2006, According to That 30's Guy, Part 1
January 10, 2007
Yeah I know. We're halfway into the second full week of 2007. I'm doing my reflection on 2006 now. Some people like this type feature, other's don't. I was a bit burned out on doing work on a computer last week, so call this my "blog catch-up".
As many of you may remember, I had a previously well-supported blog for most of 2005--I'd say about 97% of it. When the end of the year arrived, I thought it would be cool to go through the old posts and see if I'd made the type of progress as a man I had hoped for at the start of the year, or if there was much work still to be done. The piece got a good response from readers as I linked monthly recaps to some of my key posts of the year. It was great for new readers, and it was especially entertaining to longtime fans of the blog. The blog was even up for half of this year, but alas I had to pull it down for over a month. May to June was a dark month in my blog world, but here we are again. We're at a new address, with a new readership (though a minority), and into another year. Why not a look back for the newbies to get to know me more, and a recap of the events you did experience with me?
Let's get into the Delorian...
I'd say January was probably the most pivotal month for me as a person in this past year. Like a great leadoff hitter, January set the tone for 2006 for me. If you've caught the occasional mentions about her in my previous posts, you know about my long distance love who dumped me last November. I began the year with a bit of a heavy heart as I continued to rebound from my heartbreak. I already met a much younger woman (about 6 years my junior) in the beginning of December'06, and after three weeks of dating and with no exciting New Year's Eve plans, she agreed to join me at a party with my friends in Connecticut. We brought the year in in-style: champagne, shrimp, houers d'ouerves, good music, dancing, and dressed to the nines. As the night went on, we couldn't control ourselves, and a couple of hours into 2006, we brought the new year in with a (ahem) bang ;)
The fire from that night didn't last. I was still keeping myself emotionally unavailable, and I was purely content keeping things casual and just getting together once a week. I was definately open to dating other people. Just before the Martin Luther King, Jr holiday weekend, I'm having dinner with my best buddy Ren when my phone rings. I think it's my dad because it comes up as his cell phone. I answer, only to hear a girl's voice. My dad had dared her to call me from the surprise party my mother's former coworkers had thrown for her. As surprised as I was, I found the bold move to be rather attractive. I was tempted to have her come meet Ren and me out at a bar, but decided that may be too forward. I didn't even know who she was.
That woman ended up becoming the woman you all know as Batgirl.
Nearly a week later, after a week of being questioned by my mother and father if I had any interest in meeting this girl my mom used to work with, things with the young girl ended ubruptly (by her choice). My mind was already moving towards going on the blind date with this mystery girl, so the dump didn't quite hurt the way it should. However, the dating situation would quickly take a back seat to a more important matter.
My grandmother had been battling Hodgkin's for the last few months of 2005. I had last spoken to her on New Year's Day. She was so happy I had been able to get back into the dating scene after my heart was broken. In a matter of a couple of weeks, though, her health took a dramatic turn, and it wasn't looking good. I had just spoken with Batgirl to set up our first date, when my mother called to tell me things were taking a turn for the worst. I was ready to fly Florida to be with my dad and uncles, and be able to say my goodbye. However, I would never get that option because on January 26th, 2006, my grandmother passed away.
I was close to my grandmother; she would babysit my brother and I after we got out of school for many years during the afternoons when both of our parents were at work. We'd go over to my grandparents' house every Sunday for dinner. In 1987, my grandfather whom I was very close to passed away to liver cancer, and now we lost his wife, my dad's mother, quite unexpectedly nearly 20 years later. I had last seen her in the summer for a family reunion. She seemed to healthy and vibrant then. Now, she was gone.
I wasn't sure if I should cancel the date with Batgirl the next night, the 27th. I really thought it through hard. I then figured that my grandmother, who had always wanted success in love for me, would want me to meet this woman I already had a good vibe about. Since it would be quite a few days before the funeral, I felt like I could focus my mind on the date. Besides, I didn't want our first time meeting to be at a wake.
Nearly 12 months later, it turned out to be the right decision. We had a very fun first date that last over 5 hours. We hit a few different bars, talked and laughed a lot, and shared our first kiss overlooking the city from a park above downtown. Since then, we fell in love, and will celebrate one year together in 17 days. She had a huge influence in 2006, and it's because of her the year was one I'll be able to look back on fondly.
Coming Up Next: February through May 2006 , at the speed of light...
posted by That 30's Guy @ 6:00 AM,
