2008: The 50th Birthday Blog
Current mood: vital
Category: Life
For the past fifty days, I have been opening time capsules for each of the years I have been on this planet.
I think it is a bit soon to make a time capsule for 2008. So, today I thought I'd take a look at the date on which I was born, throughout history...
By the way, August 28 is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. You might want to make a note of it...
Here are some of the events that occurred on August 28:
In 475, The Roman general Orestes forced western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his capital city, Ravenna, and appointed Romulus Augustus, his own son, as emperor.
On August 28, 489, Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths defeated Odoacer at the Battle of Isonzo, forcing his way into Italy.
In 1189, The Crusaders began the Siege of Acre under Guy of Lusignan
American battles happened on this day as well. In 1777, the Battle of Cooch's Bridge takes place near Newark, Delaware.
I don't remember learning about Cooch's Bridge in school, do you? It is possible the teachers skipped over this because they didn't want to have to say Cooch's in front of a room full of rowdy kids...
I was excited to find out that St. Augustine, Florida, was established on this day in 1565. It is the oldest surviving European settlement in the United States, and I have totally been there! I love St. Augustine!
On 8/28/1609, Henry Hudson discovered Delaware Bay. (To paraphrase a joke from Seinfeld, "Like they weren't going to find that anyway....")
The first issue of Scientific American was published on this day in 1845.
On August 28, 1859, a geomagnetic storm caused the Aurora Borealis to shine so brightly that it is seen clearly over parts of USA, Europe, and even as far afield as Japan. I am sort of sorry I missed that.
In 1913, Queen Wilhelmina opened the Peace Palace in The Hague.
On August 28, 1937, Toyota Motors became an independent company.
In 1953, Nippon Television broadcast Japan's first television show, including its first TV advertisement.
On August 28, 1961, Motown released what would be its first number one hit, "Please Mr. Postman" by The Marvelettes.
On this day in 1963, during a 200,000-person civil rights rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I have a dream speech."
On August 28,1968, there were riots in Chicago, Illinois, during the Democratic National Convention.
In 1981, The National Centers for Disease Control announced a high incidence of Pneumocystis and Kaposi's sarcoma in gay men. (Soon, these will be recognized as symptoms of an immune disorder, which will be called AIDS.)
On August 28, 1982, the first Gay Games were held in San Francisco.
In 1990, Iraq declared Kuwait to be its newest province. We all know how that turned out...
In 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. I'd like to think it was because he was coming to my birthday party, but most likely that didn't factor into his decision at all.
On August 28, 1996, Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, were divorced.
On this day in 2005, Hurricane Katrina was upgraded to a Category 5 storm and the city of New Orleans put under its first mandatory evacuation order
Famous people who share my birthday include:
1899 - Charles Boyer, French actor 1913 - Robertson Davies, Canadian writer 1749 - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German writer and scientist 1917 - Jack Kirby, American comic book artist 1921 - Nancy Kulp, American actress 1925 - Donald O'Connor, American singer, dancer, and actor 1930 - Ben Gazzara, American actor 1943 - David Soul, American actor 1957 - Daniel Stern, American actor 1957 - Rick Rossovich, American actor 1958 - Scott Hamilton, American figure skater 1960 - Emma Samms, English actress 1963 - Jennifer Coolidge, American actress 1965 - Shania Twain, Canadian singer 1969 - Jason Priestley, Canadian-born actor 1969 - Jack Black, American actor 1982 - LeAnn Rimes, American singer
I might add, on August 28, 2008, I turned fifty years old. Technically, this means I am also beginning my 51st year of life.
The previous 50 years have been quite an experience. I think I have learned a lot from my recent life review and imagine I'll be writing a blog or two on that subject in the near future.
My friend Moon Goddess Chandra challenged me over the weekend to grow a moustache. This is in response to a picture I have of myself when I was 21 or so, with the caption, "Someone tell this child he cannot grow a moustache." Since I love any excuse to not shave, I took that challenge and here, as of this morning, is the result:
See, I still can't grow a moustache.
Last year, on my birthday, I wrote a blog about my birthday playlist. These are songs I listen to first thing on my birthday. It started with "Seasons of Love" from Rent and, over the years I have added other songs. Heather Small's "Proud" and Better Midler's "I'm Beautiful" was also in the mix.
Recently I got the soundtrack to the movie Fame from the library and, let me tell you, that is the best workout music for the elliptical machine. Start pumping to "Fame" and "Hot Lunch" and you have yourself a real workout!
There is another song on that CD that is not only a great workout song, it is a song I have added to this year's birthday playlist and I have adopted it as my "turning 50" theme song: I Sing the Body Electric.
I sing the body electric I celebrate the me yet to come...
They won't let anyone embed it, but if you want to watch the clip on You Tube, here is the link:
This song helps me to remember that this milestone birthday with the very large number that starts with a 5, is the beginning, and not the end of anything. That is the message I am taking to heart as I venture forth into this 51st year of life.
I think I may have more than a few good years left in me...
I want to thank everyone who has participated in this blog series. Everyone has shared so many amazing memories along the way! You friendship and support mean the world to me.
Here's to wonderful memories to come!
How do you measure a year?
Measure in love! Measure in love...
Much love,
Bill
Currently
listening
:
Fame
By
Irene Cara
Release date: 2003-04-22
2006 and 2007: Images from life
Current mood: creative
Category: Art and Photography
Here it is...the day before my birthday and time for my next to last blog in this series.
Dear Lord, if we didn't know how long 50 years was before, I think we are all acutely aware that it is a huge chunk of time after this 50 day count down. From the middle of Eisenhower's second term to the last months of George W. Bush's second term, I have played and lived and toiled upon this planet and, through this series of blogs, I have drug all of you along with me on a whirlwind tour of those often turbulent years.
Today's blog celebrates 2 years--2006 and 2007.
2006 was the 250th anniversary of the birth of Mozart. Crash won the Oscar for Best Picture---breaking the heart of Brokeback Mountain fans. Bird Flu was in the news, George W. Bush used his veto power for the first time in his Presidency, Mel Gibson was arrested for drunk driving, which he celebrated by launching into an Anti-Semitic tirade. Ted Haggard resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals, after allegations of methamphetamine use and sexual relations with a male prostitute. In the mid-term elections, Democrats won both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994.
Hot movies of 2006 included Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Da Vinci Code, Casino Royale, Night at the Museum, Cars, X-Men: The Last Stand, Mission Impossible III, Superman Returns, Happy Feet.
Television welcomed Survivor: Panama, The Unit, Big Love, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Hannah Montana, Dexter, 30 Rock, Show Me the Money, Torchwood; and said goodbye to: Malcolm in the Middle, That '70's Show, Will and Grace, Arrested Development, Yes, Dear. Everwood, Charmed, and Alias.
America was reading such books as For One More Day by Mitch Albom, Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris, Cell and Lisey's Story by Stephen King, Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich, An Innocent Man by John Grisham, Marley and Me by John Grogan and The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.
Popular Music of the day included Sugar, We're Goin' Down by Fall Out Boy, Bad Day by Daniel Powter, You're Beautiful by James Blunt, Temperature by Sean Paul, Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado, Sexyback by Justin Timberlake, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley, Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers, What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts and My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas.
