Reflect, Renew, Revamp

     So here it goes - 2012. Finally. 2011 and I weren't necessarily the best of friends, but I guess you could say we weren't total enemies either. I'm not sure whether I could describe this past year in a single word, but I definitely know it wasn't average. Lots of ups, plenty of downs, and here I go, with the first blog post of the New Year.

 I was fortunate enough to have had such amazing experiences...from working as an apprentice of sorts for Denver Post Cartoonist, Ed Stein, to getting the rare chance to meet, work, and be taught by accomplished Denver artist Lawrence Argent, to sharing another amazing season as a cross country coach (now CHSAA-certified) for the Wheat Ridge Farmers - it's been a whirlwind. I entered into my first professional art exhibition at the Colorado Photographic Center this past December, and although I was not lucky enough to get in, it was a pretty big milestone for me. The series was called "Nevermore" after a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, and it centered around 10 images all documenting ravens. I suppose it's funny the way things seem to work out for you...because it was never intended to be a series about ravens in the first place. I set out, with my camera in hand, still trying to figure out how and what my film rolls were going to be about. I took to the nature trails and shot various images of ducks and birds, but it didn't ever seem to be enough. On top of things, the early sunset meant that it got bitterly cold, pretty quickly, and I decided to give up and head back to the parking lot where I had left my car earlier in the day. I'd like to say this was an exaggeration, but I assure you it isn't... I was opening the door to get in when, what I'm estimating, was about 150 ravens flew over my head and landed directly behind me in the parking lot. I was completely stunned, whipped out my camera, and shot roll upon roll of film. Surprisingly, all of the birds seemed to cooperate and let me get pretty close to them. The guy on the fence kept eyeing me while I continually snapped his picture, and I was fortunate enough to have snagged the capture you see now the right, where we shared a brief exchange.

     I wasn't able to run for the Pioneers this past season...art and life had finally caught up to me and I needed to take a year to focus on that. It was beginning to get tough having to hang around after class to make practice each day, get caught in 5:30 traffic, and get started on schoolwork around 8:00 each night. Then there's that thing called sleep. We aren't good friends... more like acquaintances.
     Coaching became a big part of athletics for me again this year. I became officially CHSAA certified this season, and am now an employee of the Jeffco School District. To say that I love it, would be a major understatement. On one hand, it's great to be involved in something that has been such a major part of my life since my freshman year of high school, but at the same time, I love seeing things from a different perspective as a coach. There is so much responsibility and work involved that it certainly keeps me on my feet (no pun intended). I haven't had a perfect training schedule this year, but towards mid September I was looking to do a half marathon at the end of October. Unfortunately, I ended up getting sick for the entire month and decided that the $100 race fee wasn't worth a crappy time for my first half. Needless to say, I haven't given up on that goal... there are plenty of half marathons scheduled for the upcoming spring season, and I'm looking into racing one up in Fort Collins in May.

     I feel like this past year has been a huge change for me. Looking back, I've lost a lot of friends...some close, some not so close, but I've also met a lot of fantastic people and became closer with a lot of others. I'd rather say there wasn't any downfall or disappointment, but I think sometimes I get caught up in things so much that it's hard to keep up with everyone.
   
     I definitely had a rocking holiday in Denver with the family. My mom took on the task of hosting and cooking for 23 people. And there's really no kind of holiday like a Finamore holiday. We were able to somehow scarf down 3 pounds of homemade pasta as a family...not to mention all of the gingerbread, pizzelle, and spritz cookies. Definitely a very Italian holiday. On Christmas Eve we cramped the entire family into my Grandparent's shabby North Denver home and enjoyed a traditional, Italian 7-fish dinner complete with squid, baclava, shrimp, smelts, anchovies, and a bunch of pasta, wine, and goodies. It's funny to think that I've never actually had a traditional holiday dinner... I have no idea what a holiday ham tastes like, and while we do make turkey for Thanksgiving, it's usually followed by homemade raviolis, sausages, and meatballs. I definitely remember as a little kid, coming to school with squid for lunch and getting a bunch of weird reactions from all of my friends. I'm not sure why someone wouldn't want to trade squid tentacles for a Snack Pack...but I'll take it.
     In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing what this year has to offer. My horoscope describes exactly what I'm hoping this next year will be for me - filled with nonstop action...just the way I like it. And it also says I'll either get married or find love. I'll take either one of those. Please and thank you.