New Year's Eve Running Diary 2012

New Year's Eve Diary 2012:

6:15pm: Arrive at Matt and Julie's house after a 3 hour nap (I was worried I wouldn't make it to midnight and also get up in time to be at work tomorrow morning).

6:30pm- food is laid out, looking fantastic. (my goal to lose 20 lbs by march just became more difficult).

7:24pm- fighting the food comatose and contemplating taking a walk around the block (while it's still plus 50 degrees). now that the food has been consumed, pondering the next activity. Bennett is playing with the entertainment system while she attempts to connect to her video camera. She has a video montage she has put together.

7:30pm- conversations in the room range from some undistinguishable baby talk, to Parents directing children to not eat on the carpet/not punch your brother/stop putting that in your nose, to Fiscal Cliff, to expletives under the breath (Bennett as she works with the audio visual equipment).


7:42- A/V Success! home movie time. Bennett has put together a nice compilation of recent and not so recent pics... How fantastic are old family photos?? even photos from 5-10 years ago seem ancient. It's great.

7:45pm- Julie hands out papers for everyone to fill out. "Year End Surveys" (thanks Pinterest).
sample questions:
Favorite food
favorite activity
favorite book
Highlights of 2012:
-greatest lesson learned
-hardest thing of the year
-favorite memory
-what I loved most about 2012
Looking Forward to 2013:
-want to learn
-want to get better at
-biggest goal

Everyone was able to read their answers from last year (I was working last year so this is my first one).

8pm- everyone is talking/reminiscing about 2012 as they fill out their forms. some of the highlights being thrown around include: Good Movies that came out, vacations, baptisms, the end of Riley Nelson's QB career at BYU, and SongPop. Jacob (my nephew) said his fondest memory is when his cousin Luke shot urine into his cast using a squirt gun.... (I didn't catch the backstory of why the urine was put in the squirt gun and who it belonged to, or why they decided to shoot it into a cast, but I thought it was an interesting statement regardless).

once finished filling out the survey, Julie collects them to be opened next year. I think it's a great idea.

8:20-time for bed... just kidding, but I'm not sure I'll make it to 12. I made the mistake of staying up to watch Dark Knight Rises last night and was up until 1:45am. I think my body can only handle one late night a week these days. How sad is that.

8:27-kids are going to play a round of the wrapping paper game before they go to bed (could be some carnage shortly). for those not familiar with the game, you bring out a present that has been wrapped in several layers of wrapping paper. everyone sits in a circle and passes around a pair of dice. if you roll doubles you put on a pair of oven mitts and try to unwrap the present. meanwhile everyone continues to roll the dice. if someone else rolls doubles, that person now puts on the mitts and continues unwrapping the gifts.

 

8:37pm- Wrapping paper game is cut short by crying. it got pretty intense in that circle.

8:42-kids have gone upstairs to bed.... Julie observes how nice it is to have a quiet house...we all nod our heads in agreement.

8:59- a game on niners is on the agenda as Ryan Seacrest does NYE pregame. not the same without Dick Clark (I feel obligated to type that, I'm not sure I actually feel that way. I'm not sure what made DC so good at hosting the New Year's Eve bash. I'm not a huge Seacrest fan, but maybe I just don't have a high expectation for the host...)

9:06- Times Square is looking crazy packed.... and cold. on a side note, I'm not doing so well at the card game we're playing... getting some unlucky draws currently.

Ryan just threw it over to Jenny McCarthy, who is his co-host. Apparently Jenny is letting America decide who she kisses at midnight. The options according to Jenny are: "Sexy Naval Officer, Sexy Fireman, or Average Joe" (the average joe is wearing a mad bomber hat, so he gets my vote).

9:10-I'm making a comeback in the card game...

9:13- NY Rocking Eve puts up a graphic with the TOP 5 Resolutions according to FaceBook:

5-Spend Less, Save More

4-Fall In Love
3-Take More Family Time
2-Enjoy Life More
1-Lose Weight

Interesting top five. On the surface there aren't any surprises. There is conversation around the table that number 4 is an interesting pick. The consensus is that it seems kind of forced. What happens come November and you still haven't checked that off your list? are you going to run out and fall in love with the person standing in front of you at the grocery store so you can fulfill your goal?

