At this time of year, it seems appropriate to look back upon the previous year and reflect about the good, the bad, and the things that make us go hmmmm. Therefore, here are some of the things that made 2005′s top hit list in my life.

Diamond Computer got back on track. Following the proverbial “Year from Hell” that was 2004, things finally settled down and the company made a consistent recovery. The staffing headaches that plagued us through the previous year subsided, our telecommunications nightmares eased a bit (coming soon : http://www.telcomhell.com) and by a renewal of focus and through team cooperation our business has become a more efficient, more positive place to work. A fresh outlook, a new logo and new signage highlighted the turning point for the company, and I’ve never been more pleased with the team we have now. It’s all looking good.

Shannon started a new business venture of her own, in the form of PartyLite Candles. I was skeptical based on some previous attempts she’d made in the business world, but she’s done remarkably well with it and more importantly, she’s really enjoying it. Mind you, my house looks like a church with all the candles strewn about the place, but I’m learning to deal.

Jonathan and Aidan both started school at Wesley Preschool with Jonathan moving up to Kindergarten and Aidan starting Preschool. They’re doing wonderfully and we’re very proud of both of them. Wesley has proven to be the right choice for our family, and we have no complaints as to the care and teaching they receive. We’re also putting up a photo gallery for family pictures at http://www.jonathansstory.org. It’s in-process at the moment, but should be available soon.

The house got some much needed upgrades as well. In October through a collaboration with Martec, a full house rewire occurred, putting gigabit Ethernet network cable throughout the house, all connected back to a full mounted panel with one POE, and one full Gigabit Managed Switches. We also rewired the two rear sets of surround speakers with Canare StarQuad and supplied the Cable and Antenna signals to everything through Canare Broadcast Quality RG6, again all connected back to the main panel. The infrastructure is now laid for the next level of technology we’re developing, which isn’t far away; There’s exciting, fun stuff in the works for 2006. A little progress was also made on the creation of a finished basement, but time and money issues limited our progress. We hope to have that taken care of by the next “end-of-year” posting.

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I’m completely off my allergy medication. Through weeks of research, I found a product called the “Hydro Pulse Nasal Irrigator” created by a man named Dr. Grossan. It’s basically a WaterPik with a specialized tip that’s used to flush the contaminants and mucus buildups from your nasal cavity, allowing the Cillia in your nasal passages to process things more efficiently. Ok, now I’m not easy to convince on things like this, but it works. I use it once every morning and I haven’t had a serious nasal infection since I started using it (eight months to date). I also find that it makes breathing much more comfortable and helps keep me from getting sick in the first place. It’s been a Godsend and I highly recommend it to other sufferers.

Finally, and most importantly, Jonathan stayed healthy throughout 2005. No new signs of the LCH and he’s settled into being a normal, inquisitive little boy. We are indeed blessed. Nuff’ said.

Well, that about covers the highlights. Nothing too exciting, nothing too dramatic… Thank God. Now for 2006…

Phil D. Malmstrom
philm@mycoffeecuphasfeet.com