2007 was the year Nancy Pelosi became the first woman speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. There was War in Somalia and a total eclipse of the moon. Apple introduced the iPhone, George W. Bush announced a plan to station 21,500 additional troops in Iraq and Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization, Thirty-two people are killed by a gunman at Virginia Tech, Live Earth concerts and The Concert for Diana were held, the writer's Strike began, steroid abuse in Major League Baseball was revealed, Anna Nicole Smith, Boris Yelsin, Jerry Falwell, Lady Bird Johnson, Tammy Faye Bakker Messner and Ingmar Bergman died.
Popular movies of the day included Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Spider-Man 3, Shret the Third, Transformers, Ratatouille, I Am Legend, The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, 300, No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Juno, I'm Not There, Michael Clayton, Alpha Dog, Into the Wild and Sweeney Todd.
Television welcomed Grease: You're the One That I Want, The Sarah Silverman Program, Rues of Engagement, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?, The Tudors, Burn Notice, Mad Men, Saving Grace, Damages, Gossip Girl, Kid Nation, The Big Bang Theory, Cavemen; and said goodbye to The O.C., Nanny 911, Reba, Rome, George Lopez, Gilmore Girls, Crossing Jordan, 7th Heaven, The Simple Life, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, The 4400, The Dead Zone, and Cavemen.
America was reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, and I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert.
Popular music of the day included Say it Right by Nelly Furato, Irreplaceable by Beyonce, What Goes Around...Comes Around by Justin Timberlake, This is Why I'm Hot by Mims, Glamorous by Fergie, Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5, Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin') by T-Pain, Umbrella by Rihanna, and Stronger by Kanye West.
As for me....well, this is where many of you came in.
I was blogging on Myspace by now. This blogging thing started in September 2005. By 2006, I was blogging at least twice a month. In 2007, maybe more. I was also taking lots of digital photographs and playing with them on the computer.
Instead of rehashing recent history, I thought I'd share some of the pictures I took in 2006-2007. These include images I've played with, weekends with Ray, and some pictures from the farm for retired horses where I volunteered along with my friend All Weather Girl.
These are the images that take me back to 2006-2007:
In 2007, All Weather Girl and I went to Washington, DC. If you've made it this far with me, you know how much I love that area. Returning to one of my favorite towns was a joy--even in the cold of December. Here are some images from that trip:
And so, kind people, this brings us through 49 years of my life. Tomorrow I turn 50...(Yikes!)
2005: Don't go back to Rockville
Current mood: busy
Category: Jobs, Work, Careers
2005 was the year of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, Harriet Miers, and the first face transplant. Canada legalized same sex marriage and, in a completely unrelated story, Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles.
Events that happened in 2005:
Armed militants enter Israel from Gaza and open fire near the border, killing six and wounding five. Hamas and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claim joint responsibility for the attack
George W. Bush is inaugurated in Washington, D.C. for his second term as the 43rd President of the United States.
The Michael Jackson trial commences in Santa Barbara, California, 14 months after Jackson was arrested with much publicity.
Super Bowl XXXIX: The New England Patriots win their second consecutive Super Bowl title, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 24-21.
North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons as a protection against the hostility it feels from the United States.
The Kyoto Protocol goes into effect, without the support of the United States and Australia.
More than 500 people are killed and over 1,000 injured after entire villages are flattened in an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale in the Zarand region of Kerman province in southern Iran.
The 77th Academy Awards, hosted by Chris Rock are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with Million Dollar Baby winning Best Picture
The United Nations warns that about 90 million Africans could be infected with HIV in the future, without further action against the spread of the disease.
Ten are killed in the Red Lake High School massacre in Minnesota, the worst school shooting since the Columbine High School massacre.
Pope John Paul II dies; over 4 million people travel to the Vatican to mourn him.
Rainier III, Prince of Monaco dies, succeeded by his son Albert II.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many of them supporters of Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, march through Baghdad denouncing the U.S. occupation of Iraq, 2 years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, and rally in the square where his statue was toppled in 2003.
A suicide attack targets a Kurdish funeral in the northern Iraqi town of Talafar, near Mosul, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than 30 others. Earlier, at least 5 policemen and 4 civilians were killed in two separate attacks in Baghdad.
Singer Michael Jackson is acquitted of all charges in his child molestation trial.
Disneyland commemorates its fiftieth anniversary.
U.S. president George W. Bush nominates Appeals Court Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court, following the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor.
Canada's Civil Marriage Act, legalizing same-sex marriage, receives Royal Assent.
A terrorist attack on London, similar to the July 7 attacks, includes 4 attempted bomb attacks on 3 underground trains and a London bus. The bombs fail to explode properly, and only 1 injury is reported, later found to be unconnected.
Lance Armstrong wins a record 7th straight Tour de France before his scheduled retirement.
The marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles takes place, after being briefly postponed after the Pope's death. Camilla assumes the titles Her Royal Highness and The Duchess of Cornwall.
W. Mark Felt is confirmed to be "Deep Throat."
Hurricane Dennis strikes near Navarre Beach, Florida as a Category 3 storm, killing 10 after having killed over 50 in the Caribbean.
A Brazilian electrician, Jean Charles de Menezes, is shot dead at a London underground station by police who mistake him for a suicide bomber
At least 1,836 are killed, and severe damage is caused along the U.S. Gulf Coast, as Hurricane Katrina strikes coastal areas from Louisiana to Alabama, and travels up the entire state of Mississippi (flooding coast 31 feet/10 m), affecting most of eastern North America.
John G. Roberts is nominated by President George W. Bush for Chief Justice of the United States, replacing William Rehnquist, who had died two days previously.
Hurricane Rita hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, devastating areas near Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA. The New Orleans's 9th Ward re-floods since Katrina, and Mississippi and Alabama are also affected.
Controversial drawings of Muhammad are printed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
The 2005 Bali bombings kill 26 people and injure more than 100.
U.S. President George W. Bush nominates Harriet Miers for the Supreme Court of the United States.
Hurricane Wilma enters the Mexican Caribbean, passing through Cozumel and then the Yucatán
Peninsula, staying over Cancún for over 60 hours.
Harriet Miers withdraws her name from consideration for the Supreme Court of the United States.
Vice presidential adviser Lewis "Scooter" Libby resigns after being charged with obstruction of justice, perjury and making a false statement in the CIA leak investigation.
Hurricane Beta hits the coast of Nicaragua. It is the 13th hurricane of 2005, breaking the 1969 record of 12 hurricanes.
Ted Koppel steps down as host of Nightline after 25 years with the program.
Surgeons in France carry out the first human face transplant.
Another second is added, 23:59:60, called a leap second, to end the year 2005. The last time this occurred was on June 30, 1998.
Movies Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, War of the Worlds, King Kong, Madagascar, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Batman Begins, Hitch, Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Walk the Line, Syriana, The Constant Gardner, Transamerica, Cindarella Man, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Fantastic Four, Good Night and Good Luck, Hustle and Flow, Jarhead, Mrs. Henderson Presents, The Squid and the Whale, Thumbsucker, Waiting
TV Medium, Committed, Wickedly Perfect, Battlestar Gallactica, NUMB3RS, Fat Actress, The Office (US version), Grey's Anatomy, American Dad, Weeds, Beauty and the Geek, Big Brother 6, Prison Break, Supernatural, Bones, How I Met Your Mother, Surface, My Name is Earl, Criminal Minds, Everybody Hates Chris, Ghost Whisperer, Commander in Cheif, The Colbert Report, The Boondocks, Deal or No Deal debut NYPD Blue, The Osbournes, Carnivale, Third Watch, 8 Simple Rules, Joan of Arcadia, JAG, Jack and Bobby, Judging Amy, Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, Star Trek: Enterprise, Everybody Loves Raymond, Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk ended their run.
