The Year That Was 2005



I am not going to explain why I have not written in a few months. Mostly, I don’t have a single answer. However, I have always written an “end–of-the-year” ego boosting, self absorbed and yet oh so very deep essay that manages to make me feel just a teeny bit better about the unknown year to come.

I started this year jobless and depressed. I kid you not; I learned to cook just so I would have something to do with my day besides watching old marathons of Law and Order. I guess I can knock cooking off my list of things to learn in life.

Around this time I went into a deep reflection of where I was in life and where I wanted to be. I began to realize the best way to make ones dreams come true is to actually believe one is actually capable of making those dreams a reality. Dreaming about things is great. Believing those dreams takes work. It takes a knowing that I am smart enough and talented enough to make it possible. Without that, a dream is just a dream; it is a colored yet blurry picture that fades away as soon as the eyes open to bring on the new day.


Above all else, without knowing what we want, we can’t make it happen. I had to figure out what I wanted and that is what I did. I know I wanted what I already had in life, a great family, a guy I love, friends I would do anything for, and even a cute doggie that thought I was the best thing since sliced bread. So what didn’t I have?

When my Great Grandma Jimmy died I felt like a small chunk of my heart was ripped out of me. But I took that time to look at my Grandpas life as a model of what we should all attain. He had wisdom and confidence. He knew about the world and the people in it. I wanted to die of old age surrounded by a big huge successful and fulfilled family. I looked at him and knew I wanted to be somebody special. I wanted to be somebody that gives to the world as much as the world gives to me.

The best way to give to the world is to entertain them, so I decided I would do whatever it takes to be successful at entertainment. Whether I choose marketing and PR, or writing for a glossy, or becoming an A&R Rep and have the ability to bring new great music to the people, I know the foundation of what I want to do will involve the music industry somehow.

A big, huge, ginourmous chunk of my life has been surrounded by music. Things have been made possible because of music. Music can be set in an order to be the soundtrack of my life. I can’t explain the magical feeling I get when I listen to a song that speaks to me, yet I know my purpose in life is to have others get that same feeling.

With that in the know, I took on a job as an assistant in a marketing department of a hospital. It wasn’t exactly what I want to do, but it is a great thing to put on my resume while I finish school. I changed my concentration at school to Entertainment Studies and made a promise to myself that even if I were studying 7 days straight I would take full loads each semester and summer until I finished. That degree is my first goal and I am determined to get there. My uncle told me in an email a while back, that he knew I would end up the superstar. I trust his opinion. I think I just may come out on top. However, it is I who has to put in the work to get there.

It won’t be easy, but I am surrounded by love. And, I know with the foundation of love, anything is possible, no matter what rough roads lay ahead.


Enough mush mush, it is time for my year-end lists.

So without further delay here are my picks of the best things about this very packed year.


Best Records of the Year:

The Decembrists – Picaresque

Eels – Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Kaiser Chiefs – Employment

Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor

Paul McCartney – Chaos and Creation in the Backyard



Best Concerts of the Year:

Paul McCartney
I got these tickets as an anniversary present and I have to say my life long dream coming true was everything I imagined it to be.

Oasis
Although the two brothers did not give much of their infamous banter, the concert itself was fabulous

My own Performance of “Wonderwall”, - a karaoke bar in New York that I don’t remember much of. It was here that I established my status of the new Rock n’ Roll Queen

Brian Wilson – the only thing you can say about Brian is that everything he does, everything he says, and every musical note and harmony that slithers off that stage is beautiful. It is beautiful in a way that one would imagine Angels singing down on us from heaven.

The Decembrists – Not sure which I liked better, the concert or the encore. I have to say the concert was a mighty bit different than the first time I saw the Decembrists in a small crowded bar. They certainly rose to indie fame this year.


Best TV Shows

Veronica Mars – missing Buffy is horrible. But having another kick ass female heroine on TV helps soften the blow.

Lost – A TV show that reminds us that even TV can be smart, interesting, and detailed. With layers and layers of themes and metaphors, a plot that keeps you coming back, and multi-faceted characters, this ain't no Gilligan’s Island.

Nip/Tuck – While the Junior season was a far bit more splotchy than previous seasons, the astonishing finale where we finally see who the carver is, and get another twist thrown in, makes us excited to see what the fourth season entails.



Best Movies

“Crash” – A movie that sticks with you for months

“War of the Worlds” – I hate Tom Cruise. But, I love Steven Spielberg. Oh the mixed emotions there! But you can’t deny that this movie is one hell of a ride.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” – Non-stop from beginning to end. These movies, like the books, get better and better.

“The 40 year old Virgin” – The kind of comedy I like. It has a heart and makes you piss your pants at the same time.


more lists coming...