New Years 2005

Last year I posted a short summary of the calendar year 2003. Although I'm a half-year late, it's about January 1 in the chronological flow of my catch-up posts. So let's pretend it is New Years 2005 and I'm writing about 2004.

I had visited Whistler for the holidays. Being without family means that holidays are a different experience from those friends with spouses and kids. And being at an age and social situation where most friends are married with children means you are often striking out alone. Of course many professional ladies are in similar circumstances, which can allow for interesting vacations. But I wasn't really in the mood for that, so I just skiied.

So, reflecting on 2004, let me use the template I used last year:

I am in Whistler, contemplating the scene below of the Candian Rockies. The vast beauty of the rock and snow is overwhelming.

2005 is upon us. 2004 was an even stranger year, full of irrationality and disappointment in the world, but for me personally the economy rebounded in a big way.

My spending on girlfriends, whether rented or owned, has been pretty consistent over the last several years, but 2004 was a good year, even though I was without a regular girlfriend of either type for a while. I did try characterizing the attributes I wanted, though, and did meet a fantasy girl.

2004 was also a year of new acquaintances and new experiences. I did not see as much diversity as 2003, in fact, FAR less. But I spent more time on average on each encounter. I also enjoyed many new experiences as I expanded my horizons a bit. I experienced true decadence. I threw some decadent parties, including a birthday party among others. I had a fascinating journey of discourse and self discovery with mistresses. I picked up a woman for the first time, and then tried a few more times with some exceptional women. My introduction to Asia was unforgettable. I mixed business with pleasure, and even engaged in some risky business. And to mix the bad with the good, I also was stalked.

I said in my 2004 New Year post that I feared that I might "throw myself into the sybaritic joys of female flesh." In some sense I did that in Asia, but at the same time I was very productive on the work front. My hope of finding a regular woman shows some promise in Jenny, although it's very unclear how that will work out. There are even more asymmetries between us than in other cases which have failed, and I am very cautious about asymmetries because I believe them to be the root of many relationship failures (covered somewhat here, but more in other online posts elsewhere).

Resolutions? I avoided them last year. This year the only resolution is to try my experiment. It isn't a Dr. Evil kind of plan, or an experiment in a loveless, selfish, non-romantic sense. It is, however, a resolution.