2004

I want to thank all my friends and family for the wondrous Christmas delights. Times like these remind you that people genuinely care. Or, something.
I thought I would take this post to kind of recap this insane year. It's not quite over yet, but I think there's enough to reflect on. I don't know about anyone else, but this has been, by far, the craziest year of my entire life. There are things that happened this year that I never thought would happen in my wildest fantasies.
I began the year by climbing into my go-cart hatchback and driving across the country for four days. That was only the beginning of the bizarreness.
This year saw a crazy political shift, as Geore W was challeneged by John Kerry in the Presidential race. Neighborhoods all over the country were divided, communities were actually having discussions, and people were forced to make tough choices. Houses right next to each other had opposing "Bush/Cheney" or "Kerry/Edwards" signs. Family members all across the country had to argue over the issues and stand their ground. Ultimately, Bush became a second term President and the Republicans gained seats in the House and the Senate.
This year we saw the cultural phenomenon of "The Passion of the Christ", which made Mel Gibson even more of a household name. Again, people were confronted with intense ideas. Never had a film portrayed the death of Jesus in such a graphic manner. Theaters were filled up and sold out for extended times. The impact here in Hollywood was really incredible to witness firsthand. I'll never forget sitting in that sold out show one rainy night in March, watching and being deeply moved by this film.
"The Passion of the Christ" did a great deal of overshadowing of the Oscars this year. Much of the national attention was diverted from the ceremony, and hopefully Hollywood got the message. The Oscars saw, in my opinion, the best line up of "best actor" nominations in my lifetime. Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, Ben Kingsley, and Sean Penn are some of my favorites. I also loved Tim Robbins and I was glad he won best supporting actor. The Academy Award ceremony was also the time Michael Moore made his controversial statements about the war in Iraq in his acceptance speech. Shortly after that, "Farenheit 9/11" came out in theaters to sell out crowds. In LA, this film got repeated standing ovations at the end of showings. Of course, Hollywood is a bit biased. But, this film still made an impact across the country.
This year saw the loss of President Ronald Reagan, whose Presidental library is about half an hour up the road from me. His body was on display there, but I didn't get to see it. The line was hours long! Reagan was a very beloved President. This year also saw the loss of comedian Rodney Dangerfield, rapper ODB, and one of the best actors of this or any generation, Marlon Brando. It also saw the death of the Wayne Brady show, and the birth of the Tony Danza show. This year "Hey Ya" made huge waves on the charts, and was listed as one of Rolling Stones 500 Greatest songs of all time. I got to meet Andre 3000 outside my favorite smoothie place, 'Jamba juice." He was also in the same showing of "Passion of the Christ" I was in just three days after I met him.
This year the country was somehow riveted by the Scott Peterson trial. The interest of this trial escapes me, but it was all over the news. We also had to hear about Michael Jackson's continued drama with his second child molestation allegation. His trial is set to begin near the end of January. The King of Pop is probably toast this time.
last but not least, this has been a year of war. We have American troops scattered all over Iraq, and we saw much fighting in Fallujah. Hopefully we won't be over there forever, and the violent aspect of this war can be concluded soon.
I don't know about you, but this year has been the height of ecstacy, and the depths of discouragement. I have experienced personal growth, learned about strength, and come to the end of this year with things money could never buy. I'm looking forward to the next year of weird stuff happening, and hopefully it will be all good.