Wow! 2009 was a busy year for me! A few weeks ago I was trying to remember all that had gone on in my world this year: What directly affected my life? What did I accomplish? What did I leave to be accomplished next year (or beyond)? Where did I succeed and how did I fail?
After thinking on these topics a few times, I decided to write (as briefly as I can) about my year. This post should serve as an archive and a stake in the ground for myself personally and maybe as an excuse for any missed deadlines and to everyone who I didn’t spend enough time with this year ;).
I started 2009 by passing my first certification lab exam, and becoming a Juniper Networks Certified Internet Professional (JNCIP). I was the 680th person to achieve this level of certification, as of today there are 912 JNCIPs in the world. I followed this up in June by joining an even more elite group of router jockeys when I passed the Juniper Networks Internet Expert (JNCIE) exam and became JNCIE #449! Today there are still just over 500 folks with a JNCIE.
After passing the JNCIE I had a bunch of time on my hands, what with not studying and all, so I decided to launch the first all-Juniper news site, Burning With The Bush! I also completely redesigned my personal blog, don’t panic (where you are likely reading this post) and rebuilt and relaunched the CO ISOC website. In fact I did quite a lot of work on CO ISOC’s web presence early in 2009, including setting up a mail server to host the new mailing list, setting up a facebook page and also creating a twitter account. Furthering my webmaster self-image; I designed, built and launched a website for my friend Bo’s new Tattoo shop – Element 8 Tattoo.
Back to Juniper for a moment, I wrote my first work that will be truly published in 2009. In fact, I just submitted the last chapter of my first booklet on IPv6 to the Day One editing team at Juniper right before Christmas. They should have all of the copy editing and other post-production work done within four or five weeks I believe, so you should be able to get your hands on it in February or March at the latest! Look for more info on this here on my blog over the next month or so.
On a more personal (less geeky) note, I finally started on my first tattoo sleeve. As you may have guessed, Bo is doing all the work and it looks fantastic! Also in the “personal” category, my wife and I bought our first house in May (with his and hers garages)! It was a foreclosure that had been being used as a business by the previous owners, so we got a great deal… and a ton of work! We have since fixed all of the problems; like re-hanging doors, patching holes in the walls and ceilings, re-painting half painted rooms, replacing super-nasty sinks, getting power to the oven, and lots of other fun stuff. There is still a HUGE amount of work that we want to do, but that will come. We had the house in good enough shape by July to host our annual 4th of July celebration at the new house!
I put my new ginormous garage to plenty of use in the second half of 2009. First, I finally finished building my ’70s Harley Davidson Ironhead Sportster. It actually still needs a little tinkering here and there but it runs and is road worthy, I even rode it to work a couple days this year! Work on my IS300 continued as well, although a little slower than in 2008. I was the first person to install the new Clutch Damper Delete from Figs Engineering (it helps to know the owner) and also rolled my rear fenders so that I can now fit the new BBS Le Mans wheels I picked up in late ’08. I also installed a new short-throw shifter. Part of the reason that the IS was a bit neglected this year is that I acquired a new project (yes another car). I got an ‘84 AMC Eagle Wagon for $450 and have put a bunch of parts and time (and blood and sweat) into restoring it already. I started with your basic tune-up, then I attacked the rear suspension; pretty much replacing everything. The next step was to completely rebuild the front end, again replacing just about everything that can be swapped out. The suspension rebuilds included about an inch and a half of lift, so the old bird is a real snow drift muncher now! I still need to replace the pitman and idler arms to complete the job, they are on order – just waiting for them to arrive. I also replaced the water pump and got a few other minor things working like the rear wiper and various lights, etc.
Last but not least, I maintained my engagement in the ARIN policy process. I was again able to participate in two ARIN meetings in 2009. This time one remotely and one in person. The policy that I proposed in 2008 was adopted in 2009 and I proposed two new policies this year; pp101 and pp102 (I plan to write a bit more about both here on my blog in the not-to-distant future). My biggest “failure” of 2009 was not getting elected to the ARIN Advisory Council, again (I ran and lost in 2008 as well). I have a hard time counting it as a true failure though because so much other good came out of the attempt. For starters, I am one step closer to being able to speak publicly without having a panic attack. The face time with so many highly intelligent folks is invaluable as well.
Through it all, I was also happily forced to spend a lot more time with my boys than I might have otherwise. My wife, Erin, started school at the Aveda Institute Denver in May and has been doing school and work both full time since then. That means 13+ hour days for her 6 days a week, and for me it means picking the kiddos up after work, cooking dinner and getting them into and out of bed most days, hanging with them every Saturday, getting the groceries and generally playing Mr. Mom – by far the most exhausting part of my year! :)
Overall, 2009 was a great way to close the first decade of this new millennium. I hope that you had as much fun as I did! As we move into a new year and a new decade, remember: It’s only impossible until someone does it, and, as always, don’t panic!
