2006

A look back at my 24th year as Jayme:


1/1/06, 12:00 a.m. - I toast my Sammy Winter Lager to Dick Clark, hit
the lights and head to bed. I have to work in 7 hours. If I cut a 2006
album, this image would make a fitting cover.

1/12 - WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN LAS CRUCES HOME, SUSPECT/HUSBAND ON THE
LOOSE (CAUGHT JUNE 12TH IN MEXICO)

1/14-18 - My first trip to Mass. since my job started 7 months before.
My Boston endocronologist teaches me everything I need to know about
my disease. My 2-month hiatus from alcohol ends.

1/19-22 - My first trip back to 'Cuse. It was amazing to see everyone.
But most importantly, it put my soul to rest learning that 4 years
was, indeed, enough. Also, my best friend's father died. I'm glad I
could be there, for what it's worth.

mid/Feb - I start dating again. It's been more than a year. It's
priceless, knowing the person you're thinking about is thinking about
you. This will only last til May, but it's just enough to get me by.
Thank you. Very much.

3/27 - LAS CRUCES MOTHER/DAUGHTER STABBED IN HOME, OTHER DAUGHTER,
STAR HIGH SCHOOL B-BALL PLAYER ARRESTED

Mar/Apr - NATIONAL PROTESTS OVER IMMIGRATION PROPOSAL SPREADS TO LAS
CRUCES HIGH SCHOOLS, CITY HALL

4/25 - PUBLIC MONEY FOR "CAMPAIGN" PENCILS PUTS DONA ANA COUNTY
TREASURER IN HOT WATER

4/30 - Find out my apartment manager is not renewing my lease. This
stems from a story I did involving one of his other properties in Dec.
05. Journalism students: read those 2 sentences again. You've been
warned. If I'm going to move, I'm not renting again. The market here
is too green. House-hunting starts.

5/29 - My anchor debut on Memorial Day. It was fun, especially working
with Amber. If you know her and don't absolutely adore her, you're
incorrect. Sorry.

6/2 - DR. SONIA DIAZ NAMED LAS CRUCES SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT

mid/June - My father and I have a phone talk about death. It's the
first time I cry with him in the 2 years he's been diagnosed.

6/26 - 150-YEAR FLOOD SLAMS ALAMOGORDO

6/30/06 - I close on my condo. Move out of my apartment. I have 2
mortgages. I've been up since 2 a.m. cleaning out the shitbox and
getting the last of the boxes in. I'm woken up at 8:30 a.m. by the
bed-delivery guys knocking on the door. I fell asleep in front of the
door. I spend the rest of the day building all my furniture. Looking
back, this was my greatest and proudest day this year.

7/3 - WARPED TOUR '06 IN LAS CRUCES. I crowdsurfed for the camera.
Shameless? Debatable. But some things you only get to do once in life.
If they don't hurt anyone... do them.

7/6-15 - Mommy comes!!! And helps me decorate.

June-August - Weekends at Elephant Butte Lake w/ Andrew, Eileen and
the gang. Frisbee, driving the speedboat and sleeping under the stars.
These trips replaced the weekends I spent "dating" and are equally
appreciated.

8/1 - STORM 2006 SLAMS EL PASO, SOUTH DONA ANA COUNTY

Aug - Mom and Dad have a plan!! This doctor up in Maine performs
stem-cell transplants that give patients a new immune system and
hopefully a new lease on life. Of course, insurance doesn't cover it.
We could fundraise, perhaps... but that's a lot of money to raise so
quickly...

8/15 - HATCH FLOODED

8/20 - nearly bitten by a rattlesnake. moving on...

8/24 - PLUTO DEMOTED TO "DWARF PLANET." ANNOUNCEMENT MOURNED BY LAS
CRUCES, HOMETOWN OF PLUTO'S DISCOVERER CLYDE W. TOMBAUGH

8/28 - LAS CRUCES TO BUILD DOWNTOWN AQUATIC/SPORTS COMPLEX

9/1-8 - First trip east since January. My cousins get married in NJ. I
haven't seen Dad's side in two years. Phenomenal reunion! Back in MA,
I spend a whole day bummin' around Boston and a whole evening hoisting
with a dozen high school and college friends. Looking back, this was
the night I felt the richest all year. And Jim, why'd you have to be
such a dick to that waitress? Equally incredible, Oreo-Nintendo Night
in Waltham with Emmy. Priceless.

