Year in Review

2006 went quickly. Some highlights in retrospect:

The Blog.It's been a struggle at times, but it looks like we managed around 163 posts for the year. Would certainly like to increase that number in 2007, given time and something worth blogging about.

Australia. It's a bit crispy around the edges at the moment, but the nation finished off 2006 fairly strongly. Sure, a few setbacks, such as the AWB scandal, but at least there weren't any race riots. There was a power shift in the Labor party that elevated Kevin Rudd to the leader position, which may make things interesting in the 2007 elections next year. Howard - will he stay or go? Perhaps most importantly, despite the over-priced and shoddy clothing, the daggy haircuts and fashion sense, the over-abundance of cleavage (which actually doesn't bother me too much), the bushfires, the lack of any sense of e-commerce, and national sports which can be at times incomprehensible (and yes, I'm talking about you, Cricket), we really like it here.

Work. We worked our asses off this year, but were both rewarded with promotions. I hope to be able to make a new post in the new year, entitled "Sugarmamma," which will signify Uta's rise to the status of principle bread-winner in the house, but that still remains to be seen.

Travel. Lots. It's all pretty much outlined in the blog, which you should be reading anyway.

Extracurriculars. After a break of several years, I resumed karate training at the beginning of 2006. A year later, I'm staring to get a feel for my old self, but also getting a feel for what it's like to get older. Uta triumphed her way through Melbourne's winter tennis season and came in second in the club championships. We both struggled a bit with the languages, work kept me away from my German classes quite a bit the past few months, and similarly, Uta had trouble meeting up with her crew of Spanish speakers. But 2007 is another year. . .