State of the Dan Address

You're probably all getting a little tired of hearing how busy I am, I realize that. And yes, it's no excuse for not fulfilling my self-inflicted responsibilities as a blogger - I'm derelict and I know it.

It's such an interesting change of pace for me, a whole different life than the one I've lived for a few years... For so long I used my dog as a welcome excuse to not do things in the city, to avoid meeting people (other than while walking the dog) and generally hibernate. Wasn't Zeke's fault, I wanted to hibernate and he allowed me to get away with it. Also, for a solid year there I was involved in a relationship that for at least half the year wasn't particularly solid, and for the last few months miserable, and that also encouraged me to just come home, put my head into video games or movies or whatever, and avoid the unpleasantness around me. And I had a terrific job I really didn't like so much at the end there, and that too contributed to the general malaise of my life over the past three years.

And then suddenly, radical redefinition. I've always been a huge fan of big changes, of fresh starts and tabulah rasas (rasai?). The events of last summer, as difficult as they were for me, opened up a brave new world and I'm taking full advantage of it.

Which, I'd like to add, can be frickin' exhausting. I'm out almost every night of the week these days, and this is my first weekend where I haven't been traveling since early December. There's got to be a happy medium somewhere between nothing and everything, no?

My life is firing on all cylinders at the moment, and it's hard to keep up sometimes. My job is terrific, I just love it. It's hectic, crazy, frustrating, absurd, and excellent all at the same time. I was invited to take part in a very significant project that is otherwise comprised of the highest and mightiest at my company, and though I was invited specifically to be the one taking the minutes, even the lowest man on the totempole can take pride at making it onto the pole at all. (Insert man-pole joke here). I'm traveling twice in February for work, to Miami and LA, and I'm starting to branch out into other projects. My fingers are all over a number of different initiatives, and I'm digging all of it. I'm even starting to think about taking classes again - either getting my PMP or perhaps even... yup - law school. Evening classes maybe, for a few years? I don't know, just thinking...

And the love life? Working. I'm still with Amy, who frequent readers will remember I began dating in November. We just had our first weekend away, and though it was originally not intended to be a romantic sort of weekend away it turned into one rather nicely. Most importantly, we spent nearly 24 hours in the car over a short period of time, and I still like her as much as I did beforehand, which I think is something. We're still pretty low-key about everything, but clearly moving forward. She's easy to be with, makes jokes that I laugh at, and most importantly laughs at mine. We have fun conversations, and did I mention she's low key? I can't possibly stress how nice a change of pace it is to try that out for size, after experiencing higher maintenance relationships for the past few years.

That's not to say she won't be bringing the crazy at some point in the future, but at the least she's done a great job sparing me from crazy so far. Mostly, anyway. And yes, I suppose it's misogynistic to presume that all women have crazy in them just bubbling below the surface, waiting to spray all over some poor unsuspecting man, but I'm afraid that it's accurate none the less. You can accuse me of misogyny all you like, but not libel, and you all know it.

I also got my first skiing of the year in, finally. Amy and I headed up to Tremblant, and though we had to go 500 miles north to find snow, find it we did and it was glorious. Truly one of the most beautiful, perfect days for skiing I've seen, and the mountain was in great shape. I overskied and was sore all week, but it was that wonderful sore that reminds you of a job well done. I skied the crap out of Tremblant last weekend, and can't wait to get back.

So that's what's shaking with Dan. Back to your regularly scheduled political ranting...