9:25- Card Game update. I finished the first game in 2nd place with 4 points. A late rally and some wise decisions allowed me to come back. The second game is also setting up nicely for me.

9:35pm- PSY comes on stage to perform "Gangnam Style"... this leads to a discussion of whether Psy is tired of performing this song. the answer: probably not. Matt makes a comment that it's not like they are asking him to perform any of his other songs, so as long as the gravy boat is floating, he'll ride it out. Curiosity then got to me and I googled the English Translation of his song, which produced the following results:
Here are the "Gangnam Style" lyrics translated in English:

Oppa is Gangnam style
Gangnam style
A girl who is warm and humanly during the day
A classy girl who know how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee
A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes
A girl with that kind of twist
I'm a guy
A guy who is as warm as you during the day
A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down
A guy whose heart bursts when night comes
That kind of guy
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now let's go until the end
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

A girl who looks quiet but plays when she plays
A girl who puts her hair down when the right time comes
A girl who covers herself but is more sexy than a girl who bares it all
A sensable girl like that
I'm a guy
A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who goes completely crazy when the right time comes
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscles
That kind of guy
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Beautiful, loveable
Yes you, hey, yes you, hey
Now let's go until the end
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style
Oppa is Gangnam style, Gangnam style

Oppa is Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style

Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby

I'm a man who knows a thing or two

On top of the running man is the flying man, baby baby

I'm a man who knows a thing or two

You know what I'm saying

Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady, Oppa is Gangnam style
Eh- Sexy Lady oh oh oh oh

This makes me want to write a song in english with a bunch of random sentences and then have someone translate them into Korean for me. There's a strong possibility it becomes a hit (provided I have some wicked cool choreography)

Some of my favorite lines from the song:

A guy who seems calm but plays when he plays
A guy who has bulging ideas rather than muscle
A guy who one-shot's his coffee before it even cools down.

fantastic lyrics, I must say.



9:48- I didn't do so hot in the second round of Niners... After a strong start, I got distracted by the TV festivities and didn't pay attention to my cards...I've dropped considerably in the standings. but third round went well, so I'm back in it.

9:53. Pit Bull just performed on NYRE. someone asked how old Pitt Bull was, stating he looked 40. (sad, because he's actually 32). during Pit Bull's performance, something fell on the stage. Someone*(name witheld to protect guilty party) stated they thought it looked like a bra. This was a surprise to me considering Seacrest just stated it was 38 degrees in NY. after several more camera angles it was determined that it was actually just a string of confetti. that's kind of the same thing right?

10:20- NY rocking Eve ended at 10, so we're currently watching the news...
I've started playing subway surf on my phone, while playing cards and blogging.... looks like I can check off my multi-tasking resolution already. That's gotta be a record time for completing a new year's resolution.

10:30-Niners is over. I finished in third place. a comment was made that the top three finishers in the game all happened to also be playing on their phones/ipads, so chalk one up to the multi-taskers.

10:43- left the festivities a little early to come home. I will not make it to midnight. The Cafe Disco episode of the Office is on TBS right now. Andy and Kelly are in a dance off. classic. I'm flipping between that and Couples Retreat on USA.

I believe this will rap up my New Year's Eve 2012 running diary. now, you may read this and ask yourself a couple questions: 1-why did I just spend the last ___ minutes reading about Ben's New Year's Eve?? well, that's a good question, but this is my blog, so if you came here expecting something different.... I don't know what to tell you.

11:45-*update* I started playing a game on the iPad before bed... and just checked the time. Since I'm so close, I might as well see it thru to midnight.

12:03- The sound of Fireworks down the street filters thru my window...I made it. Happy New Year Everyone!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow

While I'm not a huge fan of the snow (I'm a super lousy skier and even worse snowboarder) and therefore am very happy that I live in Arizona, there are times of the year that I miss it. This is one of those times. I miss looking up from my front drive into the mountains, seeing the deer climbing down the ravines to the foothills, in search of some food. I miss waking up in the morning and going outside to shovel and build snow forts out of the 4 foot snow banks that the city plows left for us in front of our driveway. I miss driving in the snow (just a little). I miss ramming snow banks in Dave's yellow truck, spinning out on the road in our 82 honda civic. I miss the thousand plus time driving up Springville's Center Street, wondering if I would make it the whole way, or have to park somewhere below and hike the rest of the way up. I miss pulling inner tubes behind Josh's car in the high school parking lot (even though Will almost died). I miss BIZZING (I don't think I've even said that word for 10 years)!! I miss Snow Football and Snow ball fights. Sledding up left hand fork in Hobble Creek Canyon, or tubing down the Marriott Center lawn. But most of all, I miss waking up super early on Christmas morning, while it's still dark, and creeping into my living room, seeing the Christmas tree lit up and the reflection glowing in all of the large plate glass windows. Outside I can see the city sleeping, with the twinkling of lights under a blanket of fresh snow. There is something peaceful about snow. Much like watching the sunset on an ocean beach, with the crashing of the tides as your soundtrack or the roaring of a campfire beneath a star-filled night; there is a calming essence when you can look out on a fresh fallen snow from inside a warm house. Perhaps a cup of peppermint hot cocoa in your hands. These are some of the memories I am recalling as I ponder here this wonderful Christmas Eve Night. No matter where life takes us, we're never far from memories of family and friends...and home.

my Fontanini nativity story

Just for a little clarification before I begin.  One of my oldest Christmas memories is playing with the Nativity pieces in the living room of our North Sacramento home.  Those nativity pieces have been a part of Christmas up until I moved out of my parents house.  With my Mom and Dad being in Italy (where they purchased their first sets of Fontanini 24+ years ago), they decided to send the kids Fontanini pieces for Christmas.  But with my Mom, you can always count on something clever (and at times in my youth, cheesy) to go along with the gift.  You see, when you purchase Fontatnini from the store, it comes along with a story card, explaining the background of the character, complete with historically accurate facts for the time.  So my Mom, wanted us kids to choose a character and write stories about them.  Here is my first story.  It is not historically accurate.  That is my only disclaimer :)




"My Name is Reuben"

My name is Reuben. Strange things always seem to happen to me.  Once, when I was 12, my father came home fromwork with a dog.  It had been wanderingaround the streets of Bethlehem, looking for food.  My father is not what I would call adog person, so the fact that he even noticed the puppy, let alone the fact thathe brought it to me as a gift, is very strange indeed.  “It will teach you responsibility” he said tome.  I named my new pet Nero.  My parents asked why I chose a name of Romandescent for my dog, to which I had no real reply.  I just liked the name Nero.  Nero, did in fact, teach me responsibility,but not in the normal way one might expect.

My father was a tax collector in Bethlehem.  And while, he didn’t like Roman rule in ourcountry, he didn’t mind the paycheck and certain perks from being anattaché.  He always thought I would growup to be a civil servant as well, but it just didn’t seem that interesting tome.  My mother came from a family offarmers out in the country about Bethlehem. Thinking I needed an outlet to learn responsibility and hard work, myfather and mother sent me to shepherd apprentice with my mother’s brother.  Since I now had a herding dog, my father saidit was fate.  I think my father justwanted me and Nero out of the house, as this was his busiest time of theyear.  Thousands were coming intoBethlehem in the next few months to pay their taxes, and my father didn’t needan inattentive son and his mangy dog bothering him when he came home.

I had only been in the hills for a few nights when the“visitation” happened.  Some of the othershepherds hated being in the hills.  Theywould much rather be back on their farms with their families and a roof overtheir heads, but they said it was necessary to go and get the sheep to bringthem in for shearing.  I actuallypreferred the hills.  It was much lessengaging work.  Back on the farm, therewere so many chores to do, but out here, my main goal is to keep the sheeptogether and make sure they don’t wander off. Occasionally a coyote or two would have to be scared off, but generally,Nero took care of that and I spent my time laying down looking up at thestars.  It was on one such night, wheremy life changed forever.  I had justfallen asleep, when Nero woke me with repeated nudges to the back of myhead.  I sat up and looked around.  The sky was no longer dark, but instead atremendous light had taken its place. 

Fear shot through my body as the other Men in the camp alsoawakened to the alarming sight.  The fearwas soon replaced with pure astonishment as the Heavenly Being spoke to us,announcing the birth of a Savior.  As ifone Messenger wasn’t enough to get our attention, a multitude of beingsappeared, singing and praising God.  Asthe messengers disappeared and the light faded back into darkness, we were leftalone…(that last sentence reminds me of a song my forefather Joseph sang abouthis multi-colored coat.  He was verytalented).

