2007: A Retrospective and Whatever

The calendar says ‘2008′ now, which is something it will take me until March or so to actually adjust to — I think I’ll try to circumvent this annual challenge by just never dating anything; my cheques will just read “Right now” in the date field –, so I figure it’s just about time for my sort-of-traditional year-end survey. I did one of these for 2005, 2004, and 2003, but not 2006, for some reason I can’t quite remember. I was probably too busy scarfing back ‘Macs and relaxing all cool at the time. I’ve changed a lot since then.

So here it is: 2007 in a series of increasingly banal questions.

01. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

I still think it’d be ridiculously sad if anyone could answer ‘nothing’ to this question. At the very least, you’d have “lived through Jordin Sparks’ American Idol win” or whatever. Thankfully, though, I have a little bit more than that. Here’s some quick highlights: presented in front of more than a hundred people; taught a classroom of students despite not being a teacher; went to New York City; saw a broadway musical (and pretended not to love it); saw a Canadian Idol perform in a non-parade float setting (Rex Goudie); played (and did pretty well) at the “Flip Cup” drinking game with like 900 plastic cups of Blue Light; moved in with a girl; moved in with a girl in TORONTO; said ‘hello’ to a hooker a bunch of times; went to Europe and pretended to only be mildly impressed (was actually incredibly impressed!); oversaw a giant database thing that has yet to consume me but still will; won a singing contest in a hotel bar in Huntsville, ON; learned to play Guitar Hero.

02. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I went really simple last year and resolved to stop wearing my wallet in my back pocket. I had, up until then, been a staunch proponent of the back-pocket wallet, because it strikes me as incredibly manly and something that would encourage chest hair growth. But after years of doing it, it was really starting to fuck up my sitting posture and make me uncomfortable. So I took the plunge, cut down to only carrying cash and a few cards, and keep everything in my front pocket. When I need more stuff, I tend to just bring a bag along with me. A messenger bag. Even though I am not, and have never been, a messenger.

As last year’s resolution was a smashing success, I feel like I need to shoot for something at a similar level to maintain my batting percentage. To that end, I’m thinking I’ll resolve to read more books and less wikipedia. I’d kind of like to extend that to decreasing my obsessive need to know about everything, but that’s reaching for the stars, and I merely want to put my hands a little bit above my head.

03. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Last time I answered this, I wrote: “My cousin Katie has a BABY. This is weird in so many different ways, the biggest of which is that she’s only a few months older than I am. And if I found out I was going to have a child I would probably explode. Like, literally, I would erupt and fire would come out of my ears and steam out my head and then I would be in pieces all over the place. And people could try to sweep up those pieces and glue me back together but, when they did, I would just explode again, because seriously: a BABY? Does this mean I have to get up before NOON?”

So, yeah, copy that, again, because she had another kid. A girl this time, named Keegan. I don’t even have any jokes about that one.

04. Did anyone close to you die?

No. I am 24-years-old and have yet to go to a funeral, which means I’m either entirely lucky or just don’t know anybody. Fictionally, though, I guess there was Charlie from Lost, which was kind of a douchebag move. And I’m currently watching season seven of The West Wing and this whole John Spencer thing sure is a kick in the teeth. And Captain America. I hate the Red Skull.

Other than that: Erin had a bunch of her fish die, I suppose.

05. What countries did you visit?

New York City in the winter, then Ireland and London in the summer, as part of an incredible fact-finding mission. Facts found: Irish people love the Pope! Guinness is made in a factory! Oscar Wilde was gay! War-time houses were, if not a little depressing, entirely delightful! Showering in a hallway is equally as effective as showering in a bathroom! My left ankle can still shatter like glass!

06. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

I need to slow down a little bit and not let my mind get so consumed by work. I need to reach out more, e-mail more, make myself more of a presence. I need to get over this weird kind of internet agoraphobia where it’s like, “if I go online and talk to people and write things, it’s just going to take up all my time and be stressful.” Because that’s just insane.

07. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

Haha, the last time I answered this I assume it meant ‘calendar date’ but I think it means, actually, romantic date. In 2007, all my dates were with the same girl, to the point where we never call them ‘dates’. My favourite ones:

• the time in New York City when we went to an airport-themed bar and watched the NBA all-star game skills competition and these two guys at the bar just had the most hilarious rape-themed jokes you’ve ever heard
• the time in Ireland where we walked through the park in Dublin and looked at a bunch of pictures of African animals which were on display for some reason
• Walking down to the waterfront in Burlington, fully expecting to see The Trews play but then getting held up at, of all things, a fucking Aaron Lines concert, and enjoying the hell out of it
• Toronto’s Nuit Blanche — a big all-night art thing — especially at the end, where it was almost 4:30 a.m. and we were exhausted and we walked sleepily through the rather surreal gay village and then ended up in the lobby at the Eaton Centre, where there was a giant balloon house thing
• A string of Saturday nights in Toronto taking the subway and seeing pretentious documentaries and films

08. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I did really well professionally, I think, and I’m rather proud of that. I’m still doing things that feel like they’re way beyond my experience and relative maturity, but I’m not sure that will ever stop. I guess just “Keeping it all together into adulthood” would be a good summation.

Making the front page of digg with my work on be-something was also pretty cool, even if it is a little frivolous and, honestly, not that hard if you know how to pander.

09. What was your biggest failure?

The writing, mostly. As I said above, it’s been a little too easy to let my personal life (outside of my immediate relationship) fall to the wayside in favor of working, and thinking about work, all the time. I really want to get back on track with more me-related stuff, as opposed to shouldering the burden of improving all of education in Ontario.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Compared to other years, I did pretty well this year! I did sprain the hell out of my ankle on my last night in London after just sort of walking funny (it was late and I really had to pee!), but that’s happened before. Aside from terrible airport experiences the next day, it wasn’t that bad. I got to kick back and relax all the next week.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

It was not quite a banner year for consumerism, compared to past years of just buying all sorts of random DVDs and trinkets, but I still got some neat stuff. In February I took the HDTV plunge and I enjoy the hell out of that. The plane tickets to Europe were totally awesome. And this nice new apartment, which I continue to purchase each and every month. Also, videogame-wise, there was Super Mario Galaxy which looks to be one of my favourite games of all time.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

We’re all doing well. As I sort of recall trumpeting at my New Year’s Eve party, we’re all adults now — that’s fucked up! And great. Because it wasn’t that long ago that none of us had any goddamn idea where we were going.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Aaron Sorkin with that “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” bullshit.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Rent and groceries, I suppose. Though I don’t really worry too much about it. It sort of goes where it goes. It’s not like I’m planning on making any giant-ticket purchases (ie. a house) any time soon.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

2007 was not really a year of anticipation, if that makes any sense. I just sort of took every day as it came, and built forward toward more good days. Maybe that’s what happens when you get older. It’s not like you can be all “Man, I can’t wait for summer break!” or wait for next semester or anything. It’s all here, right in front of you — you’re facing it.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

I have really really fond memories of Mr. Rory O’Sullivan doing a spoken-word version of Rihanna’s “Umbrella” during our Europe trip, so probably that. It’s clearly not the best song of the year, but it’s fairly definitive for the summer, isn’t it? You know what else was awesome, though? The Mario Galaxy Gusty Gardens theme.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

I. happier or sadder? Happier, but I was pretty happy before, too.
II. thinner or fatter? I think I’ve been fairly consistent over the last year, which is to say: a little too fat but not too bad, all things considered. I hope, anyway. I could be deluding myself.
III. richer or poorer? A little bit richer, but not in free time!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Write. Keep in touch. Read books. Receive boundless accolades.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Humouring work-related people with meetings even though I knew they weren’t going to come through in the end. I am going to be far more cut-throat when it comes to business in 2007. Think Emilio Estevez at the start of The Mighty Ducks only without the DUI. And the redemption through coaching PeeWee hockey later on.

20. How did you spend Christmas?

At the cottage again this year, for what was a double-header Christmas, spanning four days of festivities and, of course, mirth. I drank responsibly, which made me feel old. Then humoured my hyperactive cousin. Then we ate turkey. Later, my parents made me play a Jeopardy-style trivia game. There was a lot of Guitar Hero by the end. One of the best Christmases ever.

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?

Nah, it was there when it started.

22. How many one-night stands?

Erin and I have two night stands in our bedroom, one on either side of the bed. This is my enduring joke for all time.

