Happy New Year

Two things I did in 2005 that I had never done before:

1. Leave North America. Up until November 2, the only other country I had ever been to was Canada. My first ever trip outside of North America was supposed to consist of six nights in England and two nights in Paris; however, because it was at the height of the riots, I spent my entire trip in England. I loved it and I can't wait to go back.

2. Became a doctoral candidate. The fact that I passed my final candidacy exam wasn't extraordinary, although the fact that I blew one of the questions and had to redo it made it interesting. The great thing is that it is the last exam I will ever have to take. Sure, I will have to do a dissertation and defend it, but not more sit-down exams.

My new year's resolutions:

1. Work out at least four days a week, unless I'm sick or injured or out of town in a hotel without a gym.

2. Floss my teeth every day. I floss most days, but I need to floss every day.