Two Thousand Six

Happy New Year Everyone!

My NYE plans got rained out. I was going to head up to Skeeter and Alex’s place near Guernville, but the Russian River is on the rise and there is a mandatory evacuation. So instead I got some much needed cleaning done, worked out, hung out for a bit with my neighbor Emily, and enjoyed a fun and relaxing midnight in with the company of Scott, Patrice and Fikele. In other words: it was a perfect day.

I began my workout indoors, on my trainer, watching Hell on Wheels. (Highly recommended, not only to cyclists… It shows an amazingly human side of the people in the sport.) But, even though it was a great film, the fact that the sun was shining for the first time in two weeks drew me outside. I pushed pause, then I rode up Tunnel which was covered with mud, one section with a landslide that coverd the entire street: even walking around was difficult, and very dirty. I paused on Grizzly Peak to watch a beautiful sunset, pale through the haze. I cried. I don’t know what that was about, but it was the release of something I didn’t want to take into the new year. I also reflected on this past year, one of many changes, travels, and blessings. 2005 made my Top 10.

I actually have a few resolutions for 2006. I want to keep my home neater and my life more organized. I want to stay on the path of learning and discovery that I traveled last year. I want to nurture relationships with those close to me. I want to continue knowing myself better. I want to be a more active ally with those that society has cast out: with the hungry and homeless; with those whose countries ours has and/or continues to bomb; with those who ancestors, gender, and/or sexual orientation have and/or continue to face discrimination, hate, and ignorance. I want to write more: I have something worth saying in print.