metric reflection

2008, etc.

My roommate’s current status is blah blah blah 2008. I agree and disagree. Yay apathy and indecision!

But a lot happened in 2008:

Froze my ass off at the dawn of the year in the white blankets of New England’s political capital – New Hampshire. No, that’s not true. At the dawn of the year, I was piloting a raving rabbit in a bumper car into other friends’ bumper cars in an attempt to knock them off rooftops. (Everyone should try it, it’s fun). But by the 3rd day of the year, we were touching down in Manchester to do some political tourism. Saw Obama in an airport hangar hours after his win in Iowa. 4 degrees outside. Splash of coffee trickled 2 inches down the sidewalk before freezing. Budget wheel pickup. Warmed only by the heat of the crowd. Then Obama spoke. Left smitten but wary. Saw Bill. Shook his hand. Saw John Edwards. Almost shook his hand. Felt kind of slimy. Crazies handed out pamphlets. Saw Hillary. Left impressed but wary. Saw Huckabee. Laughed really hard, but got scared that he had a chance. Got in the Washington Post for our political tourism. Tried to see McCain, no parking. Tried to see Romney. Tried to see Giuliani but his website sucked. Wrote up the week in a flurry of activity to get it done before returns.

Worked at MUN. Worked a lot at MUN. Lost lots of sleep over the court and the crisis. Went to MUN. No real catastrophes. Got sick on the final night of drinking. Woke up late, missed lots of people. Got really sad about endings. Listened to music on the train ride home. Thought about comings and goings.

Tried to se Radiohead in a sodden field. Cursed Virginia. Cursed the stupid venue. Froze in the howling wind. Thought about how it whipped in and out like another instrument. Sat in the parking lot for 2 hours waiting to leave. Got home exhausted and mad. Woke up exhausted and mad. Made a website. Vented my anger. Saw DCist provide a forum for the catastrophuck. Thought about writing. Thought about music. Decided it would be a good outlet.

Wrote through the summer. Hated most of it. Wondered where the Samuel Johnson-like single draft and you’re done prowess ran off. Posted some of it. Liked some of it. Posted half of it anyway. Thought about thunderstorms. Upped my eMusic account. Thought about windmills and airports. Pondered utopias. Jotted down story ideas but never wrote them. Listened to music.

Got a new camera. Took some pictures. Upload some to flickr. Never remember to upload others. Think a lot about cameras and pictures and how to record thoughts. Tie it in my mind into thoughts about communication and politics. Spend lots of time watching polls. Too much time on the political web. Watched McCain destroy his reputation. Listened to music.

Went home for a couple days. Really missed friends and family. Girlfriend loved by all. Chili cook-off madness. Won an award for our buffalo chili au natural. Listened to old friends play music. Went to the San Diego Zoo. Girlfriend wanted to move there. Wary of the plane. Wanted to stay.

Wineries. Spent a night in the mountains for my birthday. Wanted a star map. Had a soundtrack ready for the drive through the Shenandoah.

Watched John McCain really destroy his reputation. Celebrities. Georgia. Ugh. Saddened.

Went to Tampa for work. Watched the Democratic Convention from the hotel room. Went to Orlando with some friends. Saw Michael Phelps in a parade at Disney World. Girlfriend and friends got really excited. Glued to the iPhone. Is it Palin? Pawlenty? My guess was Pawlenty. Oh my God it’s Palin. Told everyone. Thought McCain was stupid. Walked around Epcot. Bored by Epcot, more interested in Palin. Listened to music. Floated down a river, bored. Saw St. Augustine. Fountain of Youth was closed. Listened to music.

Listened to more music. Started thinking more about what it takes to be a hobbyist music critic. Hated new Of Montreal. Wondered how the real critics did. Liked lots of music. Listened to even more.

Went to New Hampshire to watch the leaves change. Drove through Vermont. Stopped at the Ben & Jerry’s factory. Loved the ice cream graveyard. Realized my lost favorite ice cream flavor actually existed. Drove to Monreal. Stayed in a great little place. Dinner with friends. Went to a concert. Accosted by an affable Quebecois biker. Missed Pop Montreal. Day away from seeing Liam Finn. Loved the city. Wanted to move. Sucked at French. Listened to music.

Volunteered for Obama. Read the blogs. Morning chats with co-workers about Gallup tracker. Worried about Obama. Worried about McCain winning. Worried about foreign policy. Worried about the economy. Retreated to music. Discovered the beauty of Frightened Rabbit.

Snuck back home to surprise a friend at his 30th birthday party. He had figured it out. Stupid IM status. Missed the California sun. Visited Santa Barbara. Loved it. Drove down PCH in red convertible. Ended up in Compton in said convertible, out of gas. Nervously stopped at a gas station. Got lost. Found our way. Meant we had to go home. Saddened.

Found a leprechaun costume. Died my hair orange. Was a leprechaun for one night. Friends came from 2 states. Drank a lot. Lost some gold from my pot of gold.

Night before the election. Volunteered for Obama. Really nervous. Short line at the polls. Calmed by the end of the next day. Just a good feeling.

Great night. California put him over the top. NC, Indiana, Virginia. Monumental. Historical. Drove a friend home. Drove by the people partying in front of the White House. Wanted to join them. Too cold. Saw three homeless people a block away, oblivious and bundled against the cold. Hoped for real change.

Flew to Seattle. SC Director for Model UN. Loved the city. Wanted to move. Didn’t need French! Walked through the rain to see the Stratosphere. Wandered through the fish market. Hung out with friends. No time to really see the city – weekend turnaround. Horrible plane ride back. Music saved me from rudeness.

Saw the National Christmas Tree in the freezing cold. Ran back to the car. Still wasn’t warm. Christmas came and went like a breeze. Worked too much. Took it home all the time. Exhausted. Music got me through.

Closed out the year at work. Drove home. Realized ‘avec’ sounds better in a song than ‘with’. Thanks, Land of Talk.

Ready to close out the year. Ready for 2009. Ready for more music.

Hair is still orange.