I thought maybe this year I would write more, but it is now December and I’m not sure when I was going to start. Looking back through my directories, there are a number of half written posts and thoughts and things to write some more about. There is also long periods when I didn’t even open my computer.

How would I describe this year? Travel and reconnecting.

My summary of my work year was mainly travel and meetings. There were some pretty big projects and accomplishments and plenty to celebrate, but it was also a year marked by transition and uncertainty. This seems like a constant of my job.

Trips to Wisconsin and South Africa led to reconnecting with old colleagues and friends, and trips to Sweden and Dominica led to discovering new places. A very short trip to Belgium was for saying goodbye.

There was plenty of hiking with Tycho - nearly 150 miles. We added 12 Maryland state parks to the ones that we have already visited to bring our total up to 39.

I’m closing in on 700 km of running this year. It takes longer to recover from long runs and I have to remember to stretch.

The best book I read was Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. The most interesting was Recoding America by Jennifer Pahlka. There were many books in between, but they were usually read in bunches or not at all. There were a surprising number that I started and stopped and then came back to finish or just slowly dragged out over months. Ministry of the Future was probably the one that took me the longest time to read.

The Bear and Great British Bake Off were the best tv shows though I’m curious to see where Skeleton Crew goes. I’m not sure if I have a movie I would highlight.

I went back to the theatre and the symphony and realized how much I had been missing live performances. Along with spending time in museums, it is a great way to spend time thinking in different ways and opening yourself up to new thoughts.