Books The Broker--John Grisham, Mary, Mary--James Patterson,At First Sight--Nicholas Sparks, Predator--Patricia Cornwell, True Believer--Nicholas Sparks,Light from Heaven--Jan Karon,The Historian--Elizabeth Kostova, The Mermaid Chair--Sue Monk Kidd, Eleven on Top--Janet Evanovich, Honeymoon--James Patterson and Howard Roughan,4th of July--James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Lifeguard--James Patterson and Andrew Gross, S Is for Silence--Sue Grafton, The Camel Club--David Baldacci, You: The Owner's Manual--Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.,1776--David McCullough, The World Is Flat, Thomas L. Friedman Love Smart: Find the One You Want—Fix the One You Got, Dr. Phil McGraw, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Music We Belong Together--Mariah Carey, Let Me Love You--Mario, Since U Been Gone--Kelly Clarkson, Hollaback Girl--Gwen Stefani,Boulevard Of Broken Dreams--Green Day, Don't Cha--The Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes, Candy Shop--50 Cent and Olivia,1,2 Step--Ciara and Missy Elliot, Gold Digger--Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, Don't Phunk With My Heart--The Black-Eyed Peas, Drop It Like It's Hot--Snoop Dogg and Pharrell, Shake It Off--Mariah Carey,Disco Inferno--50 Cent, Behind These Hazel Eyes--Kelly Clarkson, Beverly Hills--Weezer, Just A Lil Bit--50 Cent, Lose Control--Missy Elliot, Ciara, Fat Man Scoop, How We Do--The Game and 50 Cent,You And Me--Lifehouse, Soldier--Destiny's Child
In 2005, it was becoming more and more apparent that my company was going to close the Jacksonville office. There were three of us in the training department in Jacksonville and we had made a pact that if one of us got another job, we would find a way to hire the other two so we'd always be together.
One of my co-workers interviewed for a job as a training manager with another company. She waited to see what would happen.
Meanwhile, I found myself on a project at work that required multiple trips to our Rockville, MD office. Which meant, more time for me in DC.
Somehow I managed to arrange things so I had to arrive on a Thursday, work Friday, spend the weekend, and then work the following week and leave on Saturday. This gave me lots of quality time in one of my favorite cities.
You may be wondering how Ray felt about all of my travel--he hated it. But he knew I loved it, so he was happy for me. He had the cats and the dogs to keep him company when I was away.
My travels to our nation's capitol found me in Washington, DC on January 20, 2005--the day of George W. Bush's second inauguration. It was cold and very noisy on Pennsylvania Avenue, I wasn't due in the office until the next day. Although I did not vote for Mr. Bush, I had a "When in Rome" mentality about it all. How many times am I likely to be in Washington on Inauguration Day?
I was disappointed that I hadn't seen nearly enough political celebrities—just Trent Lott, who looked really happy as he waved from his open car window. Most of them rode by with their windows up and, except for a sign on the car, you had no idea who it was behind the darkened windows.
Then, through a dark car window, Laura Bush waved in my direction. I could not see her husband, as he was facing the other side of the street when their car went past. Some of the spectators on the sidewalk turned their back on the President's car.
I called my office in Jacksonville to give my friends my running commentary on the Inauguration. My co-worker told me that she had gotten a call that she had the job she had applied for--but her boss to be was trying to check her references. She had listed me as a reference. Would I please call him so she could lock this in?
Since this inaugural parade was getting me nothing more than frost bite and a tepid wave from the First Lady, I ducked into a doorway and tried to call my friend's new boss. I left a voice mail for him but he never returned the call. He did, however, hire my friend.
Shortly after my friend left, we received the official word--the company was closing the Jacksonville office. Each of us grieved in our own way. Some of us gathered together and drew nasty pictures and obscenities on a t-shirt bearing the company logo.
What can I say? It was very cathartic.
Once she assumed her new job, my friend worked to create a position for me at her new company. I met with her and her boss on two occasions as they formulated the details required to get the approval to hire me. Weeks passed and I began to wonder if it was going to happen.
In April, I got a call from my friend, "Something has happened." Her boss was no longer with the company." My heart sank. "However, I have been given approval to hire you."
I took one more business trip to Rockville. I gave notice and, before I knew it, after nearly 10 years, my time with that company was up. Many of my co-workers remained until the office closed or until their assignment ended.
In the end, my friend kept true to our pact--she hired me and, soon thereafter, she hired our other colleague. The three of us are still working together.
When I left, I presented some of my friends with a CD of music that had special meaning to me. As a joke, and as a last hurrah, I just had to include R.E.M.'s song, "Don't Go Back to Rockville."
On July 28, 2005--for reasons I cannot fully recall, I set-up a profile on an online social networking site called "Myspace."
I know a co-worker at my new job was the first person to mention this site to me. I just don't remember how I happened to create a profile.
What did I think would happen? Who did I hope to meet? Where was I going with this whole "Myspace" thing?
Only time would tell...
What about you? Where were you going with this whole "Myspace" thing when you set up your profile? What were you up to in 2005?
Currently
listening
:
WOW Hits 2005
By
Various Artists
Release date: 2004-10-05
2004: Weathering storms and losing luggage
Current mood: angsty
Category: Life
2004 was, like, almost yesterday, wasn't it? Let's open the Time Capsule anyway...
Events that happeneded in 2004:
Pervez Musharraf wins a vote of confidence from an electoral college consisting of Parliament and the provincial assemblies, confirming him as President of Pakistan and de facto dictator until 2007.
U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-MA) wins the Iowa Democratic caucus. Vermont Governor Howard Dean's concession speech ends with a lively but controversial scream.
The CIA admits that there was no imminent threat from weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
San Francisco, California begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples in an act of civil disobedience.
The United States lifts a 23-year travel ban against Libya.
The 76th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson, winning a record-tying 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Russian presidential election, 2004: Vladimir Putin easily wins a second term.
Four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA are killed, and their bodies mutilated, after being ambushed in Fallujah, Iraq.
The Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement is signed by the Sudanese government and 2 rebel groups.
Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq is revealed on the television show 60 Minutes II.
The last Oldsmobile rolls off of the assembly line.
Massachusetts legalizes same-sex marriage in compliance with a ruling from the state's Supreme Judicial Court (Goodridge v. Department of Public Health).
Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, dies at his home in Bel-Air, California at the age of 93. A six-day state funeral follows after his death.
Terry Nichols is spared the death penalty by an Oklahoma state court on murder charges stemming from the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (or "9/11 Commission") issues an initial report of its findings.
In Mojave, California, SpaceShipOne becomes the first privately-funded spaceplane to achieve spaceflight.
New Jersey Governor James McGreevey announces that he is "a gay American" and will resign effective November 15, 2004
Hurricane Charley kills 27 people in Florida after killing 4 in Cuba and 1 in Jamaica.
