Lucky Number 13

Friday the 13th, Apollo 13, 13 people who attended the last supper, and the last to take his place at the table being Judas Iscariot, 13 is considered by some to be an unlucky number. It's all superstition if you ask me. This year, on the 28th of December, has been 13 years since my life was fundamentally changed by another person who had 'one beer at 8 in the morning.' He probably didn't mean it, but I felt it.

13 years, the start of which was almost exclusively recovery, learning how to walk again, how to talk again and finding my personality... again. After the neccesary hospitalization and outpatient therapies, I had to finish high school, which I did. Then attending the University of Arizona, bouncing around departments for a bit until finding journalism and graduating with my BA in Journalism. Then, call it recession, call it missed opportunities, could have, should have. But, I moved to San Diego after a frustrating job search, to the beach and back with my tail between my legs. Along the way I learned some lessions, what not to do, mostly, and made some new friends but anyway was back at the proverbial drawing board.

After Living on my own for a while in Phoenix and doing my thing, I decided to try my hand at academia once more and went back to school, where I would find Lucy, whom I now call my wife, earn my MA in International Journalism and have our daughter Coral Patricia, who is now 3 years old.

In the thirtenth year after my accident, I am now Married to a beautiful, smart woman who challenges me every day, and have a beautiful, smart child both working together to bring out the best in me. I am in a diffrent country, living as an expat while my wife fulfills an educational obligation, teaching and mentoring the new crop of biologists and physiologists in the Dominican Republic. As Lucy inspires a continent, I am taking advantage of the tropical climate and training all year for that elusive (Ironman) triathlon, the zenith of my post-accident need to prove myself.

I think year thirteen will be a positive year, much growth, many changes and the best support crew a guy could ask for. Stay tuned to the blog, one of my resolutions is to post more regularly...

May your new year be funky and all that it can be!