Well, with every major publication and every reporter having now released their “year in review” for 2011 (apparently secure that nothing of consequence will happen in the next 4 days) I suppose it’s time for me to chime in. I have to admit, with appropriate Catholic guilt, I had probably the luckiest year of my life!

First and foremost, I got married!!! After somehow evading nuptials for a solid 39 years I finally tied the knot on April 29 to my beautiful bride Nancy. We had our wedding down in Saint Lucia with a small group of family and friends and it was every bit as unforgettable as a wedding should be. Sure, it rained during what was supposed to be “dry season”. And if the date looks familiar to you for some reason it’s because it took place on the EXACT SAME DAY AS PRINCE WILLIAM’S! (that’s just my luck). But on the bright side, the pesky British Paparazzi largely ignored our wedding and my family is better looking than the Royals. Plus Nancy is the princess I really wanted. So everyone came out alright there.

After the wedding my first gig was for a group called the “Young President’s Organization” in Vancouver and I shared some of the debating tips I have picked up during the last few years hosting The Debaters, which the esteemed group seemed to appreciate and I also got some good tips on marriage from some of the married veterans there (most of which involved “just say yes”) so we both learned something from that.

In June I got to participate in my third St. John’s comedy festival out on the Rock and was even scheduled on a show with a hero of mine, Mr. Dan Akroyd. But due to a mysterious infection on my arm I had to go straight to the waiting room of the hospital and watch the myriad of injuries that come in on a George St. Friday night, so again not QUITE according to plan, but close.

This summer I participated in the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal again, taping 3 episodes of The Debaters and also moderating a bunch of industry events for great groups of comedy pros like the guys from Funny or Die, podcasters like Paul F. Tompkins and Marc Maron and maybe the hottest comic on the planet right now: Louis C.K. Some great insights there and more motivation to keep getting better because there are a whole lot of great young comics coming up that are hungry. If you don’t stay current in comedy these days, you’re not really IN comedy.

Also in the summer I visited my brother and sister-in-law in one of my favorite places in the world: the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia. While there we decided to partake in a leisurely tube ride down the Gaspereau river which turned slightly less leisurely when my brother fell out of his tube and we all briefly thought he had drown (I know, hilarious right?) Fortunately though, he was alright in the end and it did lead to my most hilarious moment personally of 2011: I got chased by cows. True story. I got out of the river in the middle of a cow field, sopping flip-flops, inner tube over the shoulder and had to run for my life from a herd of cows. Those of you who say “cows can’t run” let me assure you they can. Fortunately I run (slightly) faster and so after I threw my inner tube, jumped over the electric fence and dive-rolled on the other side I regained just enough dignity to say hello to the kind Nova Scotian cow farmer (is that what they’re called) who had watched the entire thing transpire with what can only be described as “detached indifference”. I hope he was at least laughing on the inside, because I know I would have if I had seen a guy running for his life from a group of cows. If that’s as close as I ever get to Spain’s “running of the bulls” I am totally fine with that.

But this Fall is where things really happened for me personally. I embarked on my first Cross Canada theatre tour with Just For Laughs. Entitled “The British edition” (because every comedian on it except me was British) we hit over 20 Canadian cities in a month’s time and I got to reconnect with friends I hadn’t seen in a long time as well as meeting lots of new friends and fans of comedy and especially of The Debaters. Always nice to see that what you’re doing is appreciated by people and though I still don’t quite believe that laughter is “the best medicine”, I’m starting to see that it’s a very welcome diversion for a lot of people.

Also this Fall, The Debaters started appearing on CBC television on Tuesday nights after great shows like The Mercer Report and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. There really aren’t a lot of television gigs for comedians in Canada, so we’re sure hoping this one keeps going for a good long while and it’s nice to be able to share the television spotlight with some great Canadian talent.

And then there was the “comedy award season” (if you blink you’ll miss it) which basically lasts from late September to October. I had the honor of being nominated for a Gemini award (which I lost) and a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Male Stand-up (which I won) and also hosted both shows. I really can’t ask for much more than that.

So, needless to say, after all that I took a little downtime in December and left the entertaining of drunken Christmas parties to my comedy counterparts while I went to visit my in-laws in Florida. That trip was going very well until it took a sharp turn, in a golf cart, and my lovely bride Nancy fell out and broke her armL Thus, I have spent the last 10 days attempting to be the best nurse I can to my one-winged wife whose injury is a direct result of my stupidity (not a good feeling for either of us…but in fairness, worse for her).

Still, in a few days I get to return to Massey Hall (which was part of the Just For Laughs tour I hosted in November) to headline the “Comedy Extravaganza” featuring some more of my great comedy friends and Canadian comedy legend, SCTV’s Andrea Martin!!!! There really isn’t a higher note I could leave 2011 on.

So, as they say, there is really nowhere to go but down from here. Which is ok since according to the Mayans, the world will end on December 21, 2012. I’m not at all sure they’re right. But just in case, I plan to have my credit cards maxed out and be having sexy time with my wife on December 20.

Hope your 2011 was a reasonable facsimile of mine. I really feel blessed this year, with just enough unfortunate incidents to keep me in check. Oh yeah, I also moved to Toronto from Montreal on Sept 1. Only time will tell if that was the right move but the Montreal Canadiens are already suffering from my lack of attendance at home games. Sorry Habs. Good talk everybody…