Year In Review 2008 and Co. "No One Gives You Anything; You Have To Take It."
"I refuse to believe that '07 is over," I told Royah sometime in late December of Anno Domini 2007. "I'm just going to pretend that 2008 is still 2007"
While I thought that such a statement would only prove to be superficial, it turned out to be surprsingly accurate. Why? Because, for the life of me, the two years mesh so seamlessly that it baffles me. I look at the dates of comments, private messages and added pictures and I can't believe that they are from almost two years ago. I remember events and parties but cannot tell when they occured. I know Lucas hates this cliche but, golly!, the year went down faster than a white Republican campaign manager on a ghetto park at night.
2007 was a good year. Not fantastic or too special (like 2004 and 2005...to this day, the most important years of my life due to personal growth, lessons learned, loves and friendships gained and lost and so many other things) but within the boundaries of what my established lifestyle it was good. A 7.5/10, I daresay. And it's funny, in hindsight, how 08 started going terribly wrong within the second month. On February, what I had dreaded the most occurred...she was no longer even a dream that could "possibly" be obtained, a dream that, with even the tinniest of chances, could be reached, but somebody else's companion, somebody else's actual, real life love. Months of hurt, confusion, disbelief, misguided hopes for the worst, denial, anger, acceptance, anger, acknowledgement, acceptance and wistful hopes for the future (in this exact order) ensued.
And then I moved out of Tucson, and I finally realized what Limbo looks like. And everything that I held dear, took for granted and even achieved in 6 years was left behind. So, for this reasons 2008 is a 6/10 year. It flirted with disaster, but managed to have its moments thanks to the help and levity of the usual suspects.
I didn't do anything special this year to improve my life. I remained who I am. Every year I swear this is not going to happen and vow to make it better...I won't vow anything this year. I'll do it. Except, if I don't. But one of my cousins told me this year would get better, and partly because I had to make it so, on every single level, and I will fight like hell to accomplish it.
So 2009, get ready.
As for Christmas presents this year, it was more simple than in recent years. "The Dark Knight" with a delux pack consisting of a mini-comic that included DC Comic's original Joker and Two Face stories (cool) and Two Face's coin (super-awesome); "Batman: The Long Halloween" graphic novel (great) and two indie records that I heard were quite good ("Never Heard the End of It" by Sloan, a 30 song beast, and Nicole Atkins' "Neptune City"--haven't heard neither yet). And some Bookman's stuff: "Scarface: The World Is Yours" and "Soldier of Fortune" video games, plus 7 new novels added to my collection ("Gone, Baby, Gone" is terrific--read it in three days. But apparently the movie fucked the plot up--thanks a lot, Ben Affleck!)
And some days ago I woke up at like 3 in the morning because I had posted a comment on Stephen's latest blog here in which I wrote down a "living in sin" joke almost verbatim from a bunch of previous posts back and didn't notice until later. I still feel like a douchebag for that. I'm slippin' boys. Soon I'd be telling Michael Jackson and Menendez Brother jokes, like the Big Chinned One. Although, if I do that, NBC may give me my own talk show on primetime. I couldn't be worse than Jimmy Fallon, couldn't I?
While I thought that such a statement would only prove to be superficial, it turned out to be surprsingly accurate. Why? Because, for the life of me, the two years mesh so seamlessly that it baffles me. I look at the dates of comments, private messages and added pictures and I can't believe that they are from almost two years ago. I remember events and parties but cannot tell when they occured. I know Lucas hates this cliche but, golly!, the year went down faster than a white Republican campaign manager on a ghetto park at night.
2007 was a good year. Not fantastic or too special (like 2004 and 2005...to this day, the most important years of my life due to personal growth, lessons learned, loves and friendships gained and lost and so many other things) but within the boundaries of what my established lifestyle it was good. A 7.5/10, I daresay. And it's funny, in hindsight, how 08 started going terribly wrong within the second month. On February, what I had dreaded the most occurred...she was no longer even a dream that could "possibly" be obtained, a dream that, with even the tinniest of chances, could be reached, but somebody else's companion, somebody else's actual, real life love. Months of hurt, confusion, disbelief, misguided hopes for the worst, denial, anger, acceptance, anger, acknowledgement, acceptance and wistful hopes for the future (in this exact order) ensued.
And then I moved out of Tucson, and I finally realized what Limbo looks like. And everything that I held dear, took for granted and even achieved in 6 years was left behind. So, for this reasons 2008 is a 6/10 year. It flirted with disaster, but managed to have its moments thanks to the help and levity of the usual suspects.
I didn't do anything special this year to improve my life. I remained who I am. Every year I swear this is not going to happen and vow to make it better...I won't vow anything this year. I'll do it. Except, if I don't. But one of my cousins told me this year would get better, and partly because I had to make it so, on every single level, and I will fight like hell to accomplish it.
So 2009, get ready.
As for Christmas presents this year, it was more simple than in recent years. "The Dark Knight" with a delux pack consisting of a mini-comic that included DC Comic's original Joker and Two Face stories (cool) and Two Face's coin (super-awesome); "Batman: The Long Halloween" graphic novel (great) and two indie records that I heard were quite good ("Never Heard the End of It" by Sloan, a 30 song beast, and Nicole Atkins' "Neptune City"--haven't heard neither yet). And some Bookman's stuff: "Scarface: The World Is Yours" and "Soldier of Fortune" video games, plus 7 new novels added to my collection ("Gone, Baby, Gone" is terrific--read it in three days. But apparently the movie fucked the plot up--thanks a lot, Ben Affleck!)
And some days ago I woke up at like 3 in the morning because I had posted a comment on Stephen's latest blog here in which I wrote down a "living in sin" joke almost verbatim from a bunch of previous posts back and didn't notice until later. I still feel like a douchebag for that. I'm slippin' boys. Soon I'd be telling Michael Jackson and Menendez Brother jokes, like the Big Chinned One. Although, if I do that, NBC may give me my own talk show on primetime. I couldn't be worse than Jimmy Fallon, couldn't I?