I can't believe it has been over a year since I've posted on this blog! To a degree it makes me sad, but it also gives me a sense of optimism for new beginnings. So much and so little has changed in a year. The most definite coming change is the joy of awaiting my daughter in the coming weeks. It has been such a wonderful experience and the most rewarding part is the closeness that my wife and I have shared. Altogether, its a closeness that neither of have ever experience and a certain peace with each as we both await the arrival of our daughter into this wonderful world.
This past May we found out we will be relocating to Madison, WI as my wife will continue her radiology training. We spent a weekend getting to know the surface of the city and I just fell in love with the atmosphere. There is something to be said about University cities that just captures my curiosity. It always seems that something is going on and more often than not, it is something interesting. I will be sad to leave Omaha as it has been a wonderful city to us. We have both gained life-long friendships and I work at an organization that I truly love and believe in. It will be sad to leave, but this is the nature of life.
When I started this blog, I wanted to dedicate it to all things poetry/literature. For almost 4 years, I was really engulfed in the poetry world. It was marvelous, yet at the same time stressful, defeating, and lonely. Everyday I'd read about 3-5 new poems and contemplate them and try to decipher what the writer was trying to convene. Some of them I think I understood, while others left me perplexed. It was an exercise I practiced almost everyday, as well as writing my own poems, revising, creating, revising, creating. I must say I enjoyed indulging myself in my own "self-proclaimed" genius. To my surprise I had some early success. I got poems published in several journals, setting my sight to compile a book together.
It seemed all was going as planned. I had a book ready, I had hooked up with a local publishing company that formally agreed to publish the book. It was in its 3rd and final revision, when suddenly I received a Facebook message from the publisher's saying they would no longer publish poetry. You can imagine how fast my heart sank. I haven't written or read a poem since then.
As an attempt to revive the poetry within me. I will be submitting to the Andres Montoya Poetry Contest.
But all is not lost. This past year has also been an extremely productive year, mainly to my health. Last January I planned some triathlons and cycling races throughout the year. I found that I wouldn't exercise on my own unless I was entered or training for an event. With hesitation, I can say that this past year, I was probably in one of the best shapes of my life. I got back to about 180 pounds, which if I was a prized fighter, this would be my fighting weight. The culmination of my year came at El Tour de Tucson, 111 miles around my hometown. My goal was to break 6 hours, and with a gasp of slight disappointment, I finish in 6 hours 5 minutes.
I LOVE cycling. Though tennis will always be my true love, it has been too redundant and too hard on my body as I get older. My mind wants to the move the way I did in college, but my body holds the reins a little tighter.
2012 will be a beautiful year. Without a doubt, our firstborn will bring love in it's purest form to our home. What a way to start of a new year!
