2011 was a good year.
Highlights
– Moved across the country
– Purchased first house
– Became an uncle
– Started a new job role (same company)
– Eurotrip
I didn’t really make any resolutions for 2012. I want to get in better shape, read more, save more, etc… but those are things I want to accomplish every year. Maybe I’ll just blog more and call it good.
Every two or three years, Ladyfriend and I like to try and take a trip somewhere not close to home. This time around we went to Europe. We flew into Brussels and spent a couple days there, then took a train to Cologne and spent a couple days there, then train to Munich for a few, then finally a train up to Amsterdam where we spent our final three days and flew out.
My pictures are here on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendangates/collections/72157627835373245/
It was a great trip. Belgium was cool but I probably couldn’t find a compelling reason to ever go back. Cologne and Munich were the cleanest and friendliest cities. They also felt oddly “American” compared to Brussels & Amsterdam, since the Germans like normal (large) sized cars, sausages, beer & boobs – not unlike your average resident of say, Milwaukee or Chicago. And Amsterdam was the hippest city (and most expensive, by far), and also the easiest to get around in. Everybody spoke English, and the public transit was super easy to navigate.
Cash Rules Everything Around Missouri…
In a previous post, I looked at how much of a projected deficit each state has. The Show Me State is projected to be in the red $704 million. Since we’ve got 5,988,927 people, that’s about $117 per person. Would you pay extra to eliminate your state’s debt? Or accept less of a tax break to offset that amount?
I might. I asked Ladyfriend and she said that she might too, and added “but if they go back to using those credit cards again, and buying shit they don’t need, I’m taking my $117 back”. Well put, Ladyfriend. Â Method Man would be proud.