We welcomed in 2012 with a wonderful jolt of refreshing coldness at our sixth Penguin Plunge, and the year has gotten off to a great start.  Nothing like this though:

1st day of 2012 from Benjamin Dowie on Vimeo.

Given the last two months, it would be easy to just say 2010 sucked and be done with it.  Gout, diverticulitis and the never-ending escrow have taken their emotional toll.  Fortunately though I do have this website and was able to read back through the year, and after doing that have say that overall it wasn’t bad.

Maybe the bar was set a little low by starting the year with a post about clean undies and a photo of me freezing my bits off at the Penguin Plunge.  The year progressed well though.  My fifth Valentine’s Day with Spinner.  Roadtrips to Palm Springs and through the Central Coast, and a vacation in Kona.  Crew Classic and Comic-Con were fun as always.

The San Diego County Fair in July was particularly nice what with taking home an Honorable Mention ribbon for this photo and all.  The party for Spinner’s 50th birthday came off without a hitch, with many thanks to the wonderful people at The Linkery.

Sure the year wasn’t perfect, and I’m certainly feeling no better about the economy on December 31 than I was on January 1.  Too many people I know are still out of work, and too many small businesses are still failing, while too many bankers still walk free.  It was a good year for us though, and on that note I’ll shake Father Time’s hand a midnight a bid him adieu rather than kicking him out the door, even while I’m hoping the New Year baby can bring us something better for 2011.

Weather permitting we’ll be starting the New Year tomorrow morning at the same beach, making this our fifth Penguin Plunge.  As the certificate says, nothing like starting off the year with a “refreshed mind and a slightly numb body.”  Free coffee doesn’t hurt either.

Made it back to the pool this morning for the first post-Christmas-gluttony swim.  Minor panic attack when I pulled into the parking lot, but fortunately all the New Year’s Resolutionists were staying in the dry areas of the  gym.  Either they’re committed non-swimmers or they haven’t resolved enough of their body issues to be seen in swimwear yet.  Either way I won – I had a lane to myself for the entire workout.

We’ll see if the effort pays off on Friday.  Weather permitting, at 11ish we’ll plunge into the ocean like little penguins with 300 or so of our closest friends to celebrate the New Year.  Most of our friends normally wince at the thought of going, with the imagery of icebergs and hypothermia shivering up their private bits just as surely as the cold water itself would.  Still fun though, and free coffee, doughnuts and certificates always make for excellent motivators.  See you there?  This will be the 24th annual plunge, and our fourth together.

2009 started off with a bang with the Penguin Plunge and then three nights up in Pismo Beach enjoying the central coast.  But I’m back at work now, alternating some briefing with some de-Christmasing of the Casa and a bit of gym strategizing that became necessary after seeing the Penguin Plunge pictures.   Going to have to look at coordinated plungewear next year, like these gentlemen on the Central Coast [gallery] .  The Chippendale look might give the New Years event just the formality it deserves.  Laundry and dishes and accounts receivable are rounding out the agenda here at the end of the extended holiday.  Then I can try and post the weekend’s photos.

Back to enjoying life now that the first of the month and the accompanying Business/bookkeeping obligations are complete for the month. I have twenty-something days to do what I like to do, with the added advantage of it being a holiday month. There’s a little trial up the coast at mid-month, hopefully with a little accompanying surf time. Christmas is looking good, as is New Years with the Penguin Plunge and maybe a mini roadtrip around the same time. I have an appointment with a personal trainer on Friday, and am thinking more and more about getting into some kind of organized swim program after the first of the year. Solo practice rocks, but I need to get out of the house more. Not just the sanity, but I need to be shaking hands if I want to stay in solo practice. As much as I grumble here sometimes, there are many less pleasant possibilities.