There was little discussion over what to do next, as none inthe group were of a mind to ignore a heavenly visitation.  But, knowing that we all couldn’t go intoBethlehem to see this Savior and leave our flocks unattended, we decided toplay “nose goes” to decide who should stay behind.  The game is simple.  The last person to touch their nose in thegroup had to stay behind.  Jonathon wasthe unlucky one.  Figured thought, Healways lost “nose goes”.  Having decidedthe caretaker of the sheep, the rest of us went into town.

On the way into town, I recalled the things which themessenger said, wondering to myself why they would send us to a Manger to findthe Savior of the World.  I would’vethought the King of Kings would be born under more extravagantcircumstances.  After some searching, wefinally found the right stable. 

Upon entering the stable, those thoughts vanished.  In an everyday setting, a stable is loud,smelly, and dirty.  But this sceneprovided the complete opposite.  EvenNero stood at quiet attention, as if he was soaking in all around him.  I was doing the same thing.  I had seen many babies in my day, but nonethat captivated the room like this one did. I knew instantly that the stories I had been told all my life regardingthe prophecies to come, were going to be fulfilled by this tiny infant.  I stood for what must have been hours.   Upon leaving, none of us could contain ourastonishment.  We told everyone we met onthe way back to the countryside.  We weretelling everyone how grateful we were to witness such a miraculous event, allthe while Glorifying God.

In all my years, I’ve been counseled to be responsible inpreparation of becoming a man.  I’venever been excited for that time, and have often shied away from suchpreparations.  But seeing that infant inthe manger, and knowing the tremendous responsibilities that awaited him, Icould no longer avoid my own duties, as I had an acute and solidifyingknowledge that he would not avoid his.

 

16For behold, I, God, have ^asuffered these things for all, that they might not ^bsuffer if they would ^crepent;

17But if they would not repent they must ^asuffer even as I;

18Which ^asuffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremblebecause of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body andspirit—and would that I might ^bnot drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

19 Nevertheless,glory be to the Father, and I partook and ^afinished my preparations unto the children of men.

Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19

Merry Christmas to all my Family and Friends! May this holiday season bring us all perspective on true meaning of the season.  As my Stake President said today in Conference "may we spend less this year and give more of ourselves".

 

Cheers!

A story about aging.

Gather 'round children, and let me recite a tale of when I thought i was still young...
Not too long ago, in fact, it was yesterday, I stopped by the Great Clips by my house on the way home from work for a haircut (as I've often done). The girl begins cutting my hair and starts making small talk (I've blogged before about the concept of barbershop gab, or salon prattle and the like and confessed then that I wasn't a great conversationalist during haircuts. It's like my kryptonite). The place was really busy this particular visit. It was close to an hour wait time for walk-ins. I used the great clips app to check in online as I was leaving work so I only waited 5 minutes once i got there.
She apologized for the wait and asked what I had been up to this fine day.
"Just getting off work" I answered.
"Oh really?? Do you always work Saturdays?"
"It really depends on business, but typically I work Saturdays so I can take Sunday off."
"Oh." She paused. "For church?"
"Yeah that's one of the reasons."
"Are you LDS?" She asked.
"...I am in fact." I replied.
"Oh good, I just realized that could have been awkward if you weren't. I am too."
"So do you have any kids?" She asked as she maneuvered her scissors around my scalp.
"I have a 4 year old son. That's the other reason I prefer Sundays off. I get to pick him up from his mom's on Sundays."
"Oh that's cool." She continued to artfully work around my cowlicks. A brief pause as she stepped away to check someone else in, and she returned to continue the cut. After a few minutes of back and forth about why I was divorced (yeah I know- this girl is cutting my hair and asking me for my life story at the same time-I don't know what to say), there was a brief pause. "So, are you dating anyone?" She inquired as she moved on to my neck line.
"I'm not." I answered, wondering if this conversation was sounding as strange to the others in the room as it did in my head.
"Why not? Just not interested?" She pressed on.
"No it's not that. I go to a family ward and I don't have a tremendous amount of time to devote to dating at this time, also I don't know many single LDS girls, so that combination results in being single right now." I could feel the eyes of the waiting patrons looking in our direction.
(And here is the kicker boys and girls)
"Why a family ward?" She asked. "Aren't there singles wards for older people?... I mean, not filled with 18 yr olds?" I could tell she added the last part to help sooth the zinger she inadvertently laid about the old folks.
"Yes, I believe there are." I thought about asking her how old she thought I was, but didn't want to set myself up for two wise-cracks in a row. 'Fool me once...' I thought to myself. "I'm a couple years from the 30 and over ward. So maybe ill check it out when they let me in."
I don't know if it was the shock that I was under 30 or what but I saw a concerned look on her face as she was finishing my neck line.
"I think I cut you. Sorry about that! You were right, you do have a lot of cowlicks!"
"It happens. Don't worry about it." I replied, thinking it was almost poetic justice to end the haircut and conversation on that note.

