Hello, New Year

So. 2003 is but a shitty memory in my rearview mirror, and it's time to start concentrating on the year to come. However, as happens on the first day of the year, occasionally it becomes time for a quick look back.

I rang in the New Year at Mr M's, at the Sauerkraut Band party. Well, at least I think I did. By the time Countdown arrived I was so totally blitzed that not only do I not remember it, even if it did happen I think I was in no shape to count backwards from ten. I'm sure my brain would have exploded. I do distinctly remember having a glass of champagne shoved into my hand, of which I drank a sip. And I do remember saying "rabbit rabbit," thus insuring my good luck in the year to come.

I don't know what it is about the overwhelming power the SK Band seems to have in getting me shitfaced. I know I'm often easily led, but I think with them it comes down to speed. The alarming speed with which the alcohol is consumed. I went from sober to nicely buzzed, then bypassed everything and went straight to legless within the span of about an hour. And when I say legless, I mean it. People were spotting me. When I stood up I had to have a person at either arm. Which made my exorcism ritual quite interesting.

I'd decided before even arriving at the party that I was going to do something to exorcise 2003 from my life. So I took a sheet of paper and wrote everything I hated about the year on it. Every hurt, everything that broke, everything that went bad on me, every horrible habit I got into in the past year. I folded it, wrote "Goodbye to 2003" on the outside, and decided that right after midnight I was going outside and set fire to said list, thus destroying all the rottenness. And I did. With, as the Beatles said, a little help from my friends. Between Ed and SaraBeth and Jude and his wife Leah, we got it done. Set the fucker on fire and stomped on it when it was a pile of ash. And didn't set my drunken ass on fire in the process. There's success if I ever saw it.

There's something about a having a group of people who see you at your most drunkenly stupored. It's kind of a kinship. You may have been sober once when they were crawling sworping drunk, and then the tables may reverse. It's like you can let it all fly and still know that someone has your back.

And that was my New Year's Eve. I hope all of you found yourselves where you wanted to be. And now, as is maybe going to be a tradition, and without further ado, it's time for my second annual Bet's Wags and Gags of the Year Awards.

Wags

Oktoberfest: While we're on the subject.... I had a blast this year up at Mountain Lake. I'm not sure if it's that this year I was just less nervous, felt more comfortable with the music, or got to know everyone better. Or a combination of the three. But the whole season turned out to be an exhilerating, exhausting, hilarious whirlwind of a time. I lost my digital camera the first week (it was recovered), and Mr M broke his arm after doing a double pirouetting twizzle with a front flip in the parking lot the second week (he still hasn't). Seth couldn't feel his face, and Russell, walking past the band on the stage the last night as we were all getting bombed on Goldschlager, said, "This whole band smells like a pack of Dentyne." So next year, why don't yall decide you're going to come and visit us up there on the mountain??

Movie Lists: This was the first year I followed Mike and Stennie into the world of keeping a movie list. My ideal goal was 200 movies watched in a year - a foolish brag, I think - and by damn, I made it with a few weeks to spare. I still came in a distant 3d of the three of us, but hey, I'm happy. Where M and S are concerned, I'm a mere amateur hanging with professionals. Of my 209 movies watched this year, 43 I'd previously seen, and 166 were new viewings. Favorites? Mike Leigh's "All or Nothing" and Cukor's "The