Should auld acquaintance be forgot...

Here we are at the brink of 2006. Let's look back at the year gone by, huh?

Best things about 2005

1. Being blessed to have a wonderful Christmas with Mom & Dad;
2. The whole G-Man adventure (and its bittersweet but memorable conclusion);
3. Seeing Erasure in concert;
4. Confessions on a Dancefloor (I've been meaning to write a review, but just haven't gotten around to it);
5. My trip to Slovakia & Poland in June;
6. My trip to Prague & Bratislava in December (thanks, AIHA, for that at least, this year);
7. My new laptop;
8. The Vatican "Instruction" barring gay men from the priesthood (only because now it's put up or shut up time for a lot of clergy, which will be a much-needed wakeup call to those who are responsible for the Catholic teaching on homosexuality going haywire into crap like this - see #3, 11 below);
9. Getting TiVo and taking back control over my life that was being held over me by TV;
10. Finally started to get serious about saving money and planning for future investment;
11. Starting this blog (and a few others that have yet to reach their full potential. just like this one!).

Worst things about 2005

1. My Dad's cancer came back; his surgery & recovery ordeal & its effect on my Mom.
2. My temporary mangina from back in April and my terror that the same thing's gonna happen again any day now;
3. The Vatican "Instruction" barring gay men from the priesthood (because it's inflicting a terrible amount of hurt on those who are already ordained and on those who feel they have a priestly or other vocation and now are left wondering what to do);
4. My apartment is still a cluttered mess (some would say "a dump");
5. My ill-fated reentry into the dating world via Match.com - if only for a few weeks, until I realized that I am doomed to only meet there seemingly nice guys that turn into psychological sadists, inconsiderate boors or complete jerks;
6. Still didn't achieve the body that I know I can have & be happy with (but got a lot closer to it, for a few months, anyway);
7. My close hangout-with friends in DC seemed to grow more distant (or just busier) and I didn't really make any new good friends here (file this under "loneliness");
8. Didn't get to NYC around Christmastime again this year;
9. Didn't get to the shore at all;
10. My satisfaction with my own work-work improved, all the while my opinion of the organization and my "job satisfaction" went straight into the toilet (picture Whitney H. saying, "I'm about to do the doo. I'm about to drop it on the one - a boat load");
11. Still haven't gotten over what's his name. (See #8 & 3 above, probably about which he will do absolutely nothing)

So what am I looking forward to in 2006? Here's a taste...

1. Cleaning up the dang apartment and maybe painting... or perhaps even buying a condo instead;
2. Being much more serious / disciplined about fitness & sculpting the bod (the love handles WILL be gone, you WILL see my abs, and I may finally get to the point of having actual pecs);
3. Finding some organization to volunteer for, hopefully which also will expand my social network;
4. Finding a guy who'll go out with me more than twice;
5. Buying some inline skates, learning how to use 'em, and becoming one of "those guys";
6. Buying a bike and becoming a much more outdoorsy guy than I've been;
7. Paying off my car loan (February!) and being able to invest what I was paying towards that.

Now then, if you've got suggestions (or comments) for what (else) I should do in 2006, you know where you can leave them.