I'm not sure what happened for those 25 minutes but I did get a haircut. And also came away with the knowledge that I'm no longer 'young'. So mission accomplished I guess.

Some Pictures

It's true what they say "A Picture tells a thousand words".  In my experience, those words are typically "What is going on there??"

I was going through my pictures on my phone deciding which ones to delete (I'm trying to free up some space so I can purchase season three of Avatar: The Last Airbender.... For Blake of course)

I realized that there were several that I hadn't shared. So here's a little catch up:

Blake and I walked in the Children's Miracle Network 5k.  And when I say Blake and I walked, I actually mean Blake walked 1 block of the 5k, and I carried him the rest of the way.  I wish I had a picture of this, but when he gets tired and doesn't want to walk anymore, he bends over at the waist and lets his arms hang down in exhaustion.  It was a good time nonetheless, and despite Blake's aversion to walking, he still got a medal, which made him happy.

 

Last week, I went with some friends over to the Coyote's Ice Den for some Curling lessons.  Now, when I watched Curling during the most recent Winter Olympics, I specifically remember saying to myself "Not much of an athletic sport.  These people call themselves Olympians?"

The next day, both my quads, my hips, and my upper back were eating my words. The above left shows the furthest I can go without falling over.  But I'm nowhere near how low the veteran Curlers get.....Props to them.  We had a 45 minute lesson on the history of the game and some basic verbiage.  Then we spent an hour on the ice falling over, learning, and falling some more.  After that we concluded with an hour match.  We played "4 Ends" (basically 4 rounds).  A professional match goes 10 ends, and I'm not sure I could walk after doing 10 rounds, so I'm glad they only had us do 4.  The important thing is that we won 6-0.

The other night, I walked out of my room to go downstairs, and found Blake just laying there.  I didn't hear a loud noise, so I knew he hadn't fallen.  Plus he wasn't crying, so I was curious as to what he was doing.  When I asked him, he replied "I'm just taking a break".... well there you go.

Tis the Season... for Martinelli's!!!!

You can always tell when Fall is moving into Winter.  Days are shorter. Halloween decorations give way to Turkey's, Pilgrim's and Stalk's of multi-colored Maize.  Some select few are even playing Christmas music already.... which, I'm ok with actually.  But for me there are two things that really let me know that Winter is upon us.  College Basketball starts.  And grocery stores start displaying case upon case of Martinelli's Sparkling Cider!  (And the Multitude rejoiced)

You see, for many years, I've had an affection for Martinelli's Sparkling Cider (to be referenced as MSC for the remainder of this post).  Sparkling Apple, Apple-Cranberry, Peach, Mango, Grape, Raspberry, Wildberry, you name it.  Combine it with Apple and throw some bubbles in there and we're good to go. 

I remember celebrating my first Holiday Season in the Mission field.  I loaded up on Martinelli's.  It was comforting to me.  At night, after planning, I would sit, looking out into the cold Northern California Mountains, and sip som MSC while the Mormon Tabernacle Choir serenaded me with Christmas Hymns.

