Sayonara, 2016! (A Review)
Anyone who spends any time with me quickly suffers the fact that I’m a data nut. I maintain and often run numbers on various aspects of my own life to inform, understand, or celebrate. As I reflect on 2016 and plan for 2017, I thought I’d share a few data points and key moments.
2016 ended up a less than pleasant year in aggregate for many, but we have much to celebrate still. Do not let the darkness overcome, fight for the light, and find balance always. Goodbye, 2016. Hello, 2017. Without further adieu:
Craig O v.28 by the numbers
- Traveled 131 days. 68% for work, 42 days for fun and four weddings.
- Flew 51,504 miles on 59 flights.
- Visited three new places: Portland, New Orleans, and Cancún. Revisited six : New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Fe, Atlanta, and Palm Desert.
- Saw 40 movies in the theater. Of the films released this year, I find the following most memorable: Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, La La Land, Deadpool, and Hell Or High Water.
- Hosted 27 reservations through Airbnb over 82 nights for 59 guests.
- In addition to Airbnb guests, I personally shared Denver with 37 good friends from out of town to experience breweries, cocktails, cooking classes, Super Mario 64, Casa Bonita, getting high for the first time, and much more. Thank you for all of the memories!
- Drank 232 days (65% of the year, down from 75% last year) or 4.5 days per week. I consumed an estimated 830 drinks in total, 3.6 per drinking day or 16 drinks per week. (I will cut this down precipitously in 2017)
- Went on third dates with nine women (somehow still single).
- Furnished my condo, painted the walls, ran electricity to the balcony to light it, installed a chandelier, mounted televisions, and started making everything “smart” through SmartThings and Google Home.
Five Most Memorable Moments of 2016
1. The Mountain Vista Class of 2006 Reunion
After Amanda and I spent 15 months and over 150 hours on planning the damn thing, it stands to reason that our first high school reunion would top the list. With over half of our graduating class in attendance and no evidence of anyone having a bad time, the event was a resounding success and I look forward to sharing our secrets with readers in the months ahead.
2. Officiating the Lang Wedding in Cancún
With great honor, Justin and Emily asked me—while kneeling on a dirty dive bar floor holding out a ring pop—to marry them. Attending a wedding at an all-inclusive resort in a beautiful paradise would have been special enough, but to play a role in their big day singlehandedly made my year.
3. New Orleans for Halloween and Voodoo Fest
An amazing concert lineup? A city I’ve never been to before? Great food? Great cocktails? Ghost tours? On Halloween? With four awesome women? Yeah, all of that happened. 17 craft cocktails at 14 bars in one day may have wrecked me permanently, but it was worth it.
4. The 2016 Election
There needed to be a downer on the list. And I’ll spite it by not posting a photo. The truth is, I’ll never forget sitting at a table in Buffalo Wild Wings (sorry, it was the first place we could think of that had big TVs) surrounded by six men with a combined net worth at least 150x my own look on in horror as dominos fell in Trump’s favor. That moment may stick with me for my entire life. We all have a civic duty to stand up and help govern our country now more than ever. Let’s get to work.
5. The Denver Beer Challenge
A friend says, “Craig, I am only in Denver for two days. How many breweries can we possibly hit?” I took the challenge to Google Maps and spreadsheets. Alas, one can hit 19 breweries (21 now as of this writing) on foot in one twelve hour period on a Saturday. And so we did, along with twenty or so of our closest drinking buddies. Contestants prepaid a “weight class” which translated to one taster per brewery for bronze, two per for silver, and three tasters per brewery for gold. Scorecards were kept and medals awarded. Let’s just say I take everything I do seriously, even if it involves alcohol.
Runners Up
Many great things happened this year, but the following are favorites:
- Favorite Overall Experience: Meow Wolf. Sante Fe, NM.
- Favorite Cocktail Experience: The Walker Inn. Los Angeles, CA.
- Favorite Beer Event: The Bruery Barrel Odyssey. Orange County, CA
- Favorite Sports Moment: Denver Broncos winning the Super Bowl
- Favorite Cinematic Experience: Denver Film Festival Opening Night and an early screening of LA LA Land.
The Year of the Badass House Party
While I will not regret it, 2016 presented perhaps too many amazing party opportunities. I personally hosted eight big parties in my condo, including cocktail nights to watch fireworks from my balcony, Mario Kart 64 tournaments, and the legendary annual Kegmás party on December 27th. Many people keep telling me that I’m in my twenties still and partying this much is okay, but I’m not so sure. I very much look forward to having moved on from drinking as much as I have as often as I have this year. Yes, I’m getting too old for this. All that said, the parties attended or hosted this year were all very classy affairs worth sharing.
- A 28th birthday to remember (or forget). 28 games published each year since 1988 along with 28 drinks to celebrate the 28th year of Justin.
- The Seventh Year of Kegmás and the Seven Kegs.
- Ty’s 40th birthday clam bake.
- Not one, but two Mario Kart 64 tournaments.
- Heavy tequila tasting paired with the Game of Thrones finale in Portland.
- Best friend’s 30th birthday of board games, Japanese food, and whiskey.
- Fancy french toast, 90’s cartoon, punch and pajama brunch.
- Friendsgiving with pumpkin bourbon cocktails, Star Wars, and games.
- My Uncle & Aunt’s holiday feast of prime rib and yorkshire pudding.
- And last but not least, the reunion after party.
Good Riddance, 2016.
Raise a glass tonight, pour some out for all of the great men and women lost this year, and cheers to the future. Much love to you and yours in 2017.
