Wow, time flies, it's 2009 already. Here is 2008:

• Changed jobs because Humanware essentially shut down their New Zealand operations last January.
• Had six weeks off last summer between jobs, did some cycling and photography.
• Wrecked my bike and sprained my wrist when I was knocked off my bike in a roundabout on the way home from work.
• Started using Git, which changed everything I thought I knew about source control.
• Lost both my paternal grandparents (one in April, one in December).
• My other grandmother reached 100 years old, pity we couldn't be there.
• Bought a house (in Christchurch). It's got four bedrooms, was built in the 1930s, and is in great shape for its age.
• New projects: pydkim, Sunrise and Sunset, Sudoku solver
• Works in progress: psil, shaback, Wikipedia blame

My annual update is a bit late this year because we've been away on holiday (trip report and pictures coming soon).

• Amy and I got married! This was, of course, the big event of the year with a fantastic honeymoon (or two).
• Suffered a server crash which sucked up a bunch of time and energy. It's now better than it was before, though.
• Got robbed and lost my laptop. Replaced it with a much spiffier MacBook. Loss of data more traumatic than loss of hardware. Improved backup discipline.
• New web things: Wiktionary to dict Gateway, SPF -all Domain Survey.

Compared to prior years, 2007 seems like it was slower.

This is the fourth year I've done a year-end summary. It's convenient to summarise a year in this way, but time compresses too well and you end up skipping all the good details!

• Amy and I immigrated to New Zealand.
• Skied for the first time in the southern hemisphere. On Canada day (1 July)!
• Sold my house in Austin, TX (for way less than what I paid for it).
• Gave up caffeinated soft drinks completely.
• Started taking Taekwon-do classes again, after a 20 year hiatus. (Then sprained my ankle, which put me out for six weeks.)
• Photographed a transit of Mercury.
• Met the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Right Honourable Helen Clark.
• Started a knitting supply business.
• Stopped eating terrestrial meat products (pesco-vegetarian?)

This has been a year of changes.

• Left my job of four and a half years at United Devices.
• Visited Peru with Amy, my first time in South America.
• Hiked at 13,800 feet (4200 m), which is the highest altitude I've climbed.
• Decided to move to New Zealand with Amy.
• Asked Amy to marry me (she said yes). No date set yet, just the country (New Zealand).
• Sold or gave away most of the stuff in my house in preparation to move, including my NSX. The house and the Insight (60+ mpg!) are still for sale!
• Went on a two-month road trip through the southwest USA with Amy on our way from Texas to Canada.
• Flew in a hot air balloon for the first time.

It's that time of year again for the year-in-review.

• Got my Private Pilot license with a Glider rating.
• Travelled outside North America for the first time, to Spain and to Australia.
• Met a wonderful girl named Amy, who showed me how much fun world travel can be.
• Went skydiving for the first time.
• Started to learn Spanish and Japanese, started reviewing my French, and investigated Russian, Chinese, and Basque.
• Did a valve clearance adjustment on my car which was the first substantial automotive work I've done by myself.
• Flew a 777 simulator for the first time.
• Got a good view of the lunar eclipse and took some photos which turned out pretty well.
• Got a dental filling for the first time. I've never had a cavity before this year.

2003 has been quite a year for me, in many respects. In no particular order:

• Flew a plane (a glider) for the first time in August. Now I'm well on my way to my pilot's license.
• Finally did some astrophotography with the telescope I bought four years ago but hardly used until recently.
• Learned Esperanto. I can read, write, and speak in the language pretty easily now.
• Got my General class amateur radio license (KD5VCU). For no particular reason, I don't even have a radio rig. Learned enough Morse code to pass the test, but I'd like to become proficient eventually.
• First time surfing, with my brother in California. I stood up at least a couple of times!
• Started this journal/blog/diary/whatever. It's only been a few months, but I'm enjoying it.
• Got divorced. We were ultimately not right for each other, neither of us holds any hard feelings, we still meet for lunch or whatever every week or two, and I wish her all the best.
• Got published in Playboy! Probably not what you're thinking, but my Homeland Security Threat Monitor got a one-sentence mention in the March 2003 print edition.

I'm looking forward to what 2004 has in store.</li>