Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes, five hundred... cough cough.... gag.

Ha. I'm not going to get sappy or make a bunch of lists of the best music, movies, sports moments, news stories, blah blah blahbity blaaaaaah.

Wrapping up this year: I'm just happy that I am happy. Kasey Chambers sings (in Living in the Circle), "Today is a turn of the coin... heads, you win, tails, you win again." I learned how to live by that attitude during the latter part of this year. There was a turning point this year when I was tired of making choices that made me feel miserable. All I needed to do was change the way I look at ordinary things. So, every day in 4Q 2006 (there's the financial analyst in me, separating life by Qs) has been a joy, except for that one Sunday when I had to study for a final exam. (Blegh.) My three year old niece taught me something good over Christmas. Every day of this Christmas holiday, she would declare, "Today is the BEST day of my life!!!" I can't always say that this day is the best day of my life, but I do find something every day that makes me happy. Such as today: I ate a pomegranate, and I have not had one in years, and DAMN that fruit tastes like candy, like juice with high fructose corn syrup. How can anything straight from nature taste like candy and still be good for you?

I still have a lot to learn, but I'm sure that getting excited about a pomegranate is a step in the right direction.