The year is not even over yet, but different places seem to want to post "the best of 2015" so, I thought, in that spirit, we should post our personal (site friendly) highlights of this year.

My personal best of 2015:

I have officially been to every county in California.
I have been the subject of a driving while stoned test.
I have heard WWVH while sitting on a beach on eastern Oahu during the day.

Yours?

First time flying a floatplane

First time flying a hot air balloon

Drove with automatic transmission for the first time.

I visited my 60th. nation

Climbed my first ever mountain

[Edited 2015-12-26 23:32:30]

I saw my credit score go above 800 for the first time (it's back down to 750-774 after buying out my car lease), and got my first approvals for prime credit cards with 5-digit credit limits.

I seem also to have gotten my blood sugars down; last year I was at 105 mg/dL and the R.N. said that was bordering on pre-diabetic; this year I seem to be down to 87.

- I made first time visits to both Scotland and Hawaii, in consecutive weeks no less.

- Bought a new car (Honda CRV, very happy with it so far).

- Most importantly, I discovered the joys of fatherhood when my first child was born in April.

I ticked all the boxes for my 2015 work year, made the orders, sales and profit targets. First time in 3 years.

It was great to have a Certain Person around again after a full year's absence, AND everything back on tracks, even if they tend to be of the roller-coaster variety . . .                                    

My highlights for the year:

- Got a promotion (and about due for another one)
- Closed on my first house
- 2 week vacation in Europe

- Went to California, and loved it. Took the first helicopter ride that I remember (2nd overall). I rank it as my favourite ever holiday, and I still smile when I look back at it.

- Went to Anfield (Liverpool FC's ground), something I'd always wanted to do. My team got a draw there.

- First proper job, even if only a summer job.

- Finally got on an A380 that wasn't SQ's. At the 20th attempt.

- Cracked on quite well with University, got a 2-1 overall in my second year. Need to push on though!

Commemorated the April 25th landings of Australian and New Zealand forces on the Gallipoli peninsula in 1915.
A poignant and solemn time that meant much to me, my sister, her husband and our nephew.
These events of 1915 mean much to Australians and New Zealanders .

Crossed Europe from the Asian shores of the Bosporus in Istanbul to the Atlantic ocean at Brest in France, by train(almost) .. a long held ambition

Got married (yikes)
Visited the South Pacific for the first time and got to fly on one of Air Tahiti's ATRs
My 10th anniversary of joining a.net (Today!)

Ah, 2015 has been an interesting year for me to say the least...

- Recorded and released an Disco/Italodisco dance album with completely original material (NO samples, no regurgitating old material), real drums, guitars, bass - was constrained on budget and couldn't go for a strings quartet, but I also did use period appropriate synthesizers (an ARP 2600 and a Concertmaster) and am working to release a second. I am the producer - I tried to be the vocalist, too, but unfortunately I sound like a strangled cat. Maybe some vocal lessons for 2016. It'd be cheaper than session singers...

- Successfully left my IT and software engineering career and began a new career as an audio engineer, music historian and consultant, among other revenue streams... much more freedom, and I'm a lot happier.

- I'm no longer on any opiate painkillers. After years of taking them daily for nerve pain related to my spinal cord issues, I decided that there had to be a better way to deal with the pain than popping a pill. For a while I was on enough opiates to kill an elephant, but I've been free of them since October. It was ... very difficult. And nerve pain is something that you have to experience to understand - but it's somewhat liberating to know that while I've got bottles of oxycontin, dilaudid, and nucynta available, when the pain flares up, I'm not popping any.

- I also got involved in the 2016 US presidential election, volunteering for one of the candidates running for president. It's nice to be involved in the political process, and actually see work I'm doing having an effect on possibly choosing who will become the next leader of my country.

Overall, not a bad year. I wouldn't rate it as one of my better years... it has been a very 'lean' year, financially speaking, and certainly a lonely and emotional one, but in the grand scheme of things, this was a year of moving the chess pieces to where they need to be for victory. Onward to 2016...