a year among many
a busy year
never a bad thing to have
serious competition for
the most insane trip of the year
good things this year
dive bars in everton
mild hangovers
ale
devouring crisps after the pubs close watching english tv
never going longer than three weeks without playing soccer
morning in the snow on blue hill
early morning feet on the ground in a strange city
a rainy train ride across austria
a hearty dinner in a quiet bar
wind and rain and steep hills
night looking over the danube
riding a flat-bottomed ferry across a river in the year 2008
running a half-marathon without mickey chasing me
a nice day in the islands
sitting on the floor like a child
a profane
ill-behaved child cussing out the tv
getting to know the car that's the life of the party
legs burning
i put my bike on top of a damn mountain
lying on a bench in bourne
after the thunderstorm before the sunset
thighs the size of trees
rolling into provincetown early and fast
finally seeing the revs hoist some silverware
the joy of ditching a perfectly good plane flight for another one
going somewhere else entirely
driving all night because there's no other choice
a volume knob that only goes up
surprise and triumph when you see your friends
the accomplishment of doing something foolish enough to make a good story
strolling back to the ship in a downpour
discovering red bull and vodka on someone else's dime
hopping the turnstiles to catch the last subway train
lunch at bull and bush
breakfast burritos at sam's #3
drinking your way through a hangover
watching the sox flood out of the dugout
then do our town proud in a losing effort
finally having the opportunity to not be ashamed of our president
an unexpected stop in paris
a cloudy day on the left bank
sinking into a seat in terminal 2f ready to get where i'm going
but happy with where i am
a crisp day bounding across the harbor on a ferry
seeing amazing things before 8am
climbing up a steep stone stairway into a small neighborhood for no good reason
meeting crazy soccer fans
a late boat ride home singing across the harbor
shrugging off ten hours' jet lag
enjoying las vegas on the company dime
lots of good food with a handful of interesting people
a comfy bar and good beer in yet another foreign city
contentedly watching itineraries vaporize
it's just a schedule
anyway
spreading holiday cheer to friends
small children and pets
dissecting my parents' vcr to watch an old favorite with the family
leaning back in my chair
reuniting with my couch
and slacking the fuck off
things that i now know to avoid
owing $3500 to the irs for someone else's mistake
the office flood
connecting through jfk
losing a family member
saying goodbye to an old friend
spending the summer in the shop at work
pouring everything into a contraption
that just wasn't capable of loving me back
i'd have settled for hating me back
that would have been more conclusive
and faster
hearing you-know-who's voice
realizing that riding this year's pmc is going to take a lot of rationalization
getting lost at 2am in the wrong part of istanbul
losing my lucky ball bearing
never trusting a canadian again
not realizing how fast it goes by