23. What was your favourite TV program?

Huh, I don’t know. It was kind of a sad year for TV, compared to recent years. I did really like the Extras Christmas Special, though, schmaltzy and heavy-handed as it was.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Absolutely not. Again, it’s that weird phase in your life where the people you dislike should really have faded away by now, I would think.

25. What was the best book you read?

It was not a particularly good year for fiction for me, but that’s entirely my fault. I was really very nerdily captivated by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams’ Wikinomics, though. It gets my “Best Business Book of the Year” award.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Regina Spektor, Spoon, the Once soundtrack, Kimya Dawson (and The Moldy Peaches), the Original Cast Recording of Wicked (Shut up, fucker.).

27. What did you want and get?

A really nice, if a bit stressful, kind of day-to-day life that is actually very reminiscent of being a grown-up.

28. What did you want and not get?

Hm, a surround sound system and a couple of days lying in the sun with a book. I’m counting on both of those in 2008, though. And a conclusion to this project I’m working on, as bittersweet as that will likely be.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?

That would be spoiling!

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Erin and I had a quiet but fun night at The Madison in Toronto, eating and drinking and then, later, watching this weird group of people play Second Life on a projector in the corner of the pub.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

I’d like to quote myself from 2005 again: I dunno. It was pretty good. More spooning, I guess. I really like to spoon. If someone would spoon with me every time I want to watch TV, that would be pretty ideal.

So this year I’ll just say nothing.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Almost entirely unchanged, except for injection of more formalwear! I own two whole suits right now!

33. What kept you sane?

Weekly comic book downloads, going to the movies, marathoning TV series on DVD and the motherfucking CBC Radio One.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

I kind of had a weird thing for Amy Winehouse this year, but that’s just entirely weird. Tina Fey, by and large, was my biggest celebrity crush, after Sarah Silverman had to go and ruin herself by talking way too much about animal ass.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

I’m really all about Toronto City politics now, particularly when it comes to public transit. I’ve become one of those guys who likes to wander around and silently curse at all the goddamned driving that goes on every day. Even though I, you know, drive almost every day.

36. Who did you miss?

I miss the time when there wasn’t a Facebook, and long-distance interaction wasn’t seemingly expected on a near-hourly basis. I also miss the people I am bad at keeping in touch with.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

I can’t even keep names straight anymore!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you earned in 2007:

That first song in Guitar Hero III where it’s all “Slow Ride, Take it Easy” — that was pretty fantastic in a lot of ways.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Regina Spektor’s “On the Radio” was infectious:

This is how it works
You’re young until you’re not
You love until you don’t
You try until you can’t
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

Plus, anything that references “November Rain” is entirely okay by me.

40. How did 2007 change you?

I got a lot harder and a little less sentimental. I think that’s a good thing, all in all. I used to fully and entirely devote myself to the belief that EVERYBODY could be SOMETHING if they just worked at it the right way. Now I still believe that, but understand that not everyone’s going to figure it out.

41. What was the most important letter (electronic or otherwise) you wrote in 2007?

In the spring, I wrote a short letter to the Burlington Post expressing how incredulous I was about the reported cost of a big sign the city put in a parking lot. I was mostly joking. Over the next few weeks, several people (in the oddest places) congratulated me on my insight.

42. Most favourite month?

The year ended strong, so December has got to be perennial favourite. Like I said above, though, it’s hard to answer questions like this when your year isn’t so structurally defined by summer breaks and semester changes and stuff.

43. Least favourite month?

October was a bit of a bitch work-wise, but I still wouldn’t complain about it.

44. Biggest revelation you had about yourself learned in 2005?

I’m not a bad public speaker, at least not when I’m speaking about something I know a lot about. I still tend to make jokes that I am fully aware no one in the audience will ever get (throwing out references to the old man inHome Alone at a cooperative education conference in 2007 is not ever going to work) but I sort of pride myself on those at this point. Looking back, I really can’t quite understand why I was so adamant about dropping every class in university that had a presentation component.

45. If you could go back to one year ago today, and say something to yourself then, you’d say…

It’d probably be just “Look, dude, you’re not that bad at this after all” and then me-in-the-past would be all “duh, I know.” And then we would high-five and be the best of pals.

See you next year!