here we are reaching the end of 2004 - how was it for you?
what were the highs and lows?
the best books or the worst films or vice versa?
pick a category for the year and fill it.

-rules - no real rules - if you read/saw it this year it counts - too much hassle to get caught up in the year something was done originally, especially when considering formats or territories or any crap that means someone saw something last year and someone else saw it this year. etc.

i'll try and come back with thoughts on the year soon, my ability to get connected long enough being a considerable factor in that

Too fucking busy - too much travel, not enough family. Too much internet, not enough relaxation. And we had no real summer, which means I've been hybernating indoors all year, when I haven't been away from home. I plan to rest totally over the year end, then work like crazy for 2 months, then rest again until August!

This was a shit year. Shit shit shit.

Like crazy

Best trip: Toronto

I'm sorry your year was bad, Shadoth

What Shadoth said, except perhaps in French.

I didnt achieve a single thing on my New Years Resolution list. It was a big list too. It was mostly a waste, but things are looking up. i get my first pay check from my new job on the 31st of December. not a bad way to start.

Eh, my year sucked too.

Well. Where do I begin?

I quit my shitty job, started school, met someone wonderful.

So pretty fucking awesome.

Or, to put it as a friend of mine does much more crudely: It sucked, and not in the $50-well-spent-kind-of-way either.

tsk. sounds like we've all been having a shitty year. certainly mine was crap.

but it can't have all been bad? there must have been stuff in there which got you through it?

to get the ball rolling some, here is the summary of films i've seen this year as they fit into good/bad categories....

bad films that were bad - dude wheres my car (it premiered on tv this year!), paycheck, scooby doo two, gothicka, taking lives, secret window, van helsing, the day after tomorrow, euro trip, club dread, twisted, thunderbirds, garfield, the stepford wives, sky captain and the world of tomorrow, alien versus predator, annacondas: hunt for the blood orchids, taxi, bad santa

bad films that were good (in a sick/funny kind of way) - torque, the girl next door, win a date with tad hamilton, 13 going on 30, dodgeball, wimbeldon, the house of the dead, toolbox murders

films that could/should have been good, but weren't quite - dreamers, 21 grams, personal velocity, japanese story, fahrenheit 9/11, blueberry, love me-if you dare, collateral, switchblade romance, chaos, manchurian candidate, the forgotten, huckabees

good films - lost in translation, the goddess of 1967, monster, durian durian, shiwu, its all about love, dogville, chaos and desire, pieces of april, the station agent, shaun of the dead, the butterfly effect, the twilight samurai, now or never, the other side of the bed, spring-summer-autumn-winter-and spring again, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, nathalie, gozu, spartan, a tale of two sisters, the last life in the universe, the village, phone, hellboy, trauma, code 46, hero, save the green planet, saw, dead man's shoes, into the mirror, man on fire, bubba ho-tep, old boy, saved!, shaolin soccer, donnie darko-directors cut, take my eyes, the incredibles, reconstruction

-some of the good films should probably split off into excellent, but its such a fine line in some cases that i've decided to leave them like that.

Good:

Birth of my second son, Camden Thomas.
Red Sox win World Series.
Made CRAZY money.
Story published.
Script sold.
Ridiculous time in gym results in ridiculous shoulders.
Wife finds peace; marriage OK

Bad:

Comedy career falls to complete shit.
Midlife crisis at 34.
Airplane missions in GTA: San Andreas.
Too many cigarettes smoked on sly.
Shockingly drunk too many times for a family man.
Pedro signs with Mets.

On balance: great year.

I lost some weight and failed to give up smoking. I spent 6 weeks in Thailand and apart from a couple of other weekends the rest of it was the same old shit. The years go by faster but the hours still drag.

I quit drinking-
subsequently, I quit getting arrested, which is a good thing.
Of course, now I have to get all new friends, which is why I came here, i think....

I wasn't fired at all this year, which is a new one for me.

all in all.....meh.

Change - lots of.
Ominous signs of pay-up time looming ahead. @&*$#! meat.
Toys and someone to play with.
Creative stagnation - now that's been a real bitch. Sheeez.
Little, but quite enjoyable, travel time, with great companions.

All in all, guess I can't complain much.

Since last January:

A new job that has a much lower chance of getting me killed on a daily basis.

Working with much nicer people, remembering what it's like not to work alone all day long.

Living in a new town that's much easier on the eyes and nose (if not on the pocketbook).

Got a little raise.

Made lots of money selling my old house. (Lots by my standards, which is not really lots.)

Paid off ALL my debt (and now going back into it for a mortgage, but that's not so bad).

Wife's happiness level increased dramatically with the move, which helped my general happiness level.

Helped two good friends successfully navigate through horribly painful divorces.

Met and consumed chicken with two upstanding WGB members, spoke telephonically with others, emailed with others... and none of them have turned out to be psychos yet.

Made some very educational trips around the U.S. on the company dime.

Went to Canada twice without being mauled by a moose or escaped hockey player.

But:
Lots of friends died. Lots.

So for me, a pretty good year. But not so much for people who know me.

Rest in peace, brothers. Here's to hoping that the karma's spread around a little more evenly next year.

The Bad
Roughest year ever.

The Good
Excellent meet-ups with WGB-members in Copenhagen, Paris, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago and London

Best year ever on travelling wise.

As for the rest, the year went on pretty standard untill the middle, then it got a whole lot more interesting, in a very positive way. All in all i'm labeling this as a very awesome year

I will make it look like a horoscope:

Work: Constant. Some good, some bad, some business travelling. I am still waiting to see if I get a good "New product developed" bonus.

Health: Nothing to comment, which is actually good.

Friends: A good year, but 2003 was better for that. At least I did not lose anyone permanently, and some of the acquaintances from 2003 have become close friends.

Love: A roller coaster, but it may yet end well. Who could say married life could be so varied?

Travel: Lots. And most for fun, which is new for me. And the fun parts were even fun.

Well, besides my weight that refused to lower to more reasonable values, a good year. However I feel like dancing on the edge of the Abyss, so next year can be great or terrible. That is the problem with half-life crisis.

José

Good 6 years of exile ended.
Bad 6 years of the best friendships ended.

All in all, too many changes.
First time I got a real job.
First time I live in an urban area.(Bliagh!)

Had to switch from TKD to Kung-Fu.
Six months away from getting my black belt I'm back to being a white belt.

First year in a strange place; again. Shit...