January 11, 2006
2005 IN A NUTSHELL
While there's no way I'd be able to sum up everything that happened in my life in 2005 (that's what the Archives section of this site is for), here are five (5) things I'm proud to share:
1. I continued attending weekly 'fat classes' in 2005, which I credit for encouraging me to stay on track with my many health and weight management goals. Without going into much detail, in September of 2003 I started on a quest to lose 40 lbs. by the time I turned 40. Dubbed the "40 x 40" plan, I hit the mark a lot sooner than I or anyone else thought I would, but more remarkably, I managed to keep 40+ pounds off up until and way beyond my 40th birthday, which occurred last September!
2. While I no longer work for John Wiley & Sons, I am proud of the fact that two of the books I conceptualized, acquired, and saw through to publication, were highlighted in Wiley's third quarter filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. While Reverse Mortgages For Dummies and Tour de France For Dummies were just two the 20+ titles I was responsible for publishing last year, they were two of only four consumer For Dummies titles highlighted for their content and sales performance by the company's significantly overpaid CEO in an SEC filing (the "Form 10-Q" filing to be exact) which reported quarterly revenue of $236.7 million (an increase of 4 percent from the $226.9 million the company earned in the same quarter one year earlier). And if that wasn't enough, Reverse Mortgages For Dummies was named by noted syndicated real estate columnist Robert J. Bruss one of the 10 BEST real estate books to be published in all of 2005. Bruss' accolades, along with Wiley's own nod to both books, are validation, I feel, that I was a good acquisition editor!
3. In 2005 I came to realization that 'home' is less a "place" and more a set of actions involving certain people and feelings. Those of you who choose to read this blog are a part of my home, and if you read between the lines, you've noticed how often I talk about how much I miss one town in particular. In 2005, I realized that many of the people who live in Boulder, Colorado (my former 'hometown') and it's surrounding burbs, are still part of my home, as is the strong sense of community and freshness I felt while living there. My Mother and Brother in Vermont, along with the GF's family in another state, are also a part of my home, despite being nearly 1,000 miles away. In 2005 I learned that the trick to feeling comfortable with your home,i.e., where I live today, is to be willing to commit not to any one town, i.e., in my case, Boulder, but to moments that contain the opportunity to be exactly where I am, not where I may think I want to be!
4. Another highlight in 2005 was watching friends and colleagues advance on both personal and professional levels. Many of the people I'm fortunate enough to call my friends made significant advancements in 2005, including Ford, Matt, Joe, Mike, Roman, Bryan, Renee, Ian, Kenny, Elizabeth, Hanna, Ret, Scott, Paul, Bob, Christina, Jerry, Missy, Jozet, Danna, Sheila, Deb, Kristin, JJ, Erika, Chrissy, Sarah, Jeremy, Shantanu, Kevin, Dave, Elaine, Zoe, Erin, Kate, Stefan, Jay, Angela, Susan, Luke, Pat, and my Mom, just to name a few. I'm always in awe of the people who just-keep-on-keepin'-on, no matter what they're faced with, no matter what the cost, and no matter who is or is not watching!
5. But perhaps most of all, I'm proud to share that in mid-2005, the GF moved in, and seven-plus months later, she's still here!
Here's wishing everyone a great 2006!
Posted by Mikal at January 11, 2006 12:10 AM
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