Out with the old, In with the (sort of) new

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?

Yes, which is part of the reason I am writing to you today from St. John's, Newfoundland. But before I go any further, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful time with friends and family, celebrating what I am hoping will be one of the best years ever.

As I said, I am in Newfoundland. I thought I should ring in the New Year with my closest friends, so I did. With Robert going home to St. John's for the holidays and Ashley returning from China, it just seemed like a great idea. And was it ever!

I arrived on the 29th, and we (Robert, Eileen and I) drove around the city to see the downtown area where all the parties would be. We ended the tour with coffee at Rocket's, a small bakery & coffee shop, which also sells hipster food for some reason. It was a nice way to start the trip. Over the following days, we went to mass, toured the city some more, went shopping for a rather strange variety of items, and went on an amazing hike on Signal Hill. It was a little windy but the sunshine and gorgeous views over the city and the ocean kept us warm.

Then came the party. Robert and I had scouted out various locations to go drinking, and I had a hotel for New Year's Eve, so we were ready to go. After trying for DAYS to reach Ashley ( :P ) we finally got a hold of her, and set up our plans. We started at the Blue on Water (my hotel/bar/restaurant), then moved to Shamrock City, an Irish bar with good beer and live music. From there we went to the Sundance/Dusk/Club One/GSBP conglomerate of bars/clubs. There are 4 different vibes from four different sections of the same physical building, but the drinks were good and the music was loud (for the midnight celebration). It was a pretty sweet party :D

Now I'm waiting for my plane to board, to go back home and start work again tomorrow. Should be fun. All I know is that I couldn't really have welcomed the New Year in a better way.

I've got some time to reflect on a few things from 2011, and make some predictions for 2012. First, 2011 was the year of my graduation, and the start of my working career. I look forward to continuing my work and to make opportunites for growing with Hay Group. My prediction: Tim Tebow and the Broncos win the Superbowl.

2011 was also a year for forgetting all about travel. Total planes boarded in 2011: 1, and it was the one coming to St. John's. I did not take a train, and the furthest I got from Ottawa (other than St. John's) was Toronto. In 2012, I plan on going to Asia, thereby getting as far from Ottawa as possible. My prediction: Kari Lehtonen and the Dallas Stars make the Stanley Cup Finals.

2011 was a good year, generally speaking, but 2012 will be better. I heard a sermon yesteday where the priest said that the best way to hear God laugh out loud is to tell him your plans, so I guess I won't mention anything too specific. I hope you all stick to your resolutions, and get everything you want from the new year, 'cause if you're reading this, chances are you're either a friend or a family member. If you're one of those, chances are you have to put up with me quite a bit, so you've earned the best for the whole year (and then some ;)

Happy New Year!