My 2008 pretty much sucked rocks, but it wasn’t all bad

This is massive, so pace yourself.

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I’ve been meaning to get around to this for, like, a week now: I have a 2008-in-review I’ve been wanting to post (as well as a backlog of other blog ideas I thought of while out in Cleveland last week).

Anyway, 2008 was a pretty pathetic year for me in a lot of regards. However, there were some things that helped me from ending up completely insane and/or depressed, not that I didn’t have my moments.

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I’ll start with my Coolest People Of The Year. This year, they’re all real-life friends who helped me maintain. They provided different perspectives for me to see, offered moral support, and just encouraged me when things were really sucking:

– My homegirl Rachael
– Adam & Brittany, my favorite married couple
– My college homeboy Andy
– And Rick, my boy from back since we were kids

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Next I’ll break you off with a travelog, since — upon reflection — I did apparently did do a lot of traveling. All trips were roadtrips.

January:
I started the year in Cleveland with family, like I tend to do. Came back to Michigan for a few days, and then bounced out to Chicago, where I stayed with Rick in the south ‘burbs (my old stomping grounds!), but had an awesome (and cold) evening hitting downtown w/ Rachael during the Saturday of the weekend I was there.

February:
At the start of the month, I drove around the bottom of Lake Michigan and up into Fort Atkinson, WI, for a ridiculously long and intense job interview with a business-to-business publishing company that ended up, obviously, not hiring me. Later that month, I went down to Indianapolis and Bloomington, just in time for one of the worst snow storms they’d had there in a while, for no more noble a purpose than simply hanging out with a Wisconsin friend who was in town on business. He, an Indy-based college friend of mine, and I ended up taking in a Pacers/Cavs game while there, and I also got to see another Indy friend who my Wisconsin friend and I both knew from when all three of us lived in the Chicago area way back in the day.

March:
Hopkinsville, KY, to watch March Madness and eat bacon pizza with Adam and Andy, since Adam took the week off just to watch it and Andy was between a job in Hopkinsville he just finished and one in Nashville he was about to start. On the way back up to Michigan, I stopped for a couple days in Fort Wayne, where I went to college, to visit with a bunch of random college friends who still live in FW.

April:
At the start of the month, I hit up Cleveland to cash in a 2007 Christmas present from my cousin Whitney and her husband Shaun, which was to see the Bulls take on the Cavs and the White Sox take on the Indians on the very same day. Fortunately for me, the White Sox and Bulls both came away with wins, so it was an excellent Christmas gift. Near the end of the month, I ventured back down to Hopkinsville for an assistant sports editor job with a newspaper I applied to there (they ended up offering me the job, but as a result of their handling of the interview and my offer, I felt compelled to turn them down [it's a long story I may or may not tell later]). Then bounced just a short distance from Hopkinsville to Nashville to chill with Andy for a few days before making my way back north.

May:
Chicago again. This time for a White Sox game with Rick and his family and more in-the-city fun w/ Rachael, as well as her roommate, a nurse who felt the need to — while out eating dinner — randomly grab my arm, pull it close to her face, and tell me I had nice veins that would enable me to donate plasma pretty easily if I so chose.

June:
No travels.

July:
No travels.

August:
I started the month off heading to Chicago to take in the Sunday portion of Lollapalooza with Rachael. A week after that, I hit up Cleveland to visit with Shaun and Whitney and see their newborn baby, Matthew (or, as I call him — to the unreasonable chagrin of Whitney — Matt). While there, I ended up watching more Olympics coverage in a week with other cousins and family there than I’d previously combined to see my whole life.

September:
No travels.

October:
Down to the old college stomping grounds, Fort Wayne, to take in a Bulls/Pacers preseason game (where a college cheerleader was totally eyeing me [I think?]) with Andy, who drove up from Nashville, and James, and old college friend who lived there in FW.

November:
At the start of the month, I hit up Cleveland once again to see the Bulls take on the Cavs (just for some clarification, in case you’re thinking I keep paying for expensive NBA tickets: my cousin-in-law Shaun shares Cavs season tickets with some guys and laid claim to the Bulls games in order to bring me). Like a week later, I carpooled with Momz back to Cleveland to see my little cousin Madison do her thing as Hellen Keller in her high school’s production of “The Miracle Worker.”

December:
Near the beginning of the month, I bounced down to a town somewhere about halfway between Toledo and Fort Wayne to chill with one of my main dudes from college, Myric, who a few years ago moved out to the east coast. He was in town for a few weeks spending time with family. Andy also drove up from Nashville, since the three of us rolled tight back during college. We also took a mini-road trip to FW and nabbed James for a Taco Bell run. And, of course, at the end of the month, I got back together with my relatives out in Cleveland and cracked open 2009 there.

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Here are some randoms…

Things I regretted most that I’m willing to blog about: How I handled the Hopkinsville job possibility. They (the potential employer people) were pretty stupid in how they handled the hiring process, and maybe I’ll never know how much stupidity I avoided in the long run by turning them down, but I think I could’ve done a thing or two to avoid dealing with particular instances of their stupidity in the hiring process. Also, I regret not trying to go to the 10-year high school reunion of the high school I started at and went to for two-and-a-half years before moving to Michigan.

