Knocking off the dust - a 2012 recap

Hello Folks-

It's been a long time since I posted on here, things have changed in my life and I may get to them. But for now I'm just going to try to get back into blogging. I am working on a new project that will have me writing a lot more and I'm a little rusty so I figured I'd write out a few blogs until I feel like I'm ready for the project. (Project is still in early development, so no info yet but let's just say it has a ton of potential)

I thought since it's the start of 2013 and I didn't post anything about 2012 I'd do a top 10 things I did in 2012 post, cover my last year and let everyone know what's been going on in my world. So without more rambling, here's my top 10 things of 2012.

1) I lost 50lbs: During a corporate weight loss challenge I dropped 50 lbs which helped my team secure 3rd place over all. (yes I have put 20 of them back on, but still 30 lbs isn't too shabby). Most of the weight was lost by diet, I went from eating pretty much anything put in front of me to a very strict diet. Yogurt for breakfast, Turkey Breast and Cucumbers for lunch, and Chicken Breasts and Cukes for dinner, rinse and repeat for 90 days. I am doing the challenge this year with the goal of being under 200 lbs for the first time since probably 9th grade.

2) Dinner at E by Jose Andres: What better way to celebrate a Weight Loss Challenge than by eating 25 courses of food? This is no ordinary meal, to start you have to set up reservations 90 days out (i think it's 120 days now). The place seats 8 people so it's pretty hard to get a seat. The meal is probably one of the best ones I've ever had. Insanely lavish ingredients, cooked using some of the craziest techniques, and served with a meticulous attention to detail. Yes the meal did cost a large chunk of change, but it was worth every penny. Photos of the meal can be seen HERE

3) Volunteered: I am a volunteer docent at the Neon Museum and Boneyard, it is a pretty kick ass place downtown filled with a lot of Vegas history. Starting next week I will be giving tours (which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time). I have been looking for somewhere to give back to this community I love so much and the Neon Museum is a great place to do it. Some photos from the museum can be seen HERE

4) Copperfield Museum: I got to tour the Copperfield Warehouse and museum. I'm not allowed to talk much about it since he likes to keep everything a mystery, but honestly it was a once in a lifetime experience that I totally dumb lucked my way into (like most things in my life). I have always been a huge fan of magic and getting to see pieces and props from not only Copperfield's Shows, but also from many of the greats was an experience I'll never forget.

Photo of me with David Copperfield

5) San Francisco: I took a summer trip to San Fran, after the Twins game during my annual trek back to Minnesota was rained out I had to keep my 15 year string of seeing the twins play at least once a season intact. I found out they were in Oakland, and headed that way. I got to eat Top Chef Masters Champion Chris Constantino's place, eat sourdough, tour the Golden Gate Bridge, and actually watched the twins win. If your team ever plays the A's I highly recommend the trek, while the O.co Park isn't that nice, the fact you can get 4th row behind the visiting team dug out seats for $45 walk up on the day of the game makes it an amazing deal. Photos from my trip to the Bay Area can be seen HERE

6) LA: I also took a trip to Los Angles for my birthday. The plan was to hit up the Price Is Right and Conan O'Brien, sadly the line for TPIR was cut off three people before me. However the rest of the trip was great. I got to see BOB preform in the back lot at Jimmy Kimmel's show, ate at several amazing places including a plethora of food trucks, saw Conan tape a show, ate more yummy food, went to the pier, saw the Hollywood Blvd, and did I mention good food? Photos from LA can be found HERE

7) Running Rebels: I bought a mini ticket plan for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels this season. I have always loved college basketball and honestly there isn't really much more for a "local" sports team here. The Wranglers are fun, but Hockey in the desert is a bit of a stretch. The UNLV Rebels have been getting a lot of national attention this season (including a top 25 rating) so I was pretty gung ho to check them out. Granted even though they did lose the first game I attended this season, it's been fun attending the games.

8) Cigars: I got back into cigar smoking. I have smoked cigars for years, usually just on special occasions, however recently my roommate and I have been getting into cigars a little more. We have been converting our porch into a cigar lounge (Creeper's Cigar Porch), and I've been doing my best to keep my humidor stocked with decent sticks. It's one of my few vices I have left, and it's one I'm actually enjoying.


9) Positive Money NFL Season: I didn't make heaps and heaps of money, but I actually had a winning season this year betting the NFL, this may not seem like much to many of you, but making money always makes a NFL season more memorable (plus I usually suck out loud at sports betting).

10) Sobriety: December 30th 2012 marked 18 months sober for me. It's been a bit of a struggle, but I can honestly say I'm a much better person because of it.