Yes, this blog's been stagnating—sorry about that. The passion comes and goes. To try and make up for it a bit, here's an end-of-year wrap-up:
Work
I changed jobs in January/February and tremendously enjoyed the new opportunity. At the end of the year, though, my employer was purchased by IBM, so as of 2011 I am an IBM employee. I've tended to prefer working for smaller companies as I enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit and increased personal latitude that comes from getting to wear multiple hats, but so far IBM has been doing the right things with the acquisition and I see some future promise. At this point I can't imagine putting in a 20-year career with them (or anyone else, for that matter), but for now things are good and I'm happy.
Personal
I was fortunate enough to get married in June to the most amazing woman I've ever met. (How she puts up with me I'll never know.) We had a small wedding on the shores of Lake Tahoe and it turned out even better than I'd hoped. Surrounded by family and friends, and married by yet another amazing friend, I was humbled and inspired by it all.
I also had a dream come true later in the year when a friend invited me to go hunting with him in Minnesota. We tried for deer, and although everyone in our party struck out even after a full week of hard hunting, it was a fantastic experience. It would have been nice to come home with some venison, but just being outdoors for a week and learning about deer was tremendous. I guess that's why they call it "hunting," not "grocery shopping."
Speaking of groceries, we've been enjoying the side of grass-fed beef we got from Morris Ranch. This past weekend we used the family Christmas gift of a slow cooker to make a great pot roast, and we're excited to try some other slow cooking recipes as well. I've been on a Paleo diet kick for a while; I haven't lost any weight on it, but I haven't been very strict about it, either (darn you delicious pepperoni pizzas!). Overall I think I'm eating better and I hope to wean myself further from grains and legumes as time goes on.
Barefoot running is a popular adjunct to Paleo dieting so I've given that a try as well. I think it has some merit, but I've really fallen off the regular exercise wagon in the last few months. I gave up weight lifting because I wasn't really seeing any significant results, so I need to research some different strategies and see if I can find a plan that works on me. I'll probably mix it up with some indoor sprints on the stationary (bicycle) trainer and some barefoot running, but I've been interested in some mixed martial arts or boxing just to get some variety and practicality in my routine.
Last year I also finally succumbed to BRD (Black Rifle Disease) and finished building up my first AR-15. It's a bit of a Frankengun—BCM upper, POF lower, Spike's trigger assembly, Mapul MOE stock, Aimpoint T1 red dot sight—but it handles and shoots quite well. I took it to a weekend Appleseed class up in Sacramento, and while I missed qualifying as a Rifleman by just a few points, I was very satisfied with the rifle.
With the wedding and the new financial priorities of marriage, though, I wasn't able to go on any motorcycle or scuba diving trips. I did remain active in amateur radio (RACES) and civil rights (Santa Clara County Members Council of the National Rifle Association). I've also been studying for the private pilot's exam, even though it'll be at least another year or so before I can actually afford to take lessons.
In the meantime I managed to sign up enough friends for Front Sight memberships that I should have a new pistol to play with this year. I currently only have .22 and .45 caliber semi-automatic pistols, so I'll get a 9mm from Front Sight to fill in the gap between those calibers. I like introducing folks to the safe shooting of pistols, but the jump from a .22 to a .45 is a pretty big one, so having a 9mm in between will help new shooters find a power level they're comfortable shooting. Of course, that means that I'll have yet another caliber to learn how to reload and a new pistol to master as well.
So, that's the update for now.
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