So there are a few trends going on right now, one is about “10 years ago” and the other is, well, the expected “end of year” musings.

I thought I’d write a short piece about both and bring you up to speed on a few things I’ve been doing.

I haven’t posted in a while, I got caught up with Holiday and Family activities in a good way. I went on a Holiday Lights walk, a trip to Disneyland, I went to a Christmas Eve party, a Christmas Day party, and even a Baby Shower. I played Settlers of Catan, Beatles Rockband and Wii Sports Resort. I was still able to mix in some climbing at local climbing spots as well as two rainy day hikes and some rock gym trips.

The other day I did a rainy day hike up to Balance Rock, a large rock perched somewhat incredulously above Echo Cliffs. Echo Cliffs is a crag I consider to be one of our “local” spots but folks don’t normally get up to Balance Rock. It was fun to get up there again, the last time I’d been there was a while ago, not quite 10 years ago, but a while. It was all wet this time so I didn’t climb to its top.

I started thinking though that it was rare that I had a climbing outing “rained or weathered out”, I guess one of the things I’m grateful for is living in a place where I can climb year round outdoors and to have friends who are happy to do it with me.

And those friends have grown this year, who knew ten years ago that the internet would not only bring me more geek friends but also more climbing friends? I might have guessed it since I’d been exposed to the multiplying effect it had with other communities I’m in, but I still would not have believed I could be involved in something like the #JTreeTweetup and have about 20 folks attend from various cities and states, and some from as far away as Canada.

And also ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t have guessed I’d get married in 2009, have a small wedding (“How could it be small? I have so many cousins!”) and go to Costa Rica for my honeymoon. And yet that did, happily, come to pass.

For one of my profiles on the net I once wrote, “I look back every few years and find myself somewhere where I would never have guessed I’d be.”

That’s no longer as true as when I first wrote it. Partly because I now steer my life a little more than before… and partly because I’m getting better at making wild guesses.

Happy New Year! May 2010 and the next decade fulfill your wildest guesses!