2007 was a good year for me. In fact, I decided to pick my top ten years:
1974 (age 15-16)
1982 (23-24)
1990 (31-32)
2007 (48-49)
1986 (27-28)
1970 (11-12)
1995 (36-37)
1977 (18-19)
1994 (35-36)
1975 (16-17)
See? Right up there with the end of my sophomore year in high school, the year I met my wife, and the year I started a business.
So, for the edification of those of you who have nothing better to do…
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
I did a lot of landscaping, long overdue, dug flowerbeds and cleared weeds. A miracle.
I registered for classes and started an educational process, also long overdue.
I lost a lot of weight. Ditto.
I started an AA meeting, which is small but fabulous (for me, anyway).
I got two haircuts. I’m just saying.
HAPPIEST ENDINGS
I slipped and fell in the grocery store on August 24, straining my back, scraping my forearm and bruising my ego. All short-lived; it could have been worse.
A 3.96 GPA. I take ‘em where I find ‘em.
Wanted to lose 70 pounds. Lost 70 pounds.
I took a trip to Arizona in September and had a great time, visiting with Mom and seeing old friends (Tom, Pat, Lori).
I was asked to write a Memorial Day essay for the Seattle Times, my first long piece for them in a while, and I sweated bullets. It turned out well.
SADDEST CELEBRITY PASSING
Kurt Vonnegut (April 11), no question. So it goes.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
We’ll skip the weight thing. I fell in love with the iPod, something I never would have imagined. Now I’m pining for the Touch.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
FAVORITE BOOKS
The World Without Us
Legacy of Ashes
FAVORITE TELEVISION
The Daily Show (come back!)
Saving Grace
Mad Men
Good Eats
THE YEAR IN FILM
Approximately 190 movies were released in 2007 in the U.S. (wide release, that is). I saw 17 of them (8 by rental), which is either pathetic or good, I have no idea. I also missed some good ones. At any rate, my 17 were (and “JMM” stands for John Made Me):
Ocean’s Thirteen
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Bourne Ultimatum
Epic Movie (JMM)
Music and Lyrics
Ghost Rider (JMM)
The Astronaut Farmer
Premonition
Reign Over Me
The Lookout
Waitress
Knocked Up
Superbad
Michael Clayton
Lars and the Real Girl
Juno
Live Free or Die Hard
My top five (actually, there were only five I really liked a lot):
Bourne: A friend thinks the last two installments were disappointing, but I love the series and thoroughly enjoyed this one, although my head is still spinning. It moves fast.
Clayton: Excellent. Really. Clooney, everybody.
Reign Over Me: Sentimental, exploitive, psychologically dumb and unbelievable — I still liked it. But then I can always watch Don Cheadle (I put my hands over my eyes when Adam Sandler was on screen; it’s just a habit).
Juno: “Hip sentimentality” I heard a reviewer call this latest genre (including “Knocked Up” and “Waitress”). Not sure about that, and this was light on plot and way too quippy, but the performances were spectacular. Go see it.
The Lookout: My number one for 2007. Practically perfect.
WEIRDEST OBSESSION
I watched the entire series, seven seasons, of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” over a six-week (I think) period. Now I get it.
And finally…
HOPES FOR 2008
About 10 more pounds off, just to be in the 170s.
Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl.
Seattle Mariners in the World Series.
Seattle Supersonics in some other city.
President-elect Obama.
Happy happy, all. I’ll be back Sunday and Monday for more uninteresting stuff.
3 responses so far ↓
lizardek // Dec 30, 2007 at 1:55 am
That was fun to read
I can count the films I saw this year on 1 hand and I think ALL of them were kid flicks.
Julie Kae // Dec 30, 2007 at 1:23 pm
OOh, too much Andrew Sullivan for you. Could be trouble in the household of Sigars…
Clarence // Dec 31, 2007 at 8:15 am
On Your recommendation, I just added “The Lookout” to the top of my Netflix Queue. Juno is not available right now but after reading the box, I doubt that I will try that one.
If I tried to make a list of the movie titles I’ve watched this year, you and everyone else would get bored reading such a lengthy list.
I was really surprised with how much I enjoyed the HBO series “Rome.” I am now trying to work the second season of it into my viewing schedule. My wife loved it also.
So many movies…so little time.
There must be a score of them showing at the theaters I’d like to see and now that Maureen is retired, perhaps we can squeeze in a few screenings. Congrats on the lost weight. Stick with it.
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