Charley made landfall near Cayo Costa, FL as a Category 4 hurricane. Charley is the most intense hurricane to strike the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
Hurricane Frances makes landfall in Florida. After killing 2 people in the Bahamas, Hurricane Frances kills 10 people in Florida, 2 in Georgia and 1 in South Carolina.
Hurricane Ivan strikes Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a Category 3 storm, killing 25 in Alabama and Florida, becoming the 3rd costliest hurricane in American history (currently the 4th following the destruction of 2005's Hurricane Katrina).
Tropical Storm Ivan, having come around and reformed in the Gulf of Mexico, makes its final landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, to little effect. In total, the storm will kill 92 people.
Hurricane Jeanne makes landfall near Port Saint Lucie, Florida, near location Hurricane Frances hit two weeks earlier. Jeanne kills over 3,030, mostly in Haiti.
Martha Stewart begins serving a 5-month sentence for insider trading at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.
A 2004 Osama bin Laden video airs on Arabic TV, in which he threatens terrorist attacks on the United States, and taunts U.S. President George W. Bush over the September 11 Terrorist attacks.
U.S. President George W. Bush defeats Senator John Kerry. Republicans make gains in the House and Senate.
In Redwood City, California, a jury finds Scott Peterson guilty of the murder of his wife Laci and unborn son Conner.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell submits his resignation. He is replaced by Condoleezza Rice after her confirmation by the United States Congress.
Terrorists attack the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, killing several people.New Zealand bans smoking in all public places, including bars.
Software giants Oracle Corporation and PeopleSoft agree to merge in a $10.3 billion deal, creating the second largest maker of business applications software.
On December 25, historic and unprecedented snowfall occurs over portions of southern Texas during the early morning hours. Daily totals include 1.5" at Brownsville, Texas, 3.5" at McAllen, Texas, 4.4" at Corpus Christi, Texas, and 12.1" at Victoria, Texas.
Movies Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Spider-Man 2, The Incredibles, The Passion of the Christ, The Day After Tomorrow, Meet the Fockers, Troy, Ocean's Twelve, Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Being Julia, Sideways, Ray, Catwoman, Dodgeball, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Fahrenheit 9/11, I ? Huckabee, Kill Bill Vol. 2, Napoleon Dynamite, Saved!, Super Size Me, Suspect Zero, The Village, Stage Beauty, The Stepford Wives
TV The Apprentice, The L Word, Deadwood, Pimp My Ride, Big Brother 5, Stargate Atlantis, Entourage, Rescue me, Blue Collar TV, Joey, Jack and Bobby, CSI: New York, Veronica Mars, Lost, Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal, Drawn Together, House debut Becker, Boston Public, The Handler, Ed, Lizzie McGuire, Sex andthe City, Hack, The Chris Isaak Show, Life with Bonnie, Whoopi, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, The District, The Guardian, Friends, Frasier, The Practice, Angel, Rugrats, The Man Show, Ricki Lake, The Drew Carey Show, Samuri Jack, The Powerpuff Girls, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls ended their run
Books The Last Juror--John Grisham,Glorious Appearing--Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Angels and Demons--Dan Brown, State of Fear--Michael Crichton, London Bridges--James Patterson, Trace--Patricia Cornwell, The Rule of Four--Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, I Am Charlotte Simmons--Tom Wolfe,Night Fall--Nelson De Mille, A Salty Piece of Land--Jimmy Buffett, Ten Big Ones--Janet Evanovich, Black Wind--Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler, My Life--Bill Clinton, America (The Book)--Jon Stewart and the Daily Show writers, Family First--Dr. Phil McGraw, He's Just Not That into You--Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo, Eats, Shoots & Leaves--Lynne Truss,Your Best Life Now--Joel Osteen
Music Yeah!--Usher, Burn--Usher,This Love--Maroon5, The Way You Move--OutKast, If I Ain't Got You--Alicia Keys, Hey Ya!--OutKast, I Don't Wanna Know--Mario Winans, The Reason--Hoobastank Here Without You--3 Doors Down, Confessions Part II--Usher, My Immortal--Evanescence, Naughty Girl--Beyonce, Let's Get It Started--The Black Eyed Peas,My Boo--Usher And Alicia Keys, She Will Be Loved--Maroon5, The First Cut Is The Deepest--Sheryl Crow,Toxic--Britney Spears, Someday--Nickelback, I Believe--Fantasia, Breakaway--Kelly Clarkson
Business travel was becoming a way of life for me. In January I returned to Rockville for another two week assignment. Unfortunately, one of my bags did not arrive with me. As this was a non-stop flight from Jacksonville to Baltimore, I was more than a little surprised.
The nice folks at Southwest assured me that the bag must have gotten put on the later flight and they'd call me.
They never called. Every time I called them, they asked me to be patient.
The suitcase never arrived. To this day, we don't know where it is. It was a real lesson in attachment. My favorite FSU sweatshirt, my dress shoes, my RENT t-shirt, a shirt I bought in Utah...all lost. I found myself grieving, more than a little over "things."
In February, Ray and I went thrift store shopping. We found a number of cool toys, including a Barbie Cam. The Barbie Cam had never been opened, so we had a reasonable expectation that it would work. However, it didn't work. Since all sales are final at a thrift store, Ray decided to contact Mattel about it. A very nice lady at Mattel suggested that he take the Barbie Cam to Wal Mart. ("They'll exchange anything.") Ray, being Ray, loved this idea. Wal Mart did not have a replacement cam, so Ray took the store credit. The Barbie Cam we paid $10.00 for was worth ten times that. Ray used the store credit to buy a digital camera.
And that is how my days dabbling in digital photography began.
Despite the things I loved about my job, there were beginning to be signs that our office might not last much longer. Our lease was due for renewal in a year and it was an open secret that the company wasn't making an effort to renew. So, I started looking for another job.
The job hunt went nowhere. I had two different phone interviews for two different jobs and never got a callback. I was pretty devastated. I usually give good phone. I couldn't believe I had blown the interviews, but apparently, I had.
Meanwhile, there was more travel--including a return to Washington in time for my birthday.
Fortunately for me, I enjoy being alone and doing things by myself. So, while I celebrated my birthday by myself, it is still one of my favorite birthdays ever.
I went to Georgetown, had brunch, did some shopping, and went to see the house that was in the movie "The Exorcist." Next to the house, are the steps from the same movie.
2004 was a bad season for hurricanes. Jacksonville didn't really get a direct hit, but we had plenty of rain and wind from Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. Ray and I had to drink more than a little Crown Royal that year.
I'm not sure what was on my mind when I wrote the following in my journal, but I can relate to this feeling even more today that I did four years ago:
October 4 2004 : How the f&ck can I feel so old and so immature simultaneously?
In October I was back in Rockville twice, and I also traveled to Downer's Grove, IL for work.
Anxiety concerning our employment deepened when another company bought our company. We'd been sold twice now. Our lease still wasn't being renewed.
In November, I saw Margaret Cho at the Florida Theater, George W. Bush was re-elected, and I had another boring trip to the Houston office.
The year ended on a high note, when my co-workers and I attended a great Christmas party being thrown by our regional vice-president.
I think we might have all known, in our heart of hearts, that this would be our last Christmas together as employees of this company.
2004...does it seem like yesterday to you? What were you up to in 2004?
