Ten Biggest Accomplishments of 2006 (Update Jan 6, 2007)
1. Quitting my gym membership after 15 years.I discovered that the hassle of driving to the gym far outweighed anything gained from 120 minutes on the elliptical machine. I also discovered that the body I wanted was based on the anorexic ribcage fashion model look, not the healthy, gym rat physique. And the only way I could get what I want would be to come back in another life and give it another go.
2. Landing a job I love.
It pays peanuts and I’m literally burning a tire in my living room for heat in winter time, but inspiration and a drive of creativity at work justifies a salary 1/3 of what I used to make. It’s pure flash to be able to finally utter what I do at parties when people are coarse enough to start a conversation with “So, what do you do?”
3. Finding a man I love.
Of course, I love all my friends, but finding a new, special guy that you care about is a sweet grand lovely feeling.
4. Learning to make Indian Curry.
It took many tries, but with the exception of clarified ghee, I think I’ve finally got it. Remember in the movie Alien where the alien juice burns through three deck floors. Well, my curry will burn a whole through that alien juice.
5. Finally finding the name of the song I consider to be the dance song of the year: Cedric Gervais’s Dance Mix of Andy Hunter’s To Life To Love.
For a year I listened to people do little things with that filtered synth sound in dance songs. I told myself someday someone’s going to do a slammin’ club tune using that technique. Well, it’s here.
6. Seeing Werner Herzog’s lesser known movies.
In lieu of going outside the country in 2006, Herzog’s movies have been a makeshift for traveling. After seeing Wheel of Time I ran out to get Martin Brauen’s superb Kalachakra book. I’m still in awe that for many years all the things I love about Godfrey Reggio and Ron Fricke’s Koyanisqatsi, Baraka, and Chronos started with the man who bought us Fata Morgana and House of Glass.
7. Getting all my books into a tiny library made of Ikea shelves.
8. Down to spending 2 to 3 hours online a week.
And that’s dial-up 2-3 hours.
9. Being able to constantly remind myself how ignorant I was 24 hours ago.
10. Keeping the negativity and cynicism of age at bay and continuing the great can-do tradition of one who has moved an inch ever closer to inner peace.
