(Consider this post NSFW). I thought a look back at my twenties was in order given that I turned 30 today. Below is a highlight reel of this decade in my life, quite a busy and transformational one. Oh, and no, I don’t care that I switch indiscriminately between present and past tense throughout. WhatEVAR! I do what I WANT!

Spring 1998 Finished second year in college, my first at Missouri Western. My first formal training in music, prior to that being solely a self-taught rocker. Start off majoring in music performance and sound engineering. No, I did not see any flutes being placed in any orifices during band camp. Disappointing, I know.

Fall 1998 Met my love, Aimee’, in marching band, her freshman year, my junior. As I recall it, I “sent out my man vibes”, which compelled her to ask me out after band practice one day (she has a different version:P). I gave her a Little Debbie on the band bus one day, the rest is history. Hmmm….that could be interpreted in certain ways.

Fall 1999 First year as a Resident Advisor. Did that for a year, then Senior Resident Advisor for another two years. Learned a lot more than all the ways to look like a dumbass trying to cover up your weed smell. Though, while on rounds one night, I saw a guy bust out of his dorm room suite, outside in the middle of the night, which seemed to be his victory lap after having had sex.

Spring 2000 Aimee’ and I were engaged on March 31, 2000. Same weekend I meditate for the first time and plunge into Buddhism. That’s a damn good weekend. Lots of dorm room meditation to follow.

Summers 2000/2001 Studied Spanish in Cuernavaca, Mexico, three weeks each time. End up majoring in Spanish as well. Also discovered that I really don’t like tequila.

Winter 2000 After lots of performances over three years, I did my senior recital. I performed a four-mallet marimba piece, a part in a marimba quartet, a drumset solo, and my favorite: performing various parts in a percussion ensemble piece live to a recording of the other parts that I played, recorded, and mixed prior to the recital. Then I went and got my third tattoo.

Spring 2002 Graduated with a BA from Missouri Western triple majoring in Music Performance, Sound Engineering, and Spanish. Luckily, they overlapped a lot:P I expected a statue of me carved from gold, but I just got a puny piece of paper. Six years of undergrad in the bag.

July 5, 2002 Aimee’ and I are married. Yeah, we both looked hot. Honeymoon in Acapulco.

Fall 2002 Start my graduate study at University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK), in Counseling and Psychology, therapist track. Also started 3 years of being a Hall Director, though minus the naked victory laps.

Somewhere around 2003/4 Discover Ken Wilber, become an integral geek. Also connect with Dzogchen master, Namkhai Norbu, who is now my teacher.

Summer 2004 Started my first blog, Integral Awakening. The first step into a world of tech, web 2.0 (and beyond) obsessions. Aimee’ dubs my laptop “my girlfriend”.

Fall 2004 Completed a 12-week strength training program. Gain 27 lbs, from 127 to 154, thanks to Anthony Ellis’s program for hard-gainers. I’m a lean diesel strength-training machine.

Spring 2005 Learn to swim over two or three weeks, then train and complete a Sprint Triathlon.

Spring 2005 Graduate with an MSEd in Counseling and Psychology, but decided to not go the therapist route. Also, realized I had been struggling with social anxiety all of my life. Take up therapy with a peer in her practicum in my grad program. Helps tremendously. I co-create Anxious Living as an exploration of social anxiety.

Summer 2005 After being lost for a month or so about the next step in life, I decide to do at least a year as a professional Hall Director. I luck out with a position at CU in Boulder, a city that Aimee’ and I had grown to love and so desperately wanted to move to. One of the best things to happen in our lives.

Fall 2005 Audited Tibetan 1 at Naropa, applied and was admitted for Spring entrance in the MA Indo-Tibetan Buddhism Program w/ Tibetan Language.

Summer 2006 I complete a 5-Week Solitary Retreat. I get to know what is meant by “The Dark Night” intimately, but won’t realize that until 2 years later. Not as funny as this Dark Knight.

Fall 2006 Buddhist Geeks was founded by Vince Horn, Gwen Bell, and I. The podcasting world shook with excitement, and all the Buddhas in all the realms throughout infinite time and space bought iPods.

Spring 2007 After the launch of Buddhist Geeks, I attend the Gear Media Tech podcasting conference with Leo Laporte, Scott Bourne, and Alex Lindsay leading. Return to start Falling Fruit with Lion Albaugh. Falling Fruit soon is a full-blown start-up with many of my close friends. I am Executive Producer and CEO (for a portion of the time) and help create several shows.

Summer 2007 Aimee’ and I celebrated our 5th anniversary.

Spring 2008 Falling Fruit dissolves as a company, I’m unemployed, but on the move. I hit freelancing with full-force, start PowerUp Productions. Major turning point in my life as I discover my love and passion for film and screenwriting. This realization leads me to completely gear my life with this in mind. Also, I discovered Technoviking and my life was revolutionized. Just kidding.

August 22, 2008 I celebrate my 30th b-day, except without the clown strippers I was promised, but I have some fun anyways:P

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