Currently
listening
:
WOW Hits 2004
By
Various Artists
Release date: 2003-10-07
2003: From Salt Lake to NY and back again
Current mood: okay
Category: Travel and Places
2003 was a year of scandal for Martha Stewart, Michael Jackson and Rush Limbaugh. It was the year the U.S. invaded Iraq and it was the year of "Mission Accomplished."
Events that happened in 2003:
The 108th United States Congress is sworn in, including incoming freshmen Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Sununu (R-NH), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), Norm Coleman (R-MN), and Mark Pryor (D-AR).
The new United States Department of Homeland Security begins operation.
Super Bowl XXXVII: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Oakland Raiders 48-21.
The Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island claims the lives of 100 people.
An American businessman is admitted to the Vietnam France Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam with the first identified case of SARS.
The World Health Organization issues a global alert on SARS.
FBI agents raid the corporate headquarters of HealthSouth Corporation in Birmingham, Alabama, on suspicion of massive corporate fraud led by the company's top executives.
Land troops from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invade Iraq.
The 75th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Steve Martin, takes place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Chicago wins Best Picture.
U.S. forces seize control of Baghdad, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
U. S. president George W. Bush lands on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where he gives a speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. A banner behind him declares "Mission Accomplished."
Dewey, the first deer cloned by scientists at Texas A&M University, is born.
Eric Rudolph, suspected in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996, is captured in Murphy, North Carolina.
Martha Stewart and her broker are indicted for using privileged investment information and then obstructing a federal investigation. Stewart also resigns as chairperson and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living.
Lawrence v. Texas: The U.S. Supreme Court declares sodomy laws unconstitutional.
Washington Post columnist Robert Novak publishes the name of Valerie Plame, blowing her cover as a CIA operative. The CIA leak scandal begins.
Uday and Qusay Hussein, sons of Saddam Hussein, are killed by the U.S. military in Iraq, after being tipped off by an informant.
A widespread power outage affects the northeastern United States and South-Central Canada.
Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.
The Concorde makes its last commercial flight, bringing the era of airliner supersonic travel to a close, at least for the time being.
Gary Ridgway, The "Green River Killer", confesses to murdering 48 women.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, rules anti-same-sex marriage laws unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
Michael Jackson is arrested by police on charges of child molestation, a charge that can carry an 8-year jail term.
Saddam Hussein, former President of Iraq, is captured in Tikrit by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.
Libya admits to building a nuclear bomb.
A massive earthquake devastates southeastern Iran. Over 40,000 people are reported killed in the city of Bam.
Movies The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Finding Nemo, The Matrix Reloaded, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Bruce Almighty, The Last Samurai, Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines, The Matrix Revolutions, X2: X-Me nUnited, Bad Boys II, Mystic River, Monster, Cold Mountain, Lost in Translation, Something's Gotta Give, Bad Santa, The Cat in the Hat, The Cooler, Elf, Gigli, The Italian Job, The Last Samurai, Paycheck, Party Monster, Scary Movie 3, The Runaway Jury, Seabiscuit, Thirteen
TV That's So Raven, Chappelle's Show, Da Ali G Show, Dead Like Me, Reno 911!, Big Brother 4, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Nip/Tuck, The O.C., Whoopi, Happu Family, Starting Over, Carnivale, Even, Threat Matrix, Lilo and Stitch: The Series, Las Vegas, Two and a Half Men, I'm with Her, NCIS, Hope and Faith, Joan of Arcadia, The Handler, Cold Case, It's All Relative, Karen Sisco, Married to the Kellys, Tru Calling, Arrested Development, Battlestar Galactica debut Oz, Farscape, My Big Fat Greek Life, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Fastlane, Touched by an Angel, Stargate Infinity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Twilight Zone, Dawson's Creek, Just Shoot Me!, Port Charles, Firefly, Absolutely Fabulous end their run
Books The Da Vinci Code--Dan Brown, The Five People You Meet in Heaven--Mitch Albom, The King of Torts--John Grisham, Bleachers--John Grisham, Armageddon--Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, The Teeth of the Tiger--Tom Clancy, The Big Bad Wolf--James Patterson,Blow Fly--Patricia Cornwell,The Lovely Bones--Alice Sebold, The Wedding--Nicholas Sparks,The Purpose-Driven Life--Rick Warren, The South Beach Diet--Arthur Agatston, M.D., The Ultimate Weight Solution--Dr. Phil McGraw, Living History--Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them…--Al Franken,Who's Looking Out for You--Bill O'Reilly, Dude, Where's My Country?--Michael Moore
Music In Da Club--50 Cent, Crazy In Love--Beyonce and Jay-Z, Get Busy, Sean Paul, Ignition--R. Kelly, Unwell--Matchbox Twenty, When I'm Gone--3 Doors Down, Picture, Kid Rock with Sheryl Crow, Baby Boy, Beyonce and Sean Paul, Bring Me To Life--Evanescence and Paul McCoy, Right Thurr--Chingy, Miss You--aaliyah, 21 Questions--50 Cent and Nate Dogg, Drift Away--Uncle Kracker and Dobie Gray, Beautiful--Christina Aguilera, Shake Ya Tailfeather--Nelly and P. Diddy, All I Have---Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J, Work It--Missy Elliot, I Know What You Want--Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey, I'm With You--Avril Lavigne,The Game of Love--Michelle Branch and Santana
2003 was a good year for the gay people. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that laws against sodomy are unconstitutional. Finally, consenting adults could go ahead and do what they wanted to do in the privacy of their own bedroom without worrying about being arrested. Huge sigh of relief there.
The Massachusetts state Supreme Court decided it was unconstitutional to deny same sex couples the right to marry. Soon gay people all over would begin to tie the knot.
Then that Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show came on and people I hardly knew expected me to be able to give them decorating, cooking and grooming tips off the top of my head. Just cause I was, you know, queer.
Sheesh.
I traveled a lot in 2003. Since my company was purchased by another company, there were new business related destinations to go to.
That is why, in 2003, I went to Salt Lake City in the dead of winter. Utah is quite beautiful and folks in Salt Lake City are nice.
Really, really nice. Donny and Marie nice.
Fortunately, alcohol was easier to get your hands on than I had been told it was.
A colleague from our San Antonio office and I went to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse (they sang Morning Has Broken) and we also toured Temple Square.
I spent a lot of time in Maryland/DC in 2003 as well. I had to drive in snow for the first time in my life and it wasn't pretty. Flordians should not be allowed to rent cars in a snowy place. Fortunately, I didn't crash into anything, but it was more than a little scary.
I also spent some time in Texas--San Antonio and Houston. I never did anything fun in Houston. Our company was located near the airport, so I didn't even have a rental car. I spent all of my time at the Hilton Garden Inn or the office.
2003 was also the year I returned to New York. I attended a seminar and then extended my stay so I could have some fun.
I spent time with Ray's friend Max and with my old friend, Kent, who was in town on business.
I saw the play "Take Me Out" (about a gay baseball player with lots of locker room scenes--no wonder it won the Tony!) and the musical "Naked Boys Singing" (which is exactly what it says it is.)
Seeing fine theater made me ponder anew Aristotelian Poetics and to wonder, Why can't all plays and musicals featyre full frontal male nudity in them?
While I was in New York, I also went to Ground Zero. I can't really explain how it made me feel. I think I longed for a catharsis of some sort. Instead, I came away feeling numb.
