*

Hard to believe TwentyEleven is nearly over. What has characterized this year for you?

For me...

...Blizzard:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1856562576045.2113227.1300282613&type=1&l=80bcdc8ced

...Attending cruise nights on a regular basis for the 1st time in YEARS:

https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/2011CruiseNights

...Coast-to-Coast road trip:

https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/CoastToCoastRoadTripFri06242011Mon07112011

...Final meet'n'greets/gatherings posted/promoted:

https://picasaweb.google.com/knightfan26917/2011MeetNGreets02

...driving my MCs less than the previous 2 years:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2118627487504.2132734.1300282613&type=1&l=f7e0236632

...4th open heart surgery, 11/11/2011 (& 11/12/2011) ... POST-SURGERY PARTY TBD:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2636895683885.2152619.1300282613&type=1&l=7f835748ff

...nephew time (hard to believe he is 3 years old)

...deaths of a few relatives and several close friends

...witnessed 2 Chicago team "arch rivals" win respective championships (Green Bay Packers; St Louis Cardinals)

...favorable feedback received during/after my Christmas Eve radio show

...connected w/more friends/family on FB and switched up my "daily themes":

Sunday Bulletin

Monday Madness

Tuesday Twist

Wacky Wednesday

Thursday Query

Friday Philosophy

Saturday Twin Spin/Smorgasbord

...songs (available on YouTube), not all from 2011, but heard on my road trip &/or re-discovered &/or associated with an event:

One Republic ... Good Life

Adele ... Someone Like You

Dan Seals ... You Still Move Me (remembered b/c of Adele's "Someone Like You")

Jake Owen ... Barefoot Blue Jean Night

Sugarland ... Something More

Jim Glaser ... Man In The Mirror

Steve Wariner ... The Weekend

Sawyer Brown ... This Missing You Heart Of Mine

Ronnie Milsap ... Still Losing You

Don Williams ... Old Coyote Town

Bellamy Brothers ... Crazy From The Heart

TG Sheppard ... You're Going Out Of My Mind

Tom Wopat ... A Little Bit Closer

John Schneider ... Take The Long Way Home

Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic

*** 3rd GEN MC (1978,1979,1980) FORUM > http://thirdgenmontes.proboards.com/index.cgi ***

** 6th GEN (2000-07) GROUP > http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/y2kmontecarloclub/ **

"Another year comes to a close" __ Sylvia __ 'Reflections'

A year of change for me, lots of ups, some downs.

Changed jobs twice. Went from being an employee in a Fortune 500 company to a contractor in a Fortune 500 company in a completely different industry to a joining a small consulting company w/ a variety of clients. Went from a long commute to a short commute to a moderate length commute.

Experienced the death of one of my/my sister's dogs that I've lived w/ the last few years.

For fun, took a bunch of long weekend vacations, mostly to California and Colorado...for motorsports.went to two NASCAR races locally, the Long Beach ALMS and Indy Car races, the Indy 500 (pretty special since it was the 100th anniversary), and the Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca. Went to a couple of the nationally known January Scottsdale car auctions and several car shows incl. the Copperstate 1000 roll out.

Added another 12k or so miles to the Jeep, no major problems this year other than one of the motors on the driver's power seat failed (waiting now on a replacement seat track and motors I bought on eBay).

Sampled a variety of rental cars this year on trips...Mazda 5, 3 Chevy Impalas, a Chrysler 300, and a Cadillac STS (liked the last 2 quite a bit).

Discovered a few bands and musicians that are 'new' to me, enjoyed a few concerts.

Sampled a lot of different restaurants in the Phoenix metro area, incl. some I'd overlooked in past years.

SKYRRRRRIIIIIMMMMMMMM!!!!!

Forza 4 (holy crap that game is long!)

For 2011 - a thinning of the fog.

For 2012 - I hope a sunny day.

Mostly ups and downs....

• Birth of a daughter.
  
• Death of a grandfather.
  
• Green Bay Packers' 4th Super Bowl victory.
  
• Atlanta Braves' second-worst late season collapse in history.
  

But overall, I'm pretty happy with the way the year turned out. Time for 2012 to surpass it in every way imaginable.

For 2011 - a thinning of the fog.

For 2012 - I hope a sunny day.

That certainly would be nice....

*

2011 IN PICTURES

February Blizzard:

April Meet'n'Greet, including my 1979 Caprice Classic:

June-July Road Trip, Oklahoma City OK, rental 2011 Dodge Charger w/3rd gen MC:

June-July Road Trip, Medford OR, rental 2011 Dodge Charger w/4th gen MC:

June-July Road Trip, Portland OR, rental 2011 Dodge Charger w/2nd gen MC:

June-July Road Trip, Seattle WA, rental 2011 Dodge Charger w/1st gen MC:

June-July Road Trip, Sycamore IL:

July Cruise Nights:

November Nephew Time:

December Decorations, w/my 2011 Dodge Charger HW model:

Cort | 38.m.IL | pigValve + paceMaker + cowValve | 5 MCs + 1 Caprice Classic

CHD.MCs.CC + RoadTrips.hobbies.RadioShows.us66 = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

"Can you believe what a year it's been?" __ Savage Garden __ 'I Don't Know You Anymore'