Highlights of 2009

(in no specific order)

*NYC bars with the Creep when the Yankees won the ALCS. Hanging out with the Creep is always a blast, but the whole city was pumped that night. Our first bar got us pretty buzzed. There was a lady sitting next to me at the bar and she had a dog next to her. It was a Boston terrier and had buggy eyes and was a little twitchy. I asked her if her dog was blind. Turns out, THE LADY was blind and this was her Seeing-Eye dog!!! hahahahaha!!!! I didn't see her eyes or walking stick before I asked the question. oops. Overall, a hilarious night with the Creep and his magic in getting hot chicks to talk to us.

*Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. A super-crew of Doug, Vanessa, Kzak, Steve, Bonnie, and myself camping in the rain and folking all day Saturday in the mud. Great tunes, great friends.

*Gallagher's fights at Boston Boxing. That kid can really wail. Good job, G- you have inspirational dedication, perseverance, and grit.

*Landing a freelance/contract job at Yellin McCarron

*Landing a full-time job at One to One Interactive

*Long weekend with the grandparents in Arizona. Despite the months of unemployment, this was a great getaway to get some much needed sun and chlorine. An abundance of melon, grapefruit and other fruits for breakfast every morning, and one dinner overlooking the desert sunset through the mountains. Gorgeous.

*Spring vacation in El Salvador. What a trip!! I ate so much Salvadorian food including ceviche, tons of papusas, and some 4am burritos!(which probably give me the 2-week stomach ache upon returning to the states). Tania, and her friends and I went to a beautiful black sand beach and a wild cow strolled right in front of us! We went to a lake in the inside of a massive crater/volcano! We even got tickets to the ES vs. USA World Cup qualifying match in San Salvador!!! I saw the poorest people I've ever seen by far in ES. The day I returned, I got laid off from work- wish they had told me before I left!

*Family reunion with the cousins. I hadn't seen some in about 10 years or more! It was great to see everyone again and meet all the new kids.

*Mt. Auburn cemetary with Bon. We couldn't have gone on a better autumn day. That place was absolutely beautiful and I was in awe the whole time. It honestly felt a bit out of this world. Graves start at $10K...

*Arnold Arboretum with Bon. That place is always fun to explore and we even found new spots! Doing a j in the 'redwood' looking section and getting lost in the surreal looking forest was a really fun adventure.

*Saturday night Adoration with Bon. A really amazing way to spend a Saturday night. I loved it.

*Groundwork/blueprints for chef/catering company begun! In my unemployment, I started really digging into how I might be able to monetize my passion for cooking without sitting in a restaurant's kitchen. Hopefully I can put more movement to the plan now that I have a full time job.

*MonsterJam with Sam for Valentine's Day. So loud and so much fun!!

*Soup Off vs. Becca. Her corn chowder vs. my exotic mushroom, tiger lily, and bamboo Hot and Sour soup?!? Please! How did I not win that?! The judges were bribed, I tell you.

*Men's Retreat and Men's Group. I've been looking for a great group of guys that I can both cut loose with and also talk about our faith with like Aaron, Chris, Mark, and Tom for a long time. So grateful for these guys, and these opportunities!

*Moved into Charlestown house. This place is dope and I am unbelievably lucky to live in such a house. Blows my mind every time I come 'home'.

*Dinner at Olives with Mom, Dad, Brett, Bon, Hank, and Rene. One of the best restaurants I've ever been to- probably in my Top 5 I think. Great atmosphere, company, service, and amazing food and drink. I forget what the occasion was, but I got a peek at the bill at the end of the night- wow.

*Bunker Hill Parade. Sitting right on my Charlestown steps, I got a great glimpse at Boston history and current people/events. It also reminded me how fun parades are.

*Montreal with Krissy, Jasmine, and Bon. It couldn't have been a better spring weekend to go! We made it up in record time and enjoyed the Botanical Gardens and Insectarium, Mass at the beautiful Notre Dame (with insane organ solo as everyone walked out), St. Joseph's Oratory, tons of crepes, and many parks/greenspaces in this lovely city. I can't wait to go back! Thank you Krissy!!

*Painting with and getting to know Tim K. It was really special getting to know Tim better and laugh at his hilarious sense of humor. He really cracks me up! Great guy, amazing and truly inspiring.

*Joining a summer lacrosse league! It was the first time I've played in 8 years!! I was pretty out of shape and underweight, but after a couple games, I started dogging some guys out there. It felt great to be playing again and I've been chomping at the bit for summer 2010 to come!

A Vision of Hell

In a clearing in the woods, I'm in a pen about 30 ft. wide by 50ft. long. Actually, its just a roped off area. The rope is a yellow, plastic twine, held up about waist high by thin poles. I am in this pen with about 10-15 other people. They all look insane, disconnected.

I notice that there is another layer of cord, larger in diameter than the one that contains me, with about 5ft. of space in between. Standing on the other side of this cord are people with round faces and huge eyes. They're always looking into the inner-pen, but the 5ft. 'moat' both sides just out of arms reach.

There is an opening in one corner of the pen, but a strange force tells me not to go through it.

Brett comes to visit me- finally a familiar face! He stands in the gap between the two sets of rope. I ask him, "Where did Dad go? I had bought him a soda from McDonalds, but I returned, he was gone". Brett tells me, "Dad is dead. He has been for years". Something inside me knows that he is right and that the pen I'm trapped in is timeless, but its the first time my ears have heard it. "No," I say, "that was just last week". "No," he says, "that was over 50 years ago". I can't argue- I know he's right. Plus, his visit seems to be only for a limited time. "Mom died too, and Aunt Ev." His voice trails off as his words begin to sink in. He begins to leave and I follow him around to the opening in the pen. No words, only screaming feelings; "Don't go! Please come back to visit me again, Brett! Please come back again!" He's gone and I can't follow him out.

I turn back to 'the Keeper' of the pen in a fury. He stands with other guards in a roofed porch-type thing with a wooden banister all around, and steps leading up to the front. I walk right up to the banister in front of him and throw a punch. It lands lightly on his cheek. Furiously, I beckon him closer, and to my amazement, he leans forward with a smile. I hit him in the mouth and hear a 'clank'. I hit that hideous smile smile again, hurting my hand, again hearing the 'clank'. The Keeper is an ugly troll of a man: short, balding, a rosy face littered with spots and freckles. The pain and clanking, I realize, is coming from his 4 solid gold teeth, all worn and jagged, his K9's a little larger than normal. He laughs at my fury and frustration of not being able to leave the pen. I look over my shoulder at the opening.

"You've got it good in here, sonny," he says. "You think whatever is out there is better?! Try this!" He lowers his hand and I drop 3ft. into a small pit filled with millions of nugget-sized demons, all biting and ripping at my body from the waste down; an indescribable, unearthly pain. Instantly, I'm back standing on firm ground in front of the Keeper. I understand my place and walk back into the middle of the pen. I look out to all the wide-eyed people staring in and conclude that these must be the people that tried to leave. They are now in another world, an inferno as Dante described it, eyes fixed on the small pen of grass that they once caroused, as unimaginable, torturous devils turn their bodies and souls into personal playgrounds.