For my birthday, we put on a Sopranos themed dinner party. We ate Italian food and then we whacked all of our friends.
Not really.
Actually, Ray cooked recipes from The Sopranos Cookbook (baked ziti, stuffed zucchini and pineapple ricotta pie) which we enjoyed with Ray's mother and sister.
This was the year my friend Michelle insisted upon taking me to get a pedicure for my birthday.
All of my women friends insist that getting a pedicure is a transcendental experience, and I figured I'd give it a try.
My assessment of the pedicure experience? Some stranger was paying an inordinate amount of attention to my feet and it felt kind of weird to me.
Meanwhile, in California, some employees of a company called eUniverse, decided to set-up a new online social networking site.
They called it Myspace...
2003 was also the year that I finally got a computer in my house.
Soon, these two seemingly unrelated events would come together...
What were you up to in 2003?
Currently
listening
:
Totally Hits 2003
By
Various Artists
Release date: 2003-10-07
2002: A perfect trip
Current mood: imaginative
Category: Travel and Places
2002 was the year the United States geared up for a fight with Iraq, It was also the year of the Beltway Sniper, which just goes to prove, not all terrorists come from another country.
Events that happened in 2002:
Charles Bishop, a 15-year-old student pilot, crashes a light aircraft into a Tampa, Florida building, evoking fear of a copycat 9/11 terrorist attack.
The No Child Left Behind Act is signed into law by U.S. president George W. Bush.
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Pakistan, accused of being a CIA agent by his captors. Later, he is murdered in Karachi, Pakistan.
Queen Elizabeth gives former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani an honorary knighthood.
NASA's Mars Odyssey space probe begins to map the surface of Mars using its thermal emission imaging system.
U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: In eastern Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda begins.
The 74th Academy Awards, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California with the film A Beautiful Mind winning Best Picture.
The funeral of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother takes place in Westminster Abbey, London.
Gay Canadian teenager Marc Hall is granted a court injunction ordering that he be allowed to attend his high school prom with his boyfriend.
FBI agent Robert Hanssen is sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for selling American secrets to Moscow for $1.4 million in cash and diamonds.
A jury in Birmingham, Alabama convicts former Ku Klux Klan member Bobby Frank Cherry of the 1963 murders of 4 girls.
A barge collides with the Interstate 40 bridge across the Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, killing 14.
Serena Williams defeats her sister Venus Williams in straight sets to win the 2002 French Open.
Arizona experiences its worst forest fire, burning 462,606 acres near the Mogollon Rim.
In Washington, DC, "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh pleads guilty to aiding the enemy and possession of explosives during the commission of a felony. Lindh agrees to serve 10 years in prison for each charge.
The 2002 European floods ravage Central Europe.
U.S. President George W. Bush addresses the U.N., and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq, or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act.
The Congress of the United States passes a joint resolution, which authorizes the President to use the United States Armed Forces as he deems necessary and appropriate, against Iraq.
The Beltway sniper attacks begin with 5 shootings in Montgomery County, Maryland. 10 people will die and 3 more will be injured before John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, are arrested.
U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, his family, and his staff are killed in a plane accident at Eveleth, Minnesota.
The Godless Americans March on Washington brings together 2,000 atheists, freethinkers, and humanists in a mile-long parade down the National Mall.
U.S. President George W. Bush signs the Homeland Security Act into law, establishing the Department of Homeland Security, in the largest U.S. government reorganization since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947.
As required by the recently passed U.N. resolution, Iraq files a 12,000 page weapons declaration with the U.N. Security Council.
United Airlines, the second largest airline in the world, files for bankruptcy.
Movies The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Spider-Man, Star Wars Episode III: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Die Another Day, Signs, Ice Age, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Minority Report, Chicago, The Pianist, The Hours, Adaption, About Schmidt, Gangs of New York, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Auto Focus, The Rules of Attraction, The Scorpion King, Star Trek Nemisis, Tadpole, Whale Rider
TV The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, The Osbournes, The Shield, The Bachelor, The George Lopez Show, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Wire, American Idol, Big Brother 3, Monk, Stargate: Infinity, Everwood, Dr. Phil, 8 Simple Rules, Life with Bonnie, Firefly, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, American Dreams, Less Than Perfect, debut The Ellen Show, The Outer Limits, Undeclared, Once and Again, Spin City, Dharma and Greg, Dark Angel, Roswell, The X-Files, Ally McBeal, Earth: Final Conflict, Relic Hunter, Felicity, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Sally, Politically Incorrect, Greg the Bunny, Titus, end their run
Books The Summons--John Grisham, Red Rabbit--Tom Clancy, Remnant--Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye, The Lovely Bones--Alice Seybold, Prey--Michael Crichton, The Shelters of Stone--Jean M. Auel.Four Blind Mice--James Patterson, Everything's Eventual--Stephen King, The Nanny Diaries--Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, From a Buick 8--Stephen King, The Beach House, James Patterson and Peter de Jonge, Self Matters--Phillip C. McGraw, A Life God Rewards, Bruce Wilkinson with David Kopp, Let's Roll!--Lisa Beamer with Ken Abraham, Leadership--Rudolph W. Giuliani, The Prayer of Jabez for Women--Darlene Wilkinson
Music How You Remind Me--Nickelback, Hot in Herre--Nelly, Foolish--Ashanti, Wherever You Will Go--The Calling, What's Luv?---Fat Joe and Ashanti, Dilemma--Nelly and Kelly Rowland, In the End--Linkin Park, Complicated--Avril Lavigne, A Thousand Miles--Vanessa Carlton, Blurry--Puddle of Mudd, The Middle--Jimmy Eat World, Without Me--Eminem, U Got It Bad--Usher, Ain't It Funny--Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule, Always On Time--Ja Rule and Ashanti, I Need A Girl (Part 1)--P. Diddy, Usher, Loon, U Don't Have To Call--Usher, Family Affair--Mary J. Blige, Gangsta Lovin'--Eve and Alicia Keys
This little undertaking of mine--writing 50 blogs to count off the 50 years I have been on Earth, is nearly at an end. I miscalculated on the days because I forgot that one's birthday is not actually a celebration of the beginning of a year, but the end of one. By that I mean, when I turned 49, I began living my 50th year on Earth. When I turn 50 on Thursday, I will begin living my 51st...
In other words, I am even older than I thought!
Anyway--I miscounted. If I want to reach 2008 on Thursday (and I do), I will have to do some reconfiguring. Not a problem. I am going to combine 2006-2007. It'll be OK. You'll see.
As we reach 2002, I recognize there is a lot I have not written about. I haven't mentioned a lot of friends and family who were in our lives, but that doesn't mean I wasn't glad to have them along for the journey.
I am grateful that my brother-in-law, Marcus, posted a picture of Ray's brother, Richard with Marcus, in the comments of my 2000 blog. Marcus and Richard met the same year as Ray and I. Richard passed away in 2000 and in my blog I only give that event a brief mention. In real life, it had more impact, I assure you.
I haven't written much about religion and spiritual practice. That says as much about where I am at at this stage of my life as it does about my life up to now.