Thing I’m most glad I did: Started this blog. It was really just a way for me to get off my chest the random, sometimes stupid, and otherwise assorted things going on my head. Sometimes I think I’ve been funny, sometimes I know I’ve been angry, and sometimes I’ve even left myself confused about what in the world I was trying to get across. So, it’s been everything I could’ve expected in that regard. But a funny unexpected thing happened: I made blog friends, which was a super bonus extraordinaire. Oddly, it’s that part of the blogging experience that’s helped me come to grips most with what circulates in my head and how I tend to express it, even when what I express ends up being something I look back at and wonder if I should be committed. It’s also led me to read other peoples’ blogs, which has — and maybe this is weird? — helped me learn more about people in general. Not that I didn’t understand people before that. And I mean that nicely, because I feel like I know some of my blog friends as well as some of my real-life friends. So, if you’ve read, lurked, commented, or we’ve otherwise become blog-acquainted: thanks. You’re awesome.

Thing that pissed me off most: The election. Not because my candidate lost or some similar garbage. I can’t recall a politician ever running for office who I considered “my candidate.” Especially not in ‘08. I was undecided until pretty much the time I walked into the voting booth. I was more angered and frustrated by the hype surrounding the election and all the strong feelings everyone had (because I felt the majority of the feelings people had were shortsighted and misplaced — and that’s on both sides). Hmmm… or maybe I was just pissed off at my own cynicism?

Thing I did that was the most fun: Outside of any of the trips I took or any of the time I spent with friends and family, the most fun thing I did, hands down, was working out with the soccer moms last January through March. It felt great to be exercising under someone’s direction (my workouts tend to be self-directed and, thus, sometimes lack discipline or focus), there was no pressure to outmuscle dudes at a gym I’d have no chance of outmuscling, there was no pressure to impress any of the women, and the women in the fitness classes were generally pleasant to talk to.

Thing I did that should’ve been more fun: Played for a men’s slow-pitch softball team in a league this past fall. I was one of the best players on the team, and I’m no better than simply average. I’m essentially a low-talent, fundamentally-sound, hustle player. If we’re talking baseball comparisons, I like to fancy myself in more of a Brian Roberts mold, but if I’m really being real, I’m probably more David Eckstein. I think I’d make a good addition to a solid team, but on a sucky team, I’m not gonna do too much on my own to carry it to a win or two.

Biggest disappointment: Outside of the obvious job-related stuff, it was not keeping up with my exercising. I made it all the way from the start of the year through the start of November, but fell off for the bulk of November and all of December. Right in time for the holidays! At least the 10 months of regular exercise and a decent diet brought my metabolism back to a level where holiday eating hasn’t totally kicked me in the face.

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Assorted entertainment-related things that impacted my world in 2008, none of which are limited to being from 2008 themselves…

Albums I discovered and enjoyed:
Little Dragon (self-titled, 2007)
That’s Stupid, by The Cool Kids (mixtape, 2008 )
The Bake Sale, by The Cool Kids (2008 )
The Odd Couple, by Gnarls Barkley (2008 )
Piracy Funds Terrorism, Vol. 1, by M.I.A. (mixtape, 2004)
Introducing Joss Stone, by Joss Stone (2007)
Mission Control, by The Whigs (2008 )
Lord Of The Rinks, by Skates (2004)*

* I’d actually heard and downloaded “Cosmical Triggers” back in ‘06, but I finally got around to getting and listening to the rest of the CD last February/March.

Songs I discovered and enjoyed most:
“Green Vans (Superargo Remix)”, by Skates
“Chartreuse Or Consequences (Master Cylinder Remix)”, by Skates
“Enjoy”, by Bjork
“Emerge”, by Fischerspooner
“Bushpig”, by Deekline & Wizard
“Sympathy”, by Jeff Bennett
“Youth Dem Cold”, by Richie Spice
“Mass Appeal”, by Gang Starr
“Put It On”, by Big L
“Chasing Pavements”, by Adele
“Hanging On A String”, by Loose Ends
“Midas Touch”, by Midnight Star
“What It Is”, by The Cool Kids
“Bassment Party”, by The Cool Kids
“Dinner Time”, by The Cool Kids
“No Time Soon”, by Gnarls Barkley
pretty much anything by Little Dragon
“Production City”, by The Whigs

Non-new movies I finally got around to seeing that I really enjoyed:
Planet Terror
Death Proof
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
Lucky Number Slevin

Movies I enjoyed for some reason or another:
Cloverfield
Step Brothers

Movies I enjoyed while watching, but felt “blah” about seeing afterward:
Hancock
Quantum Of Solace
Traitor
Tropic Thunder
Role Models

Movies that sorta surprised me because I don’t typically like Hollywood blockbusters and I kinda enjoyed them, but that I still didn’t think were as awesome as everyone else did:
Iron Man
The Dark Knight

TV shows I’ve enjoyed watching:
Chuck
Prison Break
Fringe
SNL

TV show I’ve continued watching because I’m invested, but haven’t really enjoyed as much as I have in the past:
Heroes

TV shows that are stuck somewhere between those two categories:
The Office
Sarah Connor Chronicles

TV shows I’ve tried watching, but haven’t really been able to get into:
30 Rock
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Best sports moments:
[1] The Bulls landing the No. 1 draft pick after having only the ninth best chance to do so, and then subsequently using it to select Derrick Rose, who, at the time, I wasn’t totally sold on more than Michael Beasley, but whose youtube highlights I now have bookmarked and watch repeatedly.
[2] The White Sox coming back from a sucktastic stretch of play at the end of the season to force the Minnesota Twins to play a tiebreaker game to make the playoffs, and the subsequent White Sox win during that tiebreaker.

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So, that’s that. As nice as it is to look back at the good things, the year still sucked. All I’m sayin’ is 2009 better be better. If not, I’m totally gonna punch 2009 in the face.

~ by joshlos on January 6, 2009.