2010: The Good Life

With a recent eviction behind me, I had a lot to look forward to in 2010.

It proved to be another banner year for travel -- in fact I was only 531 miles away from becoming an Alaska Airlines’ MVP. I visited both the Arctic Circle and the Southernmost point in the US at Key West--and seemingly everywhere in between. I rang in the New Year in Alaska’s capital of Juneau. Next stop on my Alaskan adventure was Nome-ward bound, where I walked onto the frozen Bering Strait and could just barely see Russia from my house (really!). I spent a week in Sitka (think The Proposal) and drove down the Alaska-Canadian Highway through Fairbanks, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia and throughout southeast Alaska before stopping to spend my summer in Juneau. (The drive down was much nicer than the unfortunate three-day ferry ride back to Anchorage where I saw many whales and even more toilet bowls).

I visited the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and met an Olympic athlete first hand. I had the opportunity to go to a gay wedding in Phoenix and visit the Grand Canyon and Sedona (where I had both my aura and chakras read). In September, I visited Seattle for the wedding of friends and drove through the Olympic Peninsula on the way toTwilight’s very-own Forks, WA.

In October I visited (and fell in love) with Minneapolis/St. Paul. The following month I travelled throughout the East Coast, visiting friends in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlantic City, Washington D.C., Monticello and Baltimore.

My final trip of the year to the Southeast (New Orleans, Atlanta and Miami) included a Cozumel-bound cruise with the Backstreet Boys.

My parents visited Juneau and caught a glimpse of the beauty of Alaska by mountain climbing and seeing black bears and bald eagles from just feet away. My forays into the wilderness were rather limited but I found time to mountain climb, sea kayak and glacier trek.

Along with the Olympics and the opening of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, 10 months worth of training culminated in me completing my first marathon in New York City. I also spent much of the summer playing racquetball, backgammon and bridge.

After accidentally subscribing to a PETA newsletter, I became vegan for 35 days (no small feet while living in rural Alaska) --ending it healthily with a KFC Double Down.

In an effort to become more cultured, I bought season theater tickets and a season pass to the Anchorage Opera. While in New York I saw the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal, Nathan Lane and Bebe Nuewirth in The Addams Family, Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth in Promises, Promises, my friend Preston Sadlier in Edward Albee's Me, Myself and I, American Idol Jordin Sparks in the Tony-winning In the Heights and the Greenday rock opera American Idiot.

In addition to the Backstreet Boys’ cruise, I saw Boyz II Men in concert at the Alaska State Fair and listened to music in New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall. I’ve also spent time improving my own musical skills by purchasing and learning to play the guitar.

Two promotions later, I moved into my new role supporting Wells Fargo Alaska Development Programs and Marketing. Thanks to a healthy tuition reimbursement, I also enrolled in graduate school and am currently pursuing my MBA.

I continued to build great friendships in Alaska -- though many of them are leaving for the lower 48. With more time on my hands, I became a Big Brother to a 12-year-old middle schooler. Me and Sarah Palin’s relationship hit an impasse when Todd himself escorted me off their property. Despite very few options (“the odds are good, but the good are odd”) I went on a couple of dates (date a porn star, check) and was four days shy of going the whole year without being kissed (thank you, Taylor!).

I also traded in the car that travelled the country on road-trips everywhere from Florida to Alaska, escorted celebrities and CEOs and put me through college as a pizza delivery boy. In its place, I am the new proud owner of a 2011 Toyota Rav4.

2009 proved to be the best year ever while 2010 introduced me to an even better life. Looking forward to 2011.