Not to be disparaging, but this is the best way to say it--I went through a Christian phase as a teenager, an agnostic phase, then a Buddhist phase, a New Age phase, more Buddhism, then after the turn of the century (the 21st century--which one did you think I meant?!) I started going to a gay-friendly Christian church again. I drifted away from that...back to agnosticism...maybe a week or two of atheism, back to the more New Age perspective and now leaning back toward Eastern thought--Taoism and Buddhism.
This sounds more frivolous than it truly is, and I mean no disrespect to anyone's beliefs, except maybe my own. Perhaps I am too open minded. Perhaps I am not open minded enough. I don't know.
In 2002, I went to a pagan event at the local Unitarian Church and saw a great band called Emerald Rose, a Celtic American Folk Rock band. They have a Myspace page (natch) and I recommend you check them out.
This was the year our dog Rowdy died. He was another in a series of strays that Ray rescued. He was survived by Ruffian and Ripley.
This was also the year that a friend from my collectibles company days died suddenly. His name was Scott and his passing had a big impact on me--partly because he was young (28) and partly because, frankly, it was most fun I ever had at a memorial service in my life.
Scott and his boyfriend threw one of the best Christmas parties I ever attended. When I left my job, Scott presented me with a wooden yellow and red Keith Haring top, which I have on my personal altar to this day.
If my former employer had organized a reunion, promising free food and beer, they could never have gotten a turn out like Scott did. Former co-workers came together; saw people they hadn't seen in years; and because of the sort of person he was, swapping stories about Scott had everyone laughing. Scott could throw a great party, even in death.
Scott's funeral was standing room only. For me, it brought to mind the scene in the movie The Big Chill in which JoBeth Williams, at the funeral of a life long friend, turns to Jeff Goldblum and speculates, "You could never get a turnout like this for my funeral." Jeff responds, "Oh, I'll come. And I'll bring a date."
One of Scott's friends read this Dorothy Parker poem (Epitaph for a Darling Lady) at the memorial:
All her hours were yellow sands, Blown in foolish whorls and tassels; Slipping warmly through her hands; Patted into little castles. Shiny day on shiny day Tumble in a rainbow clutter, As she flipped them all away, Sent them spinning down the gutter. Leave for her a red young rose, Go your way, and save your pity; She is happy, for she knows That her dust is very pretty.
Scott was a fun and witty man, and the person who chose this poem for his memorial speculated that Scott and Dorothy Parker might be having a good laugh together at that very moment.
It is a tribute to Scott that his funeral was one of the highlights of 2002 for me. We should all be so fortunate as to have lived in such a way that our send off is so special.
2002 was also the year of my biggest DC adventure so far. I got an assignment that required me to stay in Maryland for two weeks. This was months before the Beltway Sniper incidents began, which is fortunate since I worked and stayed in Montgomery County when I was in Maryland.
This trip happened to coincide with the arrival of the cherry blossoms and I took full advantage of the opportunity.
I did the walk around the Tidal Basin and revisited the monuments.
I saw a Beatrix Potter exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
.
I attended a production of Terrance McNally's Corpus Christi at the Source Theater.
I went to one of my favorite places in Washington, the Corcoran Gallery, and saw the exhibit, "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years."
I attended a meeting of the D.C. Radical Faeries (a loosely affiliated international group of gay men, kind of pagan, kind of counter-cultural, kind of hard to explain..)
One of the great highlights of the trip was attending a lecture by Julia Cameron--author of The Artist's Way and the woman who advocates Morning Pages as a practice.
She spoke at Washington National Cathedral, which is one of the most awe inspiring places I have ever been.
I think I may have done some work while I was in Maryland as well...but that was one perfect trip.
Speaking of trips--I also went to Chicago in 2002, to attend a seminar.
My co-worker and I had a blast. It was August and I couldn't believe how cold it was! We were close to Lake Michigan and as we were walking down the street, my co-worker said, "It is so windy here!" and she wasn't even trying to be funny.
It was in Chicago at a bar called Voltaire, that I had my first martini. I had wanted to try one for some time and the nice lesbian bartender seemed like just the person to initiate me. It was pretty damn good, I must say.
Despite the travel, all was not sweetness and light at work. Our company lost the contract that kept us in business. Fortunately, the company that got the contract elected to buy our company, so we were all still employed. At least for a while. However, my boss, Michael, elected to leave. Fortunately, my co-workers and I were a pretty tight team, so we didn't really need a boss.
Have you ever dabbled in spiritual matters? Have you had a perfect trip? What were you up to in 2002?
Currently
listening
:
Totally Hits 2002
By
Various Artists
Release date: 2002-06-04
2001: Nothing like the movie of the same name
Current mood: anxious
Category: Life
2001 turned out to be a lot different than that Stanley Kubrick movie suggested it was going to be, but we did get the iPod and Windows XP...
Events that happened in 2001:
A black monolith measuring approximately 9 feet tall appears in Seattle, Washington's Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous artist in reference to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey.
George W. Bush is sworn in as the 43rd President of the United States.
The Baltimore Ravens defeat the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. It is the Ravens' first Super Bowl title.
NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt is killed in a crash during the Daytona 500.
FBI agent Robert Hanssen is arrested and charged with spying for Russia for 15 years.
The Russian space station Mir re-enters the atmosphere near Nadi, Fiji, and falls into the Pacific Ocean.
The 73rd Academy Awards, hosted by Steve Martin are held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, with Gladiator winning Best Picture.
A Chinese fighter jet bumps into a U.S. EP-3E surveillance aircraft which is forced to make an emergency landing in Hainan, China. The U.S. crew is detained for 10 days and the F-8 Chinese pilot, Wang Wei, goes missing and is presumed dead.
In the Netherlands, the Act on the Opening up of Marriage goes into effect. The Act allows same-sex couples to marry legally.
Washington, DC police declare Chandra Levy missing (her remains are discovered a year later).
U.S. Senator Jim Jeffords leaves the Republican party, an act which changes control of the United States Senate from the Republican party to the Democratic party.
In Terre Haute, Indiana, Timothy McVeigh is executed for the Oklahoma City Bombing.
Andrea Yates drowns her children in a bathtub and confesses to her crime. She is sentenced to life in prison.
An earthquake with 7.9 on the Richter scale, hits the south of Peru.
Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore has a 2½ ton monument of the Ten Commandments installed in the Rotunda of the Judiciary Building. He is later sued to have it removed, and eventually removed from office.
Robert Mueller is confirmed as the new FBI director.
U.S. President George W. Bush announces his support for federal funding of limited research on embryonic stem cells.
Almost 3,000 are killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City, The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania after American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crash into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City, American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a grassland in Pennsylvania.
Letters containing anthrax spores are mailed from Princeton, New Jersey to ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, and the National Enquirer.
Tom Ridge resigns as Governor of Pennsylvania to become the first director of the newly created United States Office of Homeland Security.
Anthrax attacks continue as contaminated letters are mailed from Princeton, New Jersey, to U.S. Senators Tom Daschle of South Dakota and Patrick Leahy of Vermont.
Apple Inc. releases the iPod.
U.S. president George W. Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act into law.
Microsoft Corporation releases Windows XP
In the first such act since World War II, U.S. President George W. Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against any foreigners suspected of having connections to terrorist acts or planned acts against the United States.
Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection 5 days after Dynegy cancels a US $8.4 billion buyout bid. At the time this is the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history.
U.S. President George W. Bush announces the United States' withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.
