twist of fait accomplis

Being that I wrote barely any real entries in the blog this year, how about I sneak a year-in-review one in at the last second?

Here was my 2009 in a nutshell, certainly leaving out an awful lot. Thanks to twitter, Google Calendar, Flickr, and this blog for helping remind me what the heck I did this year.

January

• A new president is sworn in. Didn't go downtown, but did watch streaming video at work during lunch.

February

• Went to see the new Friday the 13th with my sister. First time we saw a movie in the theater together since we were kids.
• Took Rasine bowling for the first time.

March

• One Sentence won the 2009 Bloggie for "Best Microblog."
• Stayed with my mom in a hotel in Philly during the worst snowstorm in years (to that point) as my Dad had surgery.
• Race #1 of the year: Stupid Little 5k (24:26)
• Demi Moore tweeted about One Sentence

April

• Interviewed on Radio New Zealand
• Released the Conspicuous Presence mix.
• Took Rasine to Chiller Theatre and ruined her for life, but hey: I got to meet Ian McCulloch
• After Chiller, we headed to New York City for our first trip in four years (and Rasine's first trip ever). It's so much fun, we make plans for a longer trip later in the year.
• Hip-hop emcee/producer Tony D died. It hit me surprisingly hard. Posted a week of tributes at Normal Bias.

May

• Race #2: 5k for Kailee (25:08 mine, 25:21 official)
• Race #3: Poplar Spring Run for the Animals (5k) (24:50 mine, 24:58 official)
• Had my first neti pot experience.
• Spoke at a Board of Supervisors meeting in support of some local farms (along with 50 other people). If you look hard enough, you can find video online.
• Closed up shop on ADDreviews after almost eight years.

June

• Jesus, did nothing interesting happen in June?

July

• An armed robber takes a family hostage a mile or so from where we live. Huyen sees the helicopters searching for him. He's caught later that night.
• Newsweek tweets about One Sentence.
• Brad Warner big ups Rasine.
• Started the refinancing process, which would (when completed) save us $500 a month.
• Took Rasine to a carnival.

August

• Went to a Half Pint show at Merriweather Post Pavillion. Hung back stage and watched Bob Marley's grandchildren play ping pong with Squidly Cole (the son of the man credited with recording the first reggae song), saw Snoop Dogg play basketball, and got dissed by Stephen Marley.
• Launched a long-in-the-works redesign of Half Pint's site.
• Had my bottom two wisdom teeth removed. The pain lingered for weeks.
• A block away from our house, a dog mauled and killed another dog and a man in his home.
• Went to a long-time friend's wedding and met a guy that was in the original Sleepaway Camp.
• Got bootleg Golden Palace DVDs in the mail.
• Started our vacation in Northampton, Massachussetts. Ate great food, sat with a local sangha, met the authors of the amazing The Story of Tea, and enjoyed the city where almost no one accepts credit cards.
• Continued the vacation in Boston for college friend John's wedding. Met up with Eric Prescott just weeks before he opened Peace O' Pie.
• Then we made our way to New York City for non-stop fun. Ran twice in Central Park, including a 7-mile loop that included "Heartbreak Hill." We ate absurd amounts of food, including a burrito the size of Rasine's head and a huge variety of vegan sushi with master bluesman Brownbird Rudy Relic. Our time in NYC this year was so much fun, it'll probably turn into an annual event.

September

• Rasine started school.
• Huyen and I celebrated our eigth anniversary and the 15th anniversary of when we first met.
• Rasine turned three.
• I break open a conspiracy the size of Watergate and no one cares.
• Mailed 1,328 pounds of magazines to Jason Scott.
• Our entire office moved to the other side of the same floor. My first office change in ten years.

October

• Five years vegan.
• 34 years alive.
• Finally finished the mortgage refinancing process.
• Took Rasine to her first (high school) football game. She dug it, especially high-fiving the mascot.

November

• Worked election day.
• Helped an older woman break into her house.

December

• First new haircut style in entirely too long.
• GIANT F'ING SNOWSTORM!
• Talked to my best friend from 5th grade today for the first time in 20+ years.
• 15 years of web publishing.
• Killed Urban Ambiance (the site and the LLC). Launched Laze Makes Things.
• Actually wrote a post on twist of fait.

Books I Finished Reading This Year

Not a single work of fiction finished this year, though I did read a little.

• Mortified: Real Words. Real People. Real Pathetic. by David Nadelberg
• Zen Wrapped in Karma Dipped in Chocolate: A Trip Through Death, Sex, Divorce, and Spiritual Celebrity in Search of the True Dharma by Brad Warner
• Mortified: Love Is a Battlefield by David Nadelberg
• The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Ellen and Robert J. Heiss
• WrestleCrap: The Very Worst of Pro Wrestling by R.D. Reynolds
• Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters by Scott Rosenberg
• Raising Freethinkers: A Practical Guide for Parenting Beyond Belief by Dale McGowan
• Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street by Michael Davis
• Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries by Noah Levine
• The Empty Mirror by Jan Van De Wetering
• The Vegan Monologues by Ben Shaberman
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
• It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather Armstrong
• Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell
• Don't Get Too Comfortable: The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never-Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems by David Rakoff (my sole audiobook of the year)

Deaths I Tweeted

• Jan. 14: Patrick McGoohan
• Apr. 04: Tony D
• Jun. 19: Gary Papa
• Jul. 23: Les Lye
• Jul. 28: Sweater Zombie
• Aug. 14: Rashied Ali
• Sep. 19: Roc Raida
• Oct. 10: John Daido Loori
• Oct. 12: Sammy

Other notes

• I delved way deeper into tea than I ever have before. This was the year I discovered the beauty of Japanese greens after having dismissed them for so long and the amazingness that is Tung Ting oolong. Bought an insane amount of great tea from trips to NYC and MA and have loved almost all of it.
• Launched/re-launched a total of four sites this year.
• Dealt a lot more with depression this year than previous years. Working on the root causes.
• I am working on another Music Year in Review post. This weekend, maybe?
• Though I didn't run a ton this year, I did hit the pavement for more miles than any previous year. That's something, right?
• Was sick this year more than usual.
• Finished up the year on some positive and hopeful notes. 2010: big tings a gwaan!

10:22 PM

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