Thanks to Drew for writing his blog and inspiring me to write a year-in-review post. Pretty cool concept, glad I thought of it.
2016 was a pretty cool year. I want to say “great” but apparently it hasn’t been great and someone is in the process of making it Great Again. Better than 2015? I don’t know. Not everything is a competition and not everything needs to be treated that way (note: make 2017 bee blog best blog) but by some metrics it was better (STARTED meditation, decrease in being annoyed by people, resume updated but not cover letter ERIC) and by other metrics it was…stagnant or worse (can’t pass PT test, I’m going to die alone #faby #byfa #foreveralonebeeyang #beeyangforeveralone #fatassbeeyang, ankle and leg ailments, still fat, haven’t reached Nirvana, blog readership is down, I’ve read less books, accepted the Oxford Comma into my life, etc.). By my math, the good and bad are about even, right?
I like to write about my travels and GORUCK and adventuring as it has been a big part of my life the last few years. Quite possibly the only thing I’ve been into these past few years. Not that you would know it from reading the blog or my social medias. I don’t think that I travel that much (I’d certainly like to do more) but it’s all relative. I certainly don’t travel as much as some of my friends but I do realize I get to travel more than some, and I am extremely grateful that I am able to travel as much as I do. 2016 was cool – I was lucky enough to visit to a few places and I was able to meet up with a bunch of friends. Even if I don’t remember some of it. Especially if I don’t remember most of it. Does that mean it happened?
So here’s a fun trip down 2016’s memory lane (for me, not so much you) even if I have to cheat and use my blog/fb to “remember” this stuff.
FEBRUARY we got to go to Culebra and Dan chartered a boat like the Voyage of the Mimi/Gilligan’s Island and we didn’t crash or die. Well, some of us didn’t. Drunken shenanigans. Golf carts. #vomitvilla Cristina litrly died picking me up. Jason needed to nap so I was his battle buddy in the sand. I wasn’t drunk 🙅🏻🙅🏻🙅🏻
I also got to shoot a Desert Eagle worst Eagle with my GORUCK travel BFFand also regular BFF Jenks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rENHCfblacU
MARCH GORUCK took my not-pro-tips blog post and made it an official newsletter post.
APRIL we saw the reunification of the Shoeless Tag Team Duo (G and Jenks) from GORUCK Class 280 #280worst28x with a guest appearance by their shadow JB in OKC. There, they crushed the Heavy and then some of them crushed the HTL.
MAY, we had the GRT Reunion in NOLA. There I got to room with my buddy Jon W. whom I’ve only seen on these GORUCK trips where I needed a roommate. Pretty cool dude. I also made it into the official GORUCK video!! Dunno if I’ll go back to NOLA again. MAY also saw my return to Heavy Greatness. That is, Heavy is great, I myself am several steps removed from greatness. I signed up for the DC Heavy on a whim (or I had a credit) ’cause Jon Richardson was going to do it and I didn’t want him to do it alone. At least, that’s how I rationalized it. He was going to do it anyway but I like Heavies and I like DC so…sup? Then I got traded to the other team and he did it with one of his buddies who was doing all the Heavies. There I met another group of ExpensiveFriends™ (friends who you can only see when you do something expensive. It’s a thing, look it up.)
JUNE saw my return to Denver for a custom GORUCK with Jenks and Brian. It was based on the 1980s version of Red Dawn (who knew there was one back then?) so I had to buy the movie and watch it #wolverines – Jonathan, Jenks, Brian, Jon, Kelli #koreanstreetgang
JULY we became officially dumb in my hometown of EULESS and literally in the park behind my apartment complex. That was one of the highlights of the year. Everyone turned on me and didn’t want to get sandy. Bastards, the lot of you! Sam, Jill, Pat, Christina, Cristina, Houy Yang worst ang, Chase, Evan, G, David and his girls, Tonya, Nick
AUGUST we went down to Austin to celebrate my cousin Yong’s birthday by drinking and tubing and partying. I may have almost killed half the party with tubing shenanigans but uh, at least the trip was super memorable. Eric and Darlene got married and Jenks scared G’s daughter LOL
SEPTEMBER was lucky to be involved in two trips. I got to go to see Bomber (before he went Corporate), the 10th Bomber Bash, and we got murdered by the hardest Light of all time (they all say that). Followed that up a couple of weeks later for Terry’s bachelor party in Cancun #HANcun
DECEMBER I got a year older and another year wiser. I’m 35 now. I’ve lived longer than Bruce Lee…whoa. I definitely won’t be a cultural icon like him though. Or ripped. Or lots of things but hey, that’s life.
I’m not sure if this is a result of me getting older, meditating, reading minimal amounts of philosophy, or whatever, but I’m glad to say I’ve taken to giving less of a shit about things I used to give a shit about. Nothing matters and we’re all going to die. Everything matters and we’re all going to die. Either way, I like it. Rather, it is, and that’s that.
2016 was great. Still is. Hope 2017 will be great as well. If not, at least I hope it won’t suck all the time. If it does, I guess that’s that, too.
Jonathan Candee said, Loved having you out here for Red Dawn!