THE END IS NEAR!!!
but seriously, its not just another year passing, it is the end of an era, and in the 3 decades that i have lived, this past one was a very particular decade, a bittersweet one, one that brought me the worst pain and the most precious joy. Like many of you, it will be impossible to describe the last 10 years of your life in a blog. I decided to be a dork, and post highlights from the 3 big M's, moments, movies, and music!!! I will no doubt, forget a lot of important stuff, let that be understood, but i will try my best at squeezing some memory out of my aging brain!!!
Me, in 2000, on tour with Tantrum Of The Muse
First, i will reflect. Remember when it was 1999, and the whole world was in panic, over Y2K?!?!?! Idiots!!! My dad actually cracked me up, when the clock struck 12:00AM he turned the power off in the whole house, hahahah, but im not sure if anyone fell for it. Haha, I love it!!!!
In a single decade i became a modestly successful musician, living the dream, making albums, touring the USA. I also lost all of that, in a short 2 or 3 years. I released 2 albums (3 total, but 2 this decade) i failed at playing music, even modestly locally, I buried a few people who's lives were stolen very violently, i hit rock bottom spiritually, i lived in 6 different places, September 11, 2001 was engraved into world history forever, and following it was war, and George Dubya Bush, Politics, bad economy, and sky high gas $$$, oh and the end of the world is near, due to global warming..the king of pop died, but so did the oxy clean guy...i got stuck in a job rut, and lost some friends...etc...etc...etc
Me, somewhere in mid decade
but on the other hand...
I met and married my best friend, Sara. I watched many others, including my sister Desiree, get married. I returned to church life, and my life got turned around spiritually, i got my cat, Kinky, Coca-Cola released vanilla coke, George Dubya Bush's 2 terms finally ended, so did my belief in the end of the world coming, due to global warming, my sister bought a house, my wife joined the Dutchland rollers derby team and excelled in that, my wife's sister is marrying one of my best friends, Rick finally found a special someone, I am still working, i am still alive, i am still in love, i made a lot of friends...etc...etc...etc
Sara and I, April 22, 2006
Sara and I, in The Dominican Republic, right after our wedding
I also saw a lot of awesome flicks. Here is my annual list...
BEST MOVIES OF...
2000 -
Best In Show
Cast Away
Gladiator
Meet The Parents
O' Brother Where Art Thou?
The Tao Of Steve
American Psycho
Dancer In The Dark
2001 -
Donnie Darko
The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring
The Royal Tenenbaums
Shrek
Artificial Intelligence
The Devil's Backbone
Freddy Got Fingered
Hedwig And The Angry Inch
Jeepers Creepers
Joyride
The Majestic
Mulholland Drive
The Pledge
Rock Star
Super Troopers
2002 -
About Schmidt
Adaptation
Cabin Fever
Bubba Hotep
Death To Smoochy
Frailty
Gangs Of New York
Jason X
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
The Rules Of Attraction
Signs
2003 -
Bad Santa
Big Fish
Cabin Fever
Cold Mountain
Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
Elf
Freddy Vs. Jason
House Of 1000 Corpses
Jeepers Creepers II
Kill Bill Vol. I
The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King
Luther
A Mighty Wind
Open Water
Willard
2004 -
Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy
Dawn Of The Dead
Garden State
Harold And Kumar Go To White Castle
Hellboy
I Heart Huckabees
Kill Bill Vol. II
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Napoleon Dynamite
The Passion Of The Christ
Saved!
Shaun Of The Dead
Sideways
Some Kind Of Monster
Super Size Me
The Village
2005 -
Sin City
Batman Begins
Land Of The Dead
War Of The Worlds
The Devils Rejects
The Exorcism Of Emily Rose
The Weather Man
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion The With And The Wardrobe
King Kong
The Family Stone
Corpse Bride
Hostel
2006 -
Slither
Nacho Libre
Clerks 2
Little Miss Sunshine
The Descent
The Illusionist
Beerfest
The Prestige
Borat: Cultural Learnings For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan
For Your Consideration
Tenacious D And The Pick Of Destiny
Apocalypto
Rocky Balboa
Pan's Labyrinth
American Hardcore
Feast
Idiocracy
Jesus Camp
2007 -
Black Snake Moan
Zodiac
300
Grindhouse: Planet Terror/Death Proof
Balls Of Fury
No Country For Old Men
The Mist
Juno
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
There Will Be Blood
Into The Wild
2008 -
Cloverfield
Rambo
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
The Dark Knight
Step Brothers
Tropic Thunder
Hamlet 2
Milk
Doubt
Gran Torino
The Wrestler
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
2009 -
Coraline
Observe And Report
Antichrist
Drag Me To Hell
Whatever Works
Bruno
District 9
Inglourious Basterds
Paranormal Activity
Zombieland
Obviously i have not seen "every movie" but...that was a good "off the cuff" list i suppose.
Now, even more impossible to round up...
my favorite music of the past 10 years (Mostly)
2000 -
Sunny Day Real Estate - The Rising Tide
Tantrum Of The Muse - Modernmu$ick(2000)! (yeah i added it, someone had to remember it)
Radiohead - Kid A
The Cure - Bloodflowers
Smashing Pumpkins - Machina (The machines Of God)
Ween - White Pepper
A Perfect Circle - Mer De Noms
The Deftones - White Pony
Enya - A Day Without Rain
O' Brother Where Art Thou? - Original Soundtrack
2001 -
Depeche Mode - Exciter
Tool - Lateralus
Built To Spill - Ancient Melodies Of The Future
Bjork - Vespertine
2002 -
Tom Waits - Alice
Rush - Vapor Trails
David Bowie - Heathen
Queens Of The Stone Age - Songs For The Deaf
Peter Gabriel - Up
Dredg - El Cielo
Tori Amos - Scarlet's Walk
Johnny Cash - IV The Man Comes Around
Michael Roe - Say Your Prayers
Starflyer 59 - Leave Here A Stranger
2003 -
Ministry - Animositisomina
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Nocturama
Fleetwood Mac - Say You Will
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell
The Darkness - Permission To Land
Ween - Quebec
David Bowie - Reality
Primus - Animals Should Not Try And Act Like People
Today Is The Day - Sadness Will Prevail
Mew - Frengers
The Violet Burning - This Is The Moment
2004 -
The Cure - Join The Dots
The Cure - The Cure
Fantomas - Delirium Cordia
Modest Mouse - Good News For People Who Like Bad News
Morrissey - You Are The Quarry
Ministry - Houses Of The Mole
U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
2005 -
Queens Of The Stone Age - Lullabies To Paralyze
Fantomas - Suspended Animation
Big Business - Head For The Shallow
Dredg - Catch Without Arms
Neil Young - Prairie Wind
Torche - Torche
Starflyer 59 - Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice
2006 -
David Gilmour - On An Island
Ministry - Rio Grande Blood
Slayer - Christ Illusion
Melvins - A Senile Animal
Tom Waits - Orphans
Mew - And The Glass Handed Kites
Band Of Horses - Everything, All The Time
The Violet Burning - Drop Dead
2007 -
Hella - There's No 666 In Outer Space
Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Battles - Mirrored
Torche - In Return
Big Business - Here Come The Waterworks
2008 -
Melvins - Nude With Boots
The Residents - The Bunny Boy
Starflyer 59 - Dial M
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Big Business - Mind The Drift
Torche - Meanderthal
The Cure - 4:13 Dream
2009 -
Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream
Mew - No More Stories Are Told Today...
Polvo - In Prism
Built To Spill - There Is No Enemy
Believer - Gabriel
So, what do i hope to accomplish in 2010? For starters, i have this long winded, long awaited Unteachers album that i have been hammering about for the better part of this old decade. I put my foot down on how long i will wait. This is the year for its release, or its death...but i am making it a release, and i have started working with my cousin, Travis, on it. I would also very much, like to find new employment. I really would like to get into silk screening, and selling odd designed t-shirts, etc. I would also like to start a family, and perhaps Sara and I will not begin this trek in 2010, but we are most certainly running out of free time!!! More important than what i would accomplish for myself, what does the Lord have for me this year??? Who knows!!! But i trust that it is absolutely good for me, no matter how good, or bad it feels!!!
Anyway, There you go, i hope this sums it up, and i hope i didn't miss too much!!!
Happy new year friends
Me...more recently
