I walked through my front door last night sad that vacation was over but happy to be back in the pink apartment next to my little bayou. It was chilly inside, but I expected that because I turned off the heat when I left. What I didn’t expect was to find the door to my balcony about 3 inches ajar. My heart immediately started pounding, and Jose checked every closet while I took a cursory glance around and checked that everything was indeed still in its proper place. All major electronics accounted for, jewelry (though I had my most expensive items with me) as expected in the box, nothing obviously amiss.

Did the apartment people come in while I was gone? They mentioned something about an annual inspection, but I was pretty sure that was in early December and I was also pretty sure I’d gotten a letter saying they were going to do it on a certain day when I was definitely still in town. Suddenly Jose remembered that the last thing we did before he took me to the airport on December 22 was watch the space shuttle fly over. I was very excited about that, and do remember opening the door to the balcony before we changed our minds and went downstairs and farther outside. As soon as we saw the shuttle fly over, we had to run back inside and grab my stuff to immediately head to the airport.

So yes, the logical explanation is that I opened the door, never fully closed it, didn’t realize it was still open because it was only cracked by a few inches, and left town. So yes, my apartment was open and accessible to anyone who figured out how to get on the balcony for a WEEK AND A HALF.

I’m an idiot. I’m also very very VERY relieved that my idiocy either went unnoticed or un-taken-advantage-of.

So, I think I owe my future self (the only one who might ever go back and re-read this entry) and current readers a 2006 recap. It was a very good year for me, perhaps the best ever. I was successful with about half of my 2006 resolutions, including continuing classes towards a graphic design degree at UHCL, shooting a professional sporting event (Major League Soccer), doing a triathlon (did 3 of them), publishing my STS-107 footprint paper (did that at the AIAA conference in August), and certifying as an ARD flight controller!

The two biggest things of the year, however, were unexpected. I guess that’s how life is; you don’t often predict the things that will cause the biggest changes…

In August, I got a new job! I was content in my old job, but not happy. I knew that although I got to work on some cool and worthwhile projects, doing analysis all the time would not make me happy in the long run. Doing ARD part-time confirmed what I always suspected was true: I want a job that is more interactive, that is more real-time, that is more tangible. I want to work with people, and talk to people. Being a full-time flight controller will suit me better, and I am very excited to get started in Rendezvous Guidance and Procedures. The training will take a while, and I have a lot of reading to do, but this is where I want to be right now, and this is the path that I want to follow in the future.

In January, I started dating Jose. He joined a group of friends to cheer for me at the half marathon last year, and our first official date was the following weekend. It’s been almost one year, which is pretty cool. I’m lucky to have found him, and I am very happy. ‘Nuff said.

My 2006 recap of running and more looks something like this:

+ 412 miles run (perhaps my most-ever in a year, I’m not sure)
+ 374 miles biked (definitely my most-ever in a year)
+ 9.5 miles swum
+ 23 events done (including 3 triathlons, 1 duathlon, and 1 adventure race)

And finally, my resolutions for 2007:

+ Lose 10 pounds. Again.*
+ Train for and complete the Lone Star Half Ironman on April 1.
+ Play my flute, for the first time since leaving Stanford.
+ Work a launch as ARD Support Officer. (I’m scheduled for 3, so this shouldn’t be a problem!)
+ Certify as RPS (Rendezvous Procedures Specialist).
+ Visit a new continent. (Asia, Africa, Australia, or Antarctica?)

* I hate this resolution. However, I am 20 pounds heavier than I was in September 2004 when we came back from Peru and that is NOT. COOL.

Happy New Year, three days late!