The Year 2005

I'm having a quiet and relaxed New Year's Eve.

This holiday season I've attended two staff parties, two family celebrations, two Solstice events, a birthday party, a hafla, a lingerie party, and enjoyed the company of houseguests. I'm all partied out.

We're staying at home talking, looking at photgraphs,watching movies and enjoying the Christmas tree for one more night.

Here's what stands out in my mind from the year 2005:

Above all, it was the year that I went to Africa on safari with my family. It was one of those life-changing trips that I still think about every day.

Its not every year you walk with giraffes, feed baby sea-turtles, and see a lion hunt in the wild. I miss the sound of hippos laughing at night. I miss bartering in the markets of Zanzibar. I will never forget how it was to wake up in a tent on the Serengeti with an enormous orange African sun rising over the horizon, or how the night sky looked below the equator. I will always remember the beautiful African children I met, and the taste of fresh passionfruit juice at breakfast time.

I also spent a mostly wonderful week in London, one of my favourite cities in the world: cruising down the Thames, going to the theatre, spending hours in the museums, and even, er, visiting the local hospitals after my bout with my black henna burn and subsequent blood poisoning from my last day in Africa. It was a learning experience.

I also remember from 2005 two lovely family weddings, and also the marriage of two dear female friends, my first gay wedding.

The Spring of 2005 brought two births: my niece Aliyah, a beautiful child, and in April my good friend Deb also had a daughter, Angelina.

Unfortunately, 2005 also brought sadness with the death of Tai's Bentley, a most gorgeous cat, who is much missed.

This year I also took Middle Eastern drumming lessons, even playing once with a group of drummers in a coffee-house, and later joining a spiritual drumming circle.

Inspired by our trip to France in 2004,Jeff and I took French lessons for two semesters, becoming card-carrying members of the local Francophone society, even though our French remains awkward at best.

I danced in my last bellydance show for a while this past Spring also.

In June, I did some first-hand research on local hospital conditions when my Unruly Appendix decided to upset my plans by wanting OUT! I may never eat jello again after that experience. It was my first stay in a hospital since birth, and not much enjoyed, although as I mentioned above, I decided to frequent them again later on in the summer.

The year 2005 was fantastic for live performances: I enjoyed The Lady in White in London's Palace Theatre, As You Like It and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead at Vancouver's Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, as well as many other great local concerts and theatre productions including A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Dream on Royal Street, The Boyfriend, The Ecclestons, and The King & I.

I also attended fantastic art shows, the Filberg festival, a Wild Woman cabaret, a variety of great dance parties,and read some fabulously good books. It's been a good year for culture.

It's also been a year of making new friends and becoming closer to old ones.

2005 was also the year I started this blog. :)

Happy New Year to everyone!