9/13 - HAIL STORM HITS CRUCES, POSSIBLE TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WEST OF THE
CITY (riding into that is the only time I've ever felt legitimately
scared on the job... happy f***in birthday)

9/18-22 - EXTORTIONIST THREATENS TO SHOOT RANDOM LAS CRUCENS IF CITY
DOESN'T PAY AN UNTOLD RANSOM

9/25/06 - "Dear Friends," We go public with Dad's disease. The
Fundraiser begins.

Shortly after 9/25: met kasf. again. for the first time.

9/25 - FIRST ROCKET LAUNCH FROM SPACEPORT AMERICA, UPHAM NM.

10/1 - Jason adopts me as his little brother via myspace. Until now, I
don't think he had any clue how much that means to me. p.s. I now have
two non-blood big brothers with the last name Gib(b)s. Go figure.

10/5-9 - 'Cuse Homecoming '06! I was introduced to the greatest
drinking game of all-time (except for "drink the beer," beautiful in
its simplicity)... TAP OUT. Naturally, I won my first game. My victory
was promptly challenged after I tested positive for 2 sugar packs and
a candy bar. Don't worry, Mom. I was FINE. By the way, my facebook
picture was taken that night... that's my friends "reachin out,
touching me, touching Jews" during Sweet Caroline. It was also great
to dance in Darwins, bitch at the football game, and win beer pong
with BH on our first throw. You read that right. I also popped in my
fraternity's Chapter meeting. I didn't think I'd go back in that room
(and no, I passed It). But it's awesome to know there's a place that
will welcome me the rest of my life even though I may not have ever
met a single person inside. May you all experience what that room has
done for me.

10/14-15 - Andrew, Eileen and I roadtrip to Los Angeles. Stayed
downtown, toured Hollywood. I walked in the Pacific, achieving my
Manifest Destiny. Save for family, Andrew, you are my 2006 MVP.

10/17 - I INTERVIEW BUZZ ALDRIN, KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT X-PRIZE SYMPOSIUM

10/20 - DMB & the Rolling Stones at UTEP's Sun Bowl Stadium with Ezra.
2nd best concert I've ever been to (1st, Guster & Folds, Boston
Pavilion w/ Mrs. Mertz.)

11/1 - INELIGIBLE PLAYER KNOCKS LAS CRUCES HIGH OUT OF STATE PLAYOFFS

11/20 - DR. SONIA DIAZ FIRED FROM LCPS SUPERINTENDENT POST

Nov - Dad's Cause has raised $185,000. We'd aimed for $140K.
Contributions poured in from family, friends, loose acquiantances and
people we will probably never meet. We're donating excess funds to the
next family who needs to raise money for a transplant thru the NFT. So
ALL our donors have helped someone you'll never know. And they will
never know you helped. In Judaism, we refer to that as the highest,
most honorable rung on the ladder of Tzedakah (Charity).

12/5/06 - A handshake.

12/22 - KATIE SEPICH'S KILLER CAUGHT, SHERIFF SAYS (for my Masshole
friends, this cold case was the Molly Bish of Southern New Mexico)

12/28 - DAD STARTS HIS TRANSPLANT!!! (scheduled through February)

12/31 - Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

* * * * *

'06 TOP THREES
Hang outs: BBK, The 915, My Brothers Place (all places I can play pool)
Songs: Move Along, Alone, Hips Dont Lie
Drinks: Jack & Diet Coke, Dos Equis, Pepsi Jazz (if you haven't tried Jazz, you're un-American)
Movies: Pirates 2, Borat, All the Kings Men (I haven't seen The Departed yet)
TV Shows: Saved, Heroes, Studio 60
Sports Memories: Vince Young's Rose Bowl, Colts Miss FG v. Pitt, World
Cup Headbutt
Stupidest Moments (me): Driving into a hailstorm, that 2nd game of
TapOut, mucking a busted straight before realizing I rivered the
flush... tell me SOMEONE else has done that?
Stupidest Moments (everyone else): Shooting a friend in the face,
telling the world how you would have killed your wife, accidentally
calling U.S. soldiers retarded. (Wow, I feel better about mucking that
flush already).

Message from 2006: (from my 9/30 blog)
D on't burn bridges.
(You never know when you're going to need someone... and you certainly
never know when you're going to need EVERYONE.)

Love you all,
Jayme

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