2011 was a really great year. Maybe it was because 2010 felt a bit off by comparison (not that I have a right to complain), but the list of good things feels really strong this past year. So I'm happily keeping a personal tradition alive by posting my most favorite moments from 2011.
10. Taking in the San Diego Beer Scene
A great year living in America's Finest City. And of course I love the craft beer scene here from nights out with friends to the odd beer festival. Some good nights out at the Blind Lady, Bottlecraft, & The Linkery to name a few. Another great year at Stone's Anniversary Fest with a bunch of great friends coming in from LA. Big bonus having my old friend Matt from NJ in town for the year, even if I couldn't shake his Miller Lite habit.
9. Road Trips! Mammoth, Mt. Whitney
Another year putting a ton of miles on the VW; which went over 100K this year. Did a big ski trip to Mammoth back in Jan with my USC mates. The Sunday of the trip was easily my best day of skiing ever, great runs.
That Summer I piled the VW to the brim with 3 friends and our hiking gear for a shot at Mt. Whitney. After a successful climb in 08 I was looking forward to guiding 3 rookies to the top. The big challenge was the amount of snow/ice still on the peak (in JULY!). This required a great deal of ice axe & crampon work which was very rewarding. Another great night camping under the stars at 12K feet.
8. House Parties
I decided to take the backpack off this year and get an apartment that could actually fit some real furniture. So for the 3rd time in a year and half I moved. The new place is big enough for guests. A few beer events, Thanksgiving, etc - lots of good times to remember. My location in the Normal Heights section of San Diego has been great. Its been nice to live in a more colorful neighborhood with plenty to offer in walking distance. During runs I could do a nice loop through Balboa Park or to my gym.
7. Racing in the Gran Fondo San Diego
110 Miles of Glory. Road the Grand Fondo bike race with my good friend Mike in April. The centerpiece was a 7 mile climb up the infamous Honeysprings Road. I felt really relieved finishing the climb having thought so long about it. Little did I know that the 50 miles back to downtown SD with the wind in my face would be the real challenge. Good thing Mike took most of the turns pulling out in front.
6. Trip to The Grand Canyon and Sedona
I used the transition time between jobs this year well and made a long road trip to Arizona in May. The Grand Canyon was a pretty cold place, in the 40's at the rim at times. But this made it an ideal time to hike to the bottom and back. 16 miles round trip, amazing views every step of the way.
Hit up Sedona on the way back for 2-3 days. An odd, but very cool place. Fantastic for day hiking or just reading by the river.
5. Oktoberfest - The Real Deal!
Full filled a life travel dream by heading to Munich to attend Oktoberfest with 2 great friends. Time well spent in the Hacker Barsoul tent which had the best band imho. We also visited Prague and the Salzburg region of Austria on the trip. Awesome trip! There is a big recap early on the blog.
4. New Job at High Moon
I'll keep this very short despite its importance. I made a big career move from Sony to Activision (High Moon Studios) back in May. There were a number of great alternatives to consider, but I'm really happy I got to stay in the San Diego area. Delighted with my decision to join High Moon.
3. A Summer on The Run, SF Marathon
Sometime after finishing my first 1/2 Marathon in Jan I somehow decided that I wanted to try a full one. Probably out of a mix of runners high and post race beers I thought hey, "Its only twice what I just did; how hard can it be!" Well as it turns out it was only the most physically difficult thing ever. Aside from the actual run is the training. You need to run 3-4 times per week for months to get ready. Sometimes this was really fun - morning 10Ks around Coronado before work charged me up nice. Other times it would just be a normal Saturday and my training scheduled called for 12 mile + run that I'd lack enthusiasm for. Overall for the year I ran almost 400 miles. And that's probably more than double my lifetime total....which is crazy.
Race day came with tons of trepidation as noted in my full recap. A combination of rushed training &injuries from my flat feet caught up to me. Pushing through that pain to actually finish the race left me in tears. And 6 months later my legs are only now starting to feel normal again.
2. Two BIG Wins!
I got to jump right in with a great group of people working on a great game @ High Moon Studios. We swung for the fences to get Fall of Cybertron on the map in a big way for 2012 and we succeeded. The response to our VGA trailer has been amazing! And I'm working on hanging the artwork from our Game Informer cover. Awesome, just awesome!
1. Holidays
The holidays were great as usual this year, but in a different way. Mixed things up for Thanksgiving by actually hosting it with friends at my place; complete with some cooking on my part. My wonderful girlfriend helped make sure that no one was poisoned by my lack of kitchen expertise. The two of us spent Christmas with my family in PA. It turns out travelling as a cute couple with gold frequent flyer status can get you upgraded to 1st class easily. We had a great trip: family cooked meals, drinks at Victory, and even a quick trip to Washington. Mom sent us back with a provision of cookies.
Back in SD for New Years we got to spend the day at the beach soaking in 70+ degree temps. Feeling spoiled again in San Diego.
