A last look back at 2010
A quick review of 2010 (and some history that leads into it, too)
I've been trying to summarize 2010; it's really the first year in a while I give a passing grade (so to speak). I think the bottom line is that 2010 is the first year in the last few that I am kinda sad to see go, as opposed to wishing it a fond farewell and that the door not hit it on the butt on the way out. The last few years have brought some challenges, but for the most past, they either seem in the past, or things I now have under control and I can move forward from to other, more fun things. So if I have to grade 2010, I'll give it a B, and life in general a B+.2010 was a year of transition and starting the process of moving forward after years of stasis.
A body at rest really wants to stay on the damn couch, so it takes some time and energy to get everything going again. 2010 was about figuring out what the priorities are and getting the motion going in those directions, and I'm hoping that translates into momentum on a number of projects I'm trying to get off the ground.I entered 2010 recently diagnosed with Diabetes -- a bit of high blood pressure, triglycerides above 500, A1C about 13% and a blood glucose above 400. For those not versed in medical geek speak, those are numbers that are getting dangerously close to a diabetic coma or some other health crisis.
Today, my A1C is normal, my cholsterol and triglycerides are normal, my blood sugar is well controlled and rarely hits 160 after meals, and is more typically 145 or below. My doctor is happy, I'm pretty happy, and I feel great. 2010 was about learning to manage and thrive as a diabetic, because for the rest of my life, no matter what I do, that'll be part of my life.There are some challenges remaining; so far, the best I've done is battle my weight to a tie. Taking that next step, getting the weight off, is a key goal for 2011. The good news is that my weight is what it was before the diabetes hit, back in 2007; the bad news is that this number needs to be a lot smaller than it is. I'll be talking about that down the road -- one of the things I've been doing is figuring out what changes I need to make to make this happen. Now, I actually need to do it.I feel like I took some positive steps forward in my photography, and I'm quite happy with my work.
I still have work to do and areas where I need to grow; I have some ideas on what I want to do in 2011 to move in those directions. I was able to revamp the blog, and I've gotten my writing going again on a pretty consistent basis -- and I expect to continue that and move it into some new directions in 2011 as well.Work's taken up a lot of hours, a lot of energy and created a lot of challenges. The good news is that we did well enough that HP put a billion dollars into us and said "now, go do it better"; in 2011, you'll see what that means, and I'm looking forward to when we can show that off. Still a lot of work to do, and in reality, that job is just starting, but I like what's happening and the direction we're taking, even if I can't talk about it yet.So overall, it's been a good year.
More important to me, it's been a gateway from some pretty sucky years into what I hope and expect to be an even better year. Because of the apnea things started grinding to a halt in 2005; with the apnea and diabetes dealt with, I feel like we put the jumper cables on the battery and we have the bandwagon in gear; we'll see in 2011 how far we can drive it.And so, a last look back at 2010, and then we'll turn the page, and start making 2011 happen. And thanks to all of you for being here and being part of it with me, with your thoughts and ideas and feedback and help. It's appreciated, and I'm looking forward to seeing 2011 unfold for all of us, together.
