2007: Closing of the Year

(photo: Sunset behind my parent's house, Christmas Day, 2007)

Best Weekend: In Charlottesville going with LTR to his competition

Best Blog Discovered and (apparently) Lost: Cooper's Corridor.

Best Performance: The Capitol Pride Symphonic Band's (CPSB)performance of Carmina Burana at our April Concert

Biggest Letdown: Coffee with a DCDD board member after the April Concert who completely took the wind out of my sails and made the concert seem a failure. It was at that point I began to give up.

Biggest Success: Conducting the CPSB and the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington (GMCW) at the Kennedy Center

Toughest Decision: Abandoning my independent consulting business and going to work for an agency again.

Best decision: See above.

Second Toughest Decision: Retiring from conducting the CPSB

Most Spiritual Moment: Standing alone between two glaciers in the Andes at about 15,000 feet above sea level just below Salkantay pass. I've never felt more connected to the universe.

Best Buy: Saddlebags for my bike.

Best Friend Made During my Travels: Aziz

Best Friend Made Online: Zac

Friend I had the most fun having drinks with: Matt

Happiest Moment with Friends: Anne and Bruce's Wedding.

Most Heartwarming Moment: Every time my son said "I love you" to me.

Funniest Moment: The Adams Family Finger Snap laid on me by the band during band camp in the first measure of the Melillo (you had to be there).

Best Moment on the Podium: Rehearsing the GMCW and realizing I had surprised them by being good -- or at least not bad.

Hottest Cover Model: Phil. You didn't think I'd leave him out did you?

On the public front:

Biggest surprise: Bush was right. The surge worked.

Human Rights Failure -- Local: Failure of Congress to grant Congressional voting rights to DC taxpayers.

Human Rights Failure -- National: Continued expulsion of gays from the military.

Human Rights Failure -- Global: Torture, continued suspension of Habeas Corpus.

Worst use of the Legal System: What else? The $65 million pants suit.

Unexpected Pro-Gay Hero: Straight, Republican Dan Zwonitzer, who's courageous position prevented an anti-gay measure from passing in Wyoming. I considered the San Diego Mayor who did the same, but Zwonitzer took his stand purely on principle; San Diego's mayor's daughter is gay, giving him a personal reason. Although that's not invalid, Zwoniter's position was more courageous, in my view.

Poster Boy for the Tragic Absurdity of Hiding Openly in the Closet: Larry "Wide Stance" Craig.