $4.99.
I also learned that when we do get one of those, after we’ve
split one and had a full meal, I can then strip the rest of it down to the
bone, and have enough chicken left over to make a full batch of chicken
enchiladas.
I’m thankful that Clive Barker finally wrote another book
starring what is easily the most popular character he’s ever created, Pinhead,
and that he was able to give him a proper send off. If you’ve liked the Hellraiser movies (or the books that they
were based on), check out The Scarlet Gospels, which also has Harry D’amour,
probably his second most popular character (who is woefully inadequate in the
movies).
I learned that it is sometimes worth it to go to estate
sales on the first day. We’ve always
gone on the last day, because everything is half-off. But we hit a couple of them right when they opened this year,
and actually found a few really amazing deals.
I’d like to forget that I bought no art this year.
I’m thankful that I was able to go to a couple of museums,
and a few art shows/festivals, and was able to SEE quite a bit of good art this
year.
I’d like to forget that I’m failing miserably at writing
cards to people. I was really good at
it a few years ago, but the past couple of years, haven’t gotten anything out
at all. It is my familiar refrain,
that I plan on doing more of that this year.
I’d like to forget that I’ve also been terrible at writing
blogs. No excuses, just a combination
of writers block and laziness. But I
will endeavor to get better.
I learned how to save things on Facebook without sharing
them. I’m sure many of you have known
how to do this forever, but I didn’t.
And I refused to share every recipe or cool looking food thing simply to
that I could theoretically refer to it at some future date. This has made me so happy to be able to
keep all the cool looking recipes that I want to try all in one place.
I’d like to forget that I live in a country where Donald
Trump is the leading Republican candidate for President. He won’t get it, I’m pretty sure, but the
simple fact that he’s still leading this far into the process scares me. Of course, the people he’s ahead of scare
me even more, so maybe it’s not such a bad thing.
I’m thankful that I got a couple of fairly substantial
cheesecake orders over the last two months of the year. Doug, Gwynne, Tony and others, thank you so
much. You help pay the bills, and I
appreciate it more than you know.
Everyone else, order more cheesecakes.
Or cookies. Either one. You know you want to. They’re awesome, and I will ship them
anywhere.
I’m thankful to all the people who are still willing to play
Words With Friends with me. Aline and
Brad, you’re the best players I go against regularly, even if sometimes you
don’t feel like it. Trust me, you’re
both very good. I’m actually slowly
working on an eBook to teach strategy and tips/tricks.
I’d like to forget that I didn’t coach again this year. But I’m thankful that I will be back to
doing it at least part-time in 2016.
My work schedule doesn’t allow me to do it full-time, and Sara isn’t
thrilled when I’m gone that much either.
But I will be doing some work with pitchers again this year for the
first time in a few years. I’ve missed
it.
I’m thankful that (knock on wood) it seems as though the
Curse of Rob and Sara’s vacations seems to be over. We actually went out of town twice in 2015 (the “glamping” trip,
and a few days after Christmas), and both times made it to our destination,
through the trip, and home without any major problems befalling us. It took us five years, but we finally got
full trips without major incident.
I’d like to forget that I didn’t play golf a single time all
year. I hit a few balls up at my site,
but that’s it. I miss golf.
I’d like to forget that I did almost no hiking this
year. Failure on my part for sure, but
it’s been tough without a regular hiking buddy since Courtney left town. (And for those of you wondering, Sara and I
are totally opposite hikers—I’m a destination hiker, the type that goes to a
trail that has a waterfall at the end, and just hikes to the waterfall and then
spends time relaxing and enjoying it;
Sara is a scenery hiker, the type that just sort of wanders along a
trail, looking at absolutely everything along the way, not really caring
if/when she gets to whatever the final destination is—Neither is a bad thing,
but when you try to mix the two together, we both end up frustrated).
I learned that anytime I need a quick pick-me-up, I just
have to type in “Nighttime Daytime” to YouTube. Can’t help but smile every single time.
I learned that OK Go’s video for This Too Shall Pass – Rube
Goldberg Machine is the coolest video ever made. Seriously, go check it out right now. I’ll wait. See, I told
you. Aren’t you glad you took that
4-minute detour?
I’m thankful I got to watch the lunar eclipse in its
entirety this year. Was a fun night
just sitting in the park near my house with Sara and the dogs, watching the
whole thing from start to finish.
We’re nerds, but I’d rather spend an evening doing that than almost
anything else.
I’d like to forget that Fox now owns National
Geographic. And that they fired most
of the staff right after taking over.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. America, this is why we can’t have nice things.
I’m thankful that I was able to sit in a luxury box and
watch an Em’s game this year. It’s
quite cool when friends of friends have access to really cool stuff, and you
get to come along on the coattails.
I’m thankful that Sara and I were able to celebrate our
fifth anniversary at the Whiteaker Block Party this year (where we had our
first date). And that one of my
favorite local bands, Cash Only, was there playing. Sara had never seen them before, so that was a treat.
I learned that when it doesn’t rain for like, four months
straight, that ants become insidious.
Seriously, getting rid of them this summer was a constant battle for
weeks. And in my head, all I could
hear over and over was Archer’s voice saying “Do you want ants? Because THAT’S how you get ants!!!!”
I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to see Quixotic at
the Hult Center this year. It’s kind
of like a poor man’s Cirque Du Soleil.
But thanks to Wild Card Wednesday, we were able to go for cheap and have
a nice night out.
I learned at that show that if you post where you’re sitting
on Facebook, you end up with a whole lot of friends popping up and saying
hello, as we had over a half-dozen friends within a few rows of us.
I learned that if you take a dog who has never been to the
beach, and let him run wild on the sand, that he REALLY REALLY enjoys
himself. We were petsitting one of our
favorite animals, and we took him to the beach and he went crazy. Found out after returning him that he’d
never seen the ocean before, so that explained a little bit of the
excitement.
I’m so very, very thankful for John Oliver. I thought Jon Stewart was great at cutting
through the bullshit and giving you news the way it should be presented, but
John Oliver is on another level altogether.
So common sense insightful, and just unrelenting on calling people out
on their bullshit.
I learned AND am thankful for the fact that I haven’t really
changed how I look in almost 10 years.
I did this thing where it takes pictures from your profile from various
years and shows how you’ve changed. My
picture from 2007 looks pretty much identical to how I look right now. I’m the new Dick Clark. I’m going to look
exactly the same right up until I have a massive stroke, and then age 40 years
in the course of six months, and then die shortly after. But hey, I’ll take it.
I learned how to make some really yummy bar cookies this
year. And hope to learn a bunch more
flavors in the coming year.
Finally, I’m so very, VERY thankful for each and every one
of you. My life is a richer, more
fulfilling place because you all occupy a part of it. I wouldn’t have made it this far, or been nearly as happy
without all of you in my life. Thank
you all, from the bottom of my heart, for bringing me smiles every day.