A Paris-Miami, Florida flight is diverted to Boston, Massachusetts after passenger Richard Reid attempts to set his shoe, filled with explosives, on fire.
India becomes the second nation in the world to register one billion people in its population. The first was China in 1979.
Movies Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Monster, Inc., Shrek, Ocean's Eleven, Pearl Harbor, The Mummy Returns, Jurassic Park III, Planet of the Apes, Hannibal, A Beautiful Mind, Training Day, Monster's Ball, Iris, Moulin Rouge, In the Bedroom, The Royal Tenenbaums, Gosford Park, American Pie 2, Behind Enemy Lines, Bridget Jones's Diary, Bubble Boy, Black Hawk Down, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, Dogtown and Z-Boys, Donnie Darko, The Fast and the Furious, From Hell, Ghost World, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Iron Monkey, Joe Dirt, Joy Ride, A Knight's Tale, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Left Behind: The Movie, Legally Blond, The Mexican, Mullholland Drive, Not Another Teen Movie, The Princess Diaries, Riding in Cars with Boys, Scary Movie 2, Scratch, Vanilla Sky, Zoolander
TV The Mole, Grounded for Life, Lizzie McGuire, The Lone Gunmen, My Wife and Kids, That's My Bush!, Six Feet Under, Fear Factor, Witchblade, Big Brother2, The Amazing Race, The Guardian, Star Trek: Enterprise, Alias, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Scrubs, Reba, According to Jim, Smallville, The Bernie Mack Show debuted Le Femme Nikita, Bette, Nash Bridges, Baywatch, Walker: Texas Ranger, Star Trek: Voyager, Miser Roger's Neighborhood, ended their run
Books The Precipice (Ben Bova), Baudolino (Umberto Eco), The Corrections (Jonathan Frazen), A Painted House and Skipping Christmas (John Grisham), The Fourth Hand (John Irving), Death in Holy Orders (P.D. James), Black House and Dreamcatcher (Stephen King), The Contstant Gardner (John le Carré), Middle Age: A Romance (Joyce Carol Oates), Choke (Chuch Palahnuik), Fury (Salman Rushdie), Empire Falls (Richard Russo), The Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan), Back When We Were Grown-ups (Anne Tyler),
Music Lady Marmalade (Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya & Pink), Fallin' (Alicia Keys), I'm Real (Jennifer Lopez), Family Affair (Mary J. Blige), Butterfly (Crazy Town), Thank You (Dido), Don't Tell Me (Madonna), He Loves U Not (Dream), Gone ('N Sync), Love Don't Cost A Thing (Jennifer Lopez), Hero (Enrique Iglesias), Hanging By A Moment (Lifehouse),Drops Of Jupiter (Train), Jaded (Aerosmith), U Remind Me (Usher), Hit 'Em Up Style (Blu Cantrell), It Wasn't Me (Shaggy featuring Ricardo "Rikrok" Ducent), All For You (Janet Jackson), Angel, (Shaggy featuring Rayvon) Turn Off The Light (Nelly Furtado),All Or Nothing (O-Town),How You Remind Me, (Nickelback), Someone To Call My Lover (Janet Jackson), Fill Me In (Craig David), Superman (Five For Fighting)
"May you live in interesting times." -ancient Chinese curse
Not too long after 2001 began, Ray's friend, "Max" moved back to New York.
I continued to travel to Washington--in January I saw a Warhol exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery. On that same day, I had another Clinton sighting--this time his motorcade on Pennsylvania Avenue. As they were already setting up for the Inauguration of the new president, I knew this would be the last time I saw President Clinton when he was in office.
Do you remember the summer of 2001? June, July, August--the news cycle was filled with shark attacks and Chandra Levy.
Chandra Levy was a Washington intern who disappeared in the Spring of 2001. Her disappearence brought to light an affair she was having with Congressman Gary Condit. The mystery of Chandra Levy's disappearance and the subsequent scandal were hot news in the Spring and Summer of 2001.
Statistically speaking, I am not sure the series of unrelated shark attacks were all that unusual, but they made for titilating copy and the news media was all over this story.
Looking back, this almost seems like an innocent time.
Everyone who is old enough to be reading this remembers where he or she was when you heard about the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Like George W. Bush, I was in a classroom in Florida that fateful morning. While he was reading My Pet Goat, I was involved with training new employees on how to do their job.
A new hire class had started working at my company on September 10, 2001. On the morning of September 11, a colleague and I were checking to see if these new people could log into the computer systems we needed them to access in order to train them. Someone in the company sent an email telling about two planes that had hit The World Trade Center.
I had to make several trips to the IT department to get some log-in glitches fixed, and the IT group had set-up a TV and was watching events unfold. It was there I first saw the replay of the second plane approaching and then crashing into the building. It was there I saw the towers fall...
From there the day unraveled. The management of the building we were in decided to close.
Ridiculously, they set up traffic cones in front of the building as if they were some sort of shield. We all went home. Like many of you, I spent the rest of the day and into the night, watching television news, knowing with a certainty that the world had just changed forever.
In October, my work required me to travel to the Washington, DC area on two occasions. The first time, I was with a co-worker. When the plane landed at Baltimore Washington International, everyone on the plane applauded, relieved to have experienced a safe landing.
We arrived in Maryland the same day the anthrax letters were received by Senators Daschle and Leahy.
In November I attended a church service (as a "gay-affirming" church) conducted by TammyFaye Bakker Messner. I got to meet Tammy Faye and she was exactly as she was on television.
By the end of the year, the training department had changed a bit and I was not working with two women who would remain important in my life for some time to come. In fact, even though none of us work for the same company anymore, we are all still working together.
(Meanwhile here in 2008: We are on day two of our lashing from Tropical Storm Fay. What makes Tropical Storms so bad is that they move at a snail's pace and dump ceaseless rain and scary wind on an area for a long period of time. That is what is going on as I type. Right now, I am just grateful to have power. The lights went out last night, but were back on in an hour. I consider myself quite lucky so far.But I'd better go ahead and post this quickly, while I still can...)
2000: Pardon me, but your chad is hanging
Current mood: crazy
Category: Life
2000 was the year we found out what a let down the whole Y2k hype had been. It was also the year of Elián González and hanging chads.
Technically, the year 2000 was not the start of the millennium, but no one listened. We couldn't wait for 2001--we wanted our new millennium RIGHT NOW! So, with the support of the media, we claimed 2000 as the new millennium and so it was. So there.
Events that happened in 2000:
Millennium celebrations take place throughout the world.
Y2K passes without serious, widespread computer failures, despite fears to the contrary.
The 2000 al-Qaeda Summit of several high-level al-Qaeda members (including 2 9/11 American Airlines hijackers) is held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
America Online announces an agreement to be bought by Time Warner for $162 billion. This is the largest-ever corporate merger.
George W. Bush and Al Gore emerge victorious in the Republican and Democratic caucuses and primaries of the United States presidential election
Vladimir Putin is elected President of Russia.
The 72nd Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal are held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, with American Beauty winning Best Picture.
In a predawn raid, federal agents seize six-year old Elián González from his relatives' home in Miami, Florida and fly him to his Cuban father in Washington, DC, ending one of the most publicized custody battles in US history.
vital
creative
busy
angsty
okay
imaginative
anxious
crazy