Whew, almost went the whole year of '09 without updating. That would have been a travesty.
Though I don't have much to talk about with routine updates (especially since there's not quite an audience for them), I wanted to write an end-of-the-year wrapup post so I can come back and read it in the future.
So what happened this year?
Well probably the biggest change is that on April 7th, Angela and I moved into our house. We looked at a ton of places before finally finding the one that we'd eventually call our own. And I can honestly say that there hasn't been a SINGLE moment that I've wished we didn't move in together. What they say is true: when it's right, it's right. As for the house, there's a lot that needs to be done in around here in 2010, but at least we're settled in.. and the day-to-day living here totally feels like 'home'.
Let's see, what else. Oh! Marie, Amos, and Dean have moved back to the states for a few years. Although I've never been the best brother as far as seeing my sisters, I really do like having them around. The family as a whole feels closer to me now that we're all within a 20 mile radius of each other. And Dean is proving to be quite smart, and quite adorable.
As far as pop culture goes, the biggest event that affected me personally was Michael Jackson's death in June. I was standing in my kitchen and Angela got a text message (or maybe a call) from her Mom saying he had died. So I immediately turned on CNN and saw that he had collapsed. We told Ang's mom that the death rumors were an exaggeration. However, just a short while later, it became official. I was really bummed out for awhile, and it affected me more than most of the people around me. I guess he was just a big part of my childhood, and as melodramatic as it sounds, I felt like a part of me died as well. Later there was a link on kisrael.com to this comic, which comes closest to describing why I felt the way I did:
http://www.achewood.com/index.php?date=06282009Regarding personal engagements with fads, I not only joined Netflix (and went on a movie-rating frenzy on their site with over 1150 rated), but I also got an Xbox. I don't play any of the expensive games you buy at the store, but I love it for its arcade games and additional features (Netflix, 1 vs 100, last.fm, Zune marketplace). And probably my biggest fad obsession has been with the iPod touch Angela got me for Christmas. I've been downloading apps and playing around with it nonstop. Sometimes I forget it can play music too :D
R&R-wise, I took 5 trips this year (not including going to Ikea to get all our furniture!). Two bed-and-breakfasts (Valentine's/Anniversary -- both excellent), NYC for Ang's birthday/the 4th of July, Gencon (best one yet), and Vegas with my folks. I think 2009 ranks officially as the mosts trips for me in a calendar year. But I figure you might as well enjoy the trips when you're young than wait too long til you may not get to everywhere you want to go!
In a few late '09 developments:
- I started reading again. Angela's mom got me a book called Freakonomics for Christmas and I've read over half of it in the past couple days. I used to love reading but eventually got preoccupied with the efficiency of TV/movies regarding fiction, and I hadn't really read anything since college. However, I think non-fiction may be the way for me to go, and hopefully I'll continue more in '10.
- The beard challenge started (and effectively ended) on the first day of Winter, December 21st. It's my personal goal to keep the creepitude going til the first day of Spring... but we'll see how long I can manage.
New movies seen in theatres in 2009:
5 stars (Loved):
- (500) Days of Summer
- 2012
- Star Trek
- Watchmen
4 stars (Really liked):
- Avatar
- The Blind Side
- Capitalism: A Love Story
- District 9
- Everybody's Fine
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- I Love You, Man
- Paul Blart: Mall Cop
- The Proposal
- Taken
- This Is It
- The Time Traveler's Wife
- Up
- X-men Origins: Wolverine
- Yes Man (released in '08, seen in '09)
3 stars (Liked):
- 9
- Adam
- Angels & Demons
- Couples Retreat
- Final Destination 4: 3D
- Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
- The Hangover
- He's Just Not That Into You
- The Invention of Lying
- It's Complicated
- The Men Who Stare at Goats
- Monsters Vs. Aliens
- Surrogates
- The Ugly Truth
- Up in the Air
2 stars (Didn't like):
- Funny People
- Knowing
- Marley & Me (released in '08, seen in '09)
- Old Dogs
- Where the Wild Things Are
1 star (Hated):
- Year One
From movies to TV: I believe I've only added three shows to my list of regulars: V, Flash Forward, and Stargate Universe. I've taken Stargate Atlantis, Monk, and Battlestar Galactica off my list as they have all aired their final episodes.
In music news, my favorite albums of '09 include:
- The Fame by Lady GaGa (okay I think it technically came out last year but I just got it this year)
- Brand New Eyes by Paramore
- Far by Regina Spektor
- I Dreamed a Dream by Susan Boyle (yes, really)
- Strict Joy by The Swell Season
- Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind (though to put it cliche-ly, it's nothing compared to their old stuff)
- And I'm sure Taylor Swift's album would make my list if I downloaded it :D
Love-life wise, no complaints there. I believe 2009 marks the first full calendar year I've been in a relationship without interruption. And I wouldn't change a thing. i'm going to sum things up with this quote that i've recently posted on FB: "Being in a couple is hard. And committing, making sacrifices, it's hard. But if it's the right person, then it's easy. Looking at that girl and knowing she's all you really want out of life, that should be the easiest things in the world. And if it's not like that, then she's not the one." - Marshall from HIMYM. p.s. by this definition, she's the one :P
And I think that's it. Oh! I also got a cat. Technically it was Angela who made the decision to bring Marty into our lives, but I am very glad she did because he's exactly the kind of cat I had wanted. He's a little rambunctious (I think that's the first time I've ever typed that word) but I think he'll settle down with time.
So farewell '09, we'll see you in a hundred years. Assuming we haven't blown ourselves to smithereens yet (again, first time typing that).