I've done this annual blog post 6 times already but I have to say, this one has been the toughest. I feel like all the 2008 memories began in summer; everything between January and June are just a big fat blur. After June, it is just a rush of memories and significant moments. Anyways, here we go...
What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Recorded a vid of myself specifically for YouTube.
Met some YouTube Stars in person.
Started playing around with video comments on Facebook.
Met people some people "from the internet." (I'll talk about this more towards the end)
Personally trained a celebrity (Shannon Elizabeth) on her new site.
Became a groupie. hahahaha
Hired a lawyer.
Went to La Jolla.
Ate a deep fried Pop Tart and Krispy Kreme chicken sandwich at the fair.
Got the VIP treatment at JET in Vegas.
Ate at Pink's in Hollywood.
Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Two Years Ago:
I want to be able to run a mile non-stop. I haven't been able to do that since 9th grade.
fist pump
Eating Slower — I keep hearing the benefits of eating slowly, but mainly it's the benefit of losing weight. This means drinking one big glass of water before every meal, and breaking my habit of pre-opening my ketchup/sauce packets, among other things.
Fail. I tried this so hard but it's hard doing this when you have a really busy schedule...
Making More Small Talk — Because I'm working, it's easy to fall into the trap of only talking to my co-workers during the week. Not to knock on my co-workers or anything, but I need to be more social again. To start, I'll work on making small talk with all the hot moms people I bump into in my building.
Early this year at a party, this one girl called me out for forgetting her name. Ever since then, I've worked hard on remembering names of everyone I meet. Good thing I worked on this because it got crazy when I started meeting people from BlogTV.
This year I want to focus on:
Get my new business up and running.
Continue with the Nike+ Running thing I started this past year.
Curse less. I keep cursing around my baby nephews and other little kids. That's not cool. Expect to hear a lot more "freakin'" and "shiz" from me here on out...except for when I'm driving. LA drivers are dicks.
Did anyone close to you give birth?
Cousin Melissa gave birth to Andrew.
Cousin Ira gave birth to Cerise.
Kirsten had Ava Lynn-Marie.
Mo and his wife had Leanna.
Did anyone close to you die?
Nobody! (I think...please don't haunt me if I forgot...)
What countries did you visit?
No new countries this year...but visiting Oregon was a first for me. So much green, man! Kinda freaked me out.
What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Last year:
I'd like to have my new online business up and running! It's a lot of time, work and money on my part but my gut is telling me to do it.
Same thing this year. I just need to finalize some legal stuff and we're good to go.
What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 25, 2008 — Oktoberfest. Who knew you could grow fond of a group of people in just one night? BlogTV happened
What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Meeting a ton of people this year. This year I realized how busy we've become and how hard it is to meet up with people I really care about. Especially for me because I went to a boarding school and my college was a predominately a commuter school; after graduation, everyone goes elsewhere. Stupid stuff like scheduling conflicts and traffic were taking a toll on my social life. Someone close to me said that I need to go out and meet more people. And then . It's been absolute madness ever since.
What was your biggest failure?
Initiated the legal paperwork of starting my new business but have yet to finalize. I really need to find balance in what to do with my free time.
Did you suffer illness or injury?
Got the sniffles a few more times than usual this year.
Oh, at the Oregon Reunion something pinched in my back so I couldn't anything active for a while.
What was the best thing you bought?
Gas. For the first time in a long while, I didn't care how high gas prices were. If I wanted to drive out and visit someone, I'd drive. Spending time with the people I love is far more important.
Who did something worthy of celebration?
JR flying in from Alaska (by way of NY) and Mquerol from Chicago just to chill with us at FAMS!
Kim and Trent getting married!
Reese finding someone she deserves.
Sherwin dominating his Project Diesel and ended up with a magazine-cover-worthy six-pack!
Who did something that made you appalled and depressed?
Ashley getting in a serious car accident...thankfully she's recovering.
Where did most of your money go?
Gas — In the second half of this year, I decided to not let petty gas prices restrict my social life. Brazilian BBQ -- Ever since my boss treated us to Fogo de Chao, I've had no problem dropping $20 or $60 for brazilian bbq for a special occassion. There was a stretch when I went to Fogo every other week for 6 weeks.
What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Music Fam's cover of Can't Wait Another Minute by Hi-Five:
Nessa's cover of Meant to Be by Melissa Polinar:
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley, of course
Compared to this time last year, are you...
Happier or sadder? 10x happier, for sure.
Thinner or fatter? A little fatter cuz I stopped running in the past couple months. I'll get back to the after the For Your Soul show.
Richer or poorer? I have more money in the bank but this economy makes me feel a lot poorer.
What do you wish you'd done more of?
