2007 Year in Review

2007 was an exciting year of work, travel (Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Canada), and leisure.

In January, I traveled to Morocco (my first trip to Africa) with a group of professors from Rollins. We visited Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakesh, the Sahara desert, and Fez, among other places (for more information on the trip, see the professor's blog). Later in January, I went on a road trip (with Rollins friends Jenny, Martha, and Dana) to Miami for the South Beach Comedy Festival to see Jon Stewart. A few of us are going back to see Dave Attell in a few weeks.

In February, I turned 30-something and had a birthday party which featured the ever-dangerous game of Shots and Ladders. In March, I made the most of Spring Break with a trip to Daytona Beach for Bike Week and hang-gliding at the Wallaby Ranch. In April, I went to see two great bands: Ted Leo at the Social and the Flaming Lips at the House of Blues. It wasn't long before graduation rolled around.


My summer got off to a wonderful start. I joined a new Monday night soccer league (that's most of the team on the right, engaged in a rigorous conditioning program). At the end of May, I went on a road trip to St. Petersburg (near Tampa). We had a great time on Rich's boat and hanging out at the pool.
In June, I went to the coast to watch the Space Shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral. Luckily there was no major delay in the launch.
After graduation, we all got to meet Steve (x-Rollins) and Brooke's newborn, Oscar, when Jenny hosted an early summer party at her new condo.
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During the summer, I also went on three international trips, which severely interrupted my soccer playing.
First, in June, I spent one week in the Monte Verde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica with a small group of faculty studying rain forest ecology. We got to observe the rain forest canopy from giant suspended bridges. This was the second year in a row that I traveled to Central America, having visited El Salvador and (briefly) Honduras last summer.

Second, in July, I traveled to Brazil for a few weeks. I spent most of my time far from the beaches, in places I had never visited before - the rugged Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, the colonial city of Goias Velho, and the futuristic capital of Brasilia (all in central Brazil). One of my more memorable (and terrifying) experiences was rappelling down a steep waterfall (look closely and you can see me in the picture above). In Brasilia, I snapped a nice picture of the Congress building (on the right).
Finally, in August, I traveled for one week to Taipei, Taiwan, my first trip to Asia. I was part of a small delegation of young political science professors invited by the Taiwanese government to take a first-hand look at Taiwan's (precarious) political situation. I even wore a suit. The food was fantastic. One of the highlights was visiting the Taipei 101, an architectural wonder, and supposedly the world's tallest completed skyscraper. The building on the right, the Chiang Kai Shek memorial, is also impressive.

The fall was very busy work-wise. In late August, I rejoiced over the publication of my co-edited book, Promoting Democracy in the Americas, and traveled to academic conferences in Chicago, Montreal, and Mexico to promote its release. So far the book has received positive reviews, including in Foreign Affairs magazine.
Luckily, the fall was not all work. My friend, Vidhu, hosted an excellent Halloween party and, for once, I had a costume: I went as House M.D. In November, I saw Spoon perform at the Anti-Pop Music Festival. In December, my Sunday soccer team advanced to the consolation final (a major accomplishment for us), only to lose in penalties. I also went to check out our city's new indoor soccer team, the Orlando Sharks (they lost badly). I attended my first "beer skool" (beer tasting) at Underground Bluz. And to celebrate the end of the semester, Jenny hosted yet another memorable Festivus party. I aired numerous grievances against the Mormons.

As we neared Christmas, I headed up to Myrtle Beach, SC, to see my mom and family. I stayed at a nice beach-side resort with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, Winter, who just turned four last month. We had a very relaxing time.
My mom couldn't resist buying me the iZ toy, which is designed for children aged 5-12. Not to be outdone, I gifted my mom the Nunzilla wind up toy.