I found this "questionnaire" on one of my frequented blogs recently and thought I'd have some fun with it, as well! Soo, here's the review of my life and those events surrounding it over the past year:


»  What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
  • I decided to drive my car into a 30 foot ravine in early June (just to see how muddy I could get my car!) then proceeded to wait 3 hours for a tow-truck to wench me out. Never have I been stranded in the middle of nowhere, with no cell phone coverage, at 4:00 in the morning... ever!

    »  Did you keep your New Years' resolutions? Will you make more for 2006?
  • I can't recall what resolutions I made for 2005, but I'm guessing forming a relationship with a woman was one of them. One, that coincidentally, I did not keep! And yes, I've made a couple of resolutions for 2006 - to be more physically active and to become more active in the National Weather Association; possibly becoming a committee member.

    »  What places did you visit?
  • I drove down to Norman, OK in late May to meet up with a few former colleagues for a week-long storm chasing "vacation." Traveled through NM, CO, KS, OK and TX on the trip! Also traveled back to my native Hoosier-land (Indiana, for you laymen) in August to visit family and friends.

    »  What events marked 2005?
  • January: Hit 40 below zero on the 5th, then 37 below zero on the 17th. Winter in Grand Forks sucks...
  • April: First official storm chase as a ND resident on the 18th. Didn't see squat!
  • August: Traveled home to Indiana to visit family and friends; spent time at Webster Lake with friends during the weekend of the 27th. Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near Buras, LA at 6:10am CDT on the 29th as a strong Cat-3, causing widespread destruction and resulting in 1,383 deaths along the LA, MS and AL coasts. Lowest pressure recorded at 902mb makes it the 6th most intense hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin.
  • September: Hurricane Rita makes landfall between Sabine Pass, Texas, and Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, at 2:38 CDT on the 24th as a Cat-3, resulting in 6 deaths and becoming the 4th strongest tropical system ever measured in the Atlantic Basin at 897mb.
  • October: Hurricane Wilma makes landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula around 1:00am CDT on the 22nd with winds near 140 mph, resulting in near 60 deaths and becoming the most intense tropical system ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin with a central pressure of 882mb... My 27th birthday on the 30th!
  • November: An F-3 tornado touches down at 1:50am CST in Henderson County (KY) on the 6th, moving northeast into Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties (IN) resulting in 24 deaths; the most deaths resulting from a single tornado since 1998... Hit 2 below zero (first sub-zero temperature of the winter) on the 29th... winter in Grand Forks sucks, again!
  • December: The Colts first loss of the season on the 18th (Week 15!)

    »  Did anyone close to you give birth?
  • Nope! My cousin's wife is due late in April 2006, though!

    »  Did anyone close to you die?
  • Fortunately, no!

    »  What do you wish you'd done more of?
  • I wish I had taken more photos over the past year... I would have loved to have done more traveling, taking advantage of days off work... exercising... saving money!

    »  What do you wish you'd done less of?
  • Sitting on my couch playing PlayStation... watching my "Friends" DVDs... talking to myself! Heheh

    »  What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005?
  • A relationship...! A Digital Rebel XT... $100 bills in my wallet...

    »  What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory?
  • November 7th: When the Colts layed out the New England Patriots in Foxboro! Damn am I glad I taped that game... The Patriots suck!

    »  What "things" did you want and get?
  • A power inverter for the car, a window mount for the SLR... haircuts! ;)

    »  What "thing" did you want and not get?
  • A Digital Rebel XT, of course...!

    »  What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
  • Went to Boston's for drinks with the guys from work... flirted with the waitress some, but never did ask for her number - like the guys wanted me to! ;) I turned a young, 27 yrs old!

    »  What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
  • Capturing a high-contrast tornado on film or video!

    »  What was the best thing you bought?
  • Honestly, the wisest, most justifiable purchase I made this year was my computer desk. It was something I seriously needed! Aside from that, my DVD Player!

    »  Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
  • It may be a toss-up between my mom and my best-friend, Justin! My mom tends to call me at least once a week, and even though I call Justin less frequently, I likely spend, at least 1-2 hours on the phone with the guy. Uh-huuuh! ;)

    »  Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
  • Well, I'm gonna have to agree with my friend, Steph... President George "dubya" Bush! I still believe he's the dumbest president we've ever had.

    »  Compared to this time last year, are you......Happier or sadder?
  • I can confidently say, happier... I'm living on my own, supporting myself and am fairly happy that I've finally gotten my career off the ground - and headed in the right direction (hopefully).

    »  Thinner or fatter?
  • Slightly fatter, probably... It may not look like it, but I've probably put on some pounds over the past year. What can I say, eating junk food and not exercising does that to a person!

    »  Richer or poorer?
  • Poorer... Anyone willing to take over my student loan and/or car payments?

    »  What were your favorite films of this year?
  • "Wedding Crashers," "March of the Penguin," "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," and "The Longest Yard."

    »  What was your favorite TV program?
  • "Family Guy" and "Monday Night Football," of course! I can't believe how much more I've gotten into the NFL over the past year. Fantasy sports does that, I suppose!

    »  What was your greatest musical discovery?
  • That my crush on Martina McBride 1-2 years ago was just plain stupid. Oh, and that with their new album, "Ten Thousand Fists," that Disturbed still rocks!

    »  How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005?
  • Kaki pants/shorts, and print shirts... and flip-flops. I haven't owned a pair of these since I was like 10... Who brought these back, anyway!

    »  Who were the best new people you met?
  • Christen - I met this woman off the Internet, but living here in town and being a Grad Student at UND, I was actually able to meet her face-to-face. Very attractive, sweet, and intelligent... you'd think this would sound like someone that I'd have a chance with, but, obviously - it wasn't to be!

    »  How many different boys did you kiss in 2005?
  • None!

    »  How many different girls did you kiss in 2005?
  • Only one, unfortunately...

    »  How many boys did you have sex with in 2005?
  • None! Now go ask Michael Jackson!

    »  How many girls did you have sex with in 2005?
  • Ummm, three! The "rule of three" may apply here! *grin

    »  Did you fall in love in 2005?
  • Can't say that did...

    »  Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
  • The asswipe that lives beneath me, yes! I honestly question his ability to hear the TV and radio that resides in HIS OWN apartment!

    »  What was your biggest achievement of the year?
  • Receiving positive feedback from D.O.T. District Managers from both Minnesota and Indiana. It's always great to hear that not only are your weather forecasts verifying, but also that your forecasts are impressing your clients.

    »  What was your biggest failure?
  • I'm sad and disappointed in myself to report late to work on a couple occasions over the past year. Neither event was deliberate (unlike my many, many truancies to OnlyInternet during years 2001, 2002, 2003 and early 2004!) and I felt horrible enough to apologize to the boss each time before he even found out!

    »  Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005.
  • Do not take short-cuts when traveling in an unfamiliar area!

    »  Quote a song lyric that sums up your year?

  • Another ditch in the road
    You keep moving
    Another stop sign
    You keep moving on
    And the years go by so fast
    Wonder how I ever made it through

    Two Beds and a Coffee Machine - Savage Garden

    There have been some great times through this past year, but there have been some low points as well. While the song itself is about something completely different to what I'm referring to, the chorus here, reminds me that no matter the obstacles, things seem to have a way of working themselves out. And really, as this new year begins, I feel in a lot of ways, that I worked around the obstacles that concerned me the most over the past year and am ready to begin anew. Sooo, bring on 2006! Hop on and ride with me...

    Also, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the loss of any loved ones to tornadoes or hurricanes during this tumultuous past year...