Definitely more trips to the beach! I think I only went into the water twice this summer. A couple summers ago I was at the beach at least twice a week.
What do you wish you'd done less of?
Eating. Lotsa times I'm just not in the mood for anything in particular. If I had a choice, I wouldn't eat at all on those days.
Describe a typical day for you this year.
8:45am alarm clock. Snooze. 9:05 alarm. Snooze. 9:22 turn off alarm clock, curse at the world and 9:35 out the door. In the office by 10:30. Meetings, training, demoing, designing...and if it's a slow day, maybe a little blogtving. Lunch and maybe a 8min nap. 7:00pm leave the office. 8ish go running. 8:40ish eating. The rest of the night is catching up on Google Reader and BlogTV...usually til 3-4 in the morning.
How will you be spending Christmas?
At Raynell's with the whole family as usual and watching the little ones open all their presents.
Did you fall in love in 2008?
I've become very fond of a big group of people this year. And there are a few girls in particular that I've grown a big soft spot for.
How many one-night stands?
This one time in Vegas, a gorgeous blonde walked out of the Hard Rock and into my life. I think her name was Stacy. She had a bit of a southern accent and was eye-sexing me the whole time. I know it wasn't just the alcohol messing with me cuz she was asking my co-workers about me. I didn't go for it though. And that's a good thing because right after I turned her down...I found out she was a hooker.
Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Funny. For the first half of the year I was still feeling some resentment. I had this amazing ability to steer any train of thought towards old, bitter feelings. But now I have far too many things to be happy about.
What was the best book you read?
Wow, I didn't read any books this year. :doh: I still have the comic graphic novel, Watchmen, that Rodrigo gave me. He made me swear to read it before I watch when it comes out.
What was your greatest musical discovery?
Anything and everything in acoustic, acapella or performed live. It just seems like music in its purest form that way. Also, it'll never cease to amaze me how these musicians can come together and make amazing music without a single rehearsal. I'll never forget watching AJ, Lydia, JR and Randolph jam on stage at FAMS.
What did you want and get?
Got to see Melissa, Amy and a bunch of other faces at Kim's Wedding.
What did you want and not get?
Another Laker championship over the Bastard Celtics. 2009. Just watch.
What was your favorite film of this year?
What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Turned 26. Treated myself to a Deluxe Big Breakfast at McDonalds, hahaha. Had birthday cake at the office. Can't really remember anything after that.
I think Alan and James were in town which means we probably pigged out the whole weekend.
What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Another Laker championship over the Bastard Celtics.
How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Last year:
The same 'ol clothes, hahaha. I realized how expensive clothes are when I started paying for it with my own cash. Good thing my job has a nearly non-existant dress code so I can wear whatever the hell I want. :biggrin:
Same deal this year, hahahaha.
What kept you sane?
BTVfam and It's A Grind Fridays.
Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
(@Reii: I know, right?? Who the hell still uses "fancy" like this?? Anyways...) Nessa Rica. Dunno why but even after meeting all these musicians and performers, she's the only one that still gets me star struck. She's not a celebrity...but she will be.
What political issue stirred you the most?
The passing of Prop 8.
Who did you miss?
Nadin, Julie, Sierra, April, Judy, Jess and Raelynne.
Who was the best new person you met?
Damn this is such a big question because I've met a TON of people this past year. The whole Fernandez family, BTVfam and everyone from It's A Grind...these are all people that I would genuinely love to hang out with regularly.
But there's one person comes to mind in particular... Judy.
Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
I've learned that a lot can happen between two people in just one month. A LOT.
I've also learned that it's totally possible to make a connection with someone that you haven't met in person. Honestly, I used to get shivers down my spine when I heard someone say, "I met someone on the internet."
Honestly, I used to get shivers down my spine when I heard someone say, "I met someone on the internet." I've heard one too many creepy internet stories.
But I think it's a lot different nowadays. With things like Myspace, Facebook, Photobucket, and YouTube, you've got so much more to ~stalk with~ learn about a person than just a screenname. And then with BlogTV, you can actually see these people. You can see them talking, laughing, eating, stripping, having a bad day, etc. It makes such a big difference.
I think ChrisTOPS said it best:
We first meet each other on BlogTV. By the time we actually meet in person, we just hang out.
True that. And I'm lovin' it.
Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
It's strange to have a friend
that you have never hugged
lightly touched their arm
or looked into their eyes. But you have
touched their soul
felt their heart
been embraced by
the warmth of their being. A friend unseen
is not a friend untouched.
The eyes of the soul will gaze
the heart will embrace
the image will stand tall
but only in a dream.
And this quote I got from Meliss:
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. —R.Niebuhr
