A Year in Review

Best & Worst of 2008

Worst --

The Surgery: I went through yet another "worst ordeal of my life" and in consecutive years! I'll explain later how much the support I did receive during this time meant to me. However, the vulnerability I went through and continue to feel could only be addressed in certain ways that haven't been possible for me lately.

No Work: even on my blog, the writing was sporadic this year. In my journal, I was more productive early, then came the surgery, then came a self-imposed sabbatical until the new year. No paid work for obvious reasons.

Lonesome Dove: a tough one socially speaking... no lady friends, saw my other friends here and there, not much opportunity to blow off steam.

Sucky Sports: the Lakers lost the finals to Boston, of all teams. USC lost to Oregon State, AGAIN!

WGA MIA: the writers’ strike killed the momentum of many a good TV show. Heroes struck out with me; 24 got postponed after a very down year; BSG's final chapters got pushed back.

RIP 'Roi: DMB saxophonist LeRoi Moore passed after a health crisis and amidst one of the band's best tours of all time. In music, Jack Johnson produced his first shit show of an album.

Best --

The Surgery: even though my time in the hospital was extraordinarily difficult, it ended up being the best thing for my overall health & state of being in years. I reached the final stages of healing that I will finish up in the new year and begin the return trip to a normal life once again.

Percolation: results were slim, but the benefit of a tough, adverse year has been a mind fertile with ideas. I gathered my list of literary magazines, my poetry improved, and my body-mind is in a great position to write up a storm in the months ahead.

Social Caterpillar: I couldn't be my gregarious self this year, but I had a lot to say with those who came close enough to listen. I saw a lot of true friendship during my times of need. And that was worth the cost. In addition, the small number of new friends I met were, indeed, true friends.

Seasons Behind & Ahead: Kobe closed last season as MVP, then the Lakers began anew as the best team on paper, then struggled, then handed the Celtics their ass in the year's greatest Christmas present. The Trojans won the 2008 Rose Bowl, then started the new season, recovering from Oregon State by winning 10 straight including a kick-ass showing in the 2009 Rose Bowl against Penn State.

Compelling: TV got good, real good. Big Bang Theory announced it's here to stay while Mother remained strong. Chuck vastly improved, I discovered House & Always Sunny, Life stayed amazing as always, True Blood premiered and Entourage was a force to be reckoned with.

Filmy: add these to best all-time -- Into The Wild (best I've ever seen), The Dark Knight, The Darjeeling Limited, Once. Iron Man and WallE were damn good, and others...

New Music: for discovering Fleet Foxes, that alone makes this year an incredible one in music. Honorable mention goes to Noah and the Whale. This year was also my first exposure to Nick Drake along with Sigur Ros and the most recent Shins album. Excellent, excellent stuff.

Learning, Changing, Growing, Thriving: fantastic year in family. The nieces & nephews somehow got older! New babies joined my "extended" family. And I became a godfather.

Resolutions

Reading -- I resolve to read at least 3 Dostoevsky pieces including Crime & Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, 3 London pieces including White Fang and The Call of the Wild, and 3 Hemingway pieces. I resolve to always be in the middle of a modern piece of literature and a classic piece, in addition to reading for research.

Writing -- I resolve to submit at least 6 pieces of my work to literary magazines by June, no matter the genre. I resolve to finish the memoir of my latest health battle, and write at least a sentence of new material 4 days per week.

Cooking -- I resolve to take up cooking as a past time by planning one meal each month.

Music -- I resolve to tell everyone to listen to Fleet Foxes. I resolve to listen to more classical & jazz.

Personal -- In addition to some private personal resolutions, I resolve to be more open about telling people I love them.

2008

The New Year will start with a bit of fun for me, but then it will get really difficult. My new beginning will be an emotional one. I'm calling the 4th as the anniversary of my lung collapse. I first felt the chest pain on that day. That is followed by the one-year mark of the opening of "13" and I'm still very proud of that. Then, I'll have the capper. I will be a whole year removed from the collapse diagnosis on the 8th and the reinflation procedure on the 9th. It's going to be a vulnerable time for me, although I have no qualms about admitting that. The fear of something like that happening again is still alive in me. Even in my most positive frame of mind, I anticipate reliving those feelings once again.

As 2007 comes to a close, I feel like I am positioned for a great year coming up despite the year I had. My health has turned a corner and I feel like I have at least found the road to recovery on the map. When I deal with a health issue, all I need is to be comfortable with the treatment and plan of attack. I feel very confident as soon as I have that. That has been true of my current concerns as well. The good news as of now is that not only do I have good mental confidence, but I also have physical confidence based on how my body is responding.

Creatively, it has been some time since I have been this inspired to write. I have about five solid ideas running concurrently in my head day in and day out. Ideas, of course, are wonderful. But this isn't an IBM advert, and I won't get paid to ideate. I might get paid to write. Now, it's a simple matter of discipline, research, and continued health improvement. I've got Joseph Campbell and his Power of Myth. I've got three world-class doctors and a couple of excellent nurses. The discipline is up to me. Uh Oh.

I actually do participate in the time-honored tradition of making New Year's resolutions. Usually, I also participate in the time-honored tradition of breaking New Year's resolutions. I'm going to try something new this year. I'm going to maintain my past resolutions, but define them more specifically so they can actually be, you know, accomplished. I want to always be in the middle of a book, but this year I resolve to read for at least one hour each week. I'm going to write every day, but this year I'll do this by planning the time to write at least two sentences per day. I need to make quicker, more lasting decisions and that will be achieved by making at least one choice each day based purely on instinct. I have other, more private, resolutions I have made and I hope to accomplish them in the same way.

Enjoy celebrating on New Year's Eve. It doesn't usually live up to expectations, but we can still have fun nonetheless, right? Take a couple aspirin when you get up the next day and watch the Rose Parade. I've always kept a special place in my heart for the Tournament. And I can't wait for the last Trojan win of the season in the Rose Bowl.

Happy New Year!