I also remember a time, not so long ago.... before I moved out of my Condo.  I had stopped by the store on my way home and picked up some Martinelli's.  Before I went to bed, I remembered I had told my sister I would record "Dear John" and put it on a dvd for her.  I came out of my room and went to the dvd player to check the disc before finalizing.  I started it at the beginning and then hit fast forward to ensure I got all of it.  while it was fast forwarding I went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of MSC.  I didn't even turn the lights on in the front room-why bother, I was just going to be there a few minutes.  I just sat there, using an empty Cooler as a bench, watching a Cliff's Notes version of Dear John, while I downed a bottle of MSC.  Occasionally I would play it back at normal speeds just to make sure I got the audio... or to gain more understanding of what I was watching (It can be a confusing movie to watch in double time with no sound).  Below is a picture I just drew to help illustrate the scene.  I drew Channing Tatum in green because he was in the army, or marines or something.  The girl was blonde I think, so she's shown in yellow ( I don't know what's more sad about this story.  The fact that I knew Channing Tatum was in it, the fact I don't know the name of the girl that's in it, or the fact that I watched it in the dark, while sitting on a cooler and drinking a bottle of MSC?  Definitely not the latter.  Drinking the MSC was the best part).  the red box is the cooler.  the bottle next to me, is...well self-explanatory.  I drew squiggly black lines around to give the "dark room" feel.  my bedroom light is on, which provided the only light during this experience outside of the lights from the Screen.  In anticipation of my Oscar for set design, I'd like to thank Blake for letting me use his crayons.

So, Children, the moral of the story is this.  No matter where you are, or who you're with.  Things will always be better if you add some Martinelli's Sparkling Cider.

Time Machines aren't real

Let’s think about time travel. But less “Back to the Future” time travel, and more “Ebenezer Scrooge” time travel.  Think of yourself 10 years ago.  Imagine you are visiting an event in your life back then.  What kinds of things do you notice about your personality, your relationships with family, friends and loved ones?  What were the goals, and hopes, and dreams of your 10 year younger self?  Now picture yourself 10 years ago, visiting your current self.  What are the observations that the younger self makes regarding your current state?  Have goals been accomplished, have priorities changed at all, or are they mostly the same?

I venture that for some of us, both experiences may cause some slight depression (even if only upon seeing the clothing/hair styles our younger self was wearing 10 years ago). On the other hand, this self reflection, might cause us great joy. Perhaps we landed that dream job we had hoped for 10 years ago.  Perhaps our family or social relationships are exactly what we dreamed they would be. For some of us, we may be doing exactly what we thought we would be doing 10 years ago.  For some-maybe not. For some, life in 2012 is possibly even better than we thought it would be 10 years ago.   Regardless of our perception of what we thought the world would be like in 2012way back in 2002-and regardless of how much our 2012 self has lived up to what the 2002 self thought we would be-the reality is, there is a certain clarity that comes from examining how our goals and hopes and dreams change throughout the years.

Now you may be asking yourself, to what honor we owe this dimensionally diluted discourse. Has Ben started drinking? Has he come across an old bottle of percocets that may have expired back in 2005? The answer is no to both. Maybe it’s because it is the middle of October, and I feel like this year has gone by faster than years previous for some reason.  Maybe it’s because it is an election year.  Maybe it’s because the author has a four year old son that seems to grow up more and more every week, and his father just isn’t ready for it.  In the mission field, it’s common to have “companion inventory” in an effort to resolve issues, build a more efficient partnership, and ultimately a more successful companionship.  Often it becomes necessary to conduct a companionship inventory when the two missionaries no longer seem to be working in unison.  Perhaps distractions, or discouragement, or even misperceptions have caused them to lose focus on their shared goal. 

I think the philosophy of an “inventory” is quite sound.  Whether it is an inventory with your spouse or roommates, or friends, or even yourself, it is nice to occasionally recalibrate your compass, check your bearings , and identify areas that could use more of your focus. 

I encourage all of you to take inventory.  If you are having a hard time getting started, think of these questions:

“If my 2002 self could see my 2012 self, what is the first thing they would notice?”

“What does my 2012 self-want to see out of my 2022 self, ten years from now?”

Admittedly, this post is a little out of character for me.  If you were attracted to the catchy title, only to be let down by the lack of humorous quips you've no doubt come to expect from me, I apologize.  I assure you my soul searching, thought provoking posts are few and far between.  Mostly I leave that up to some of my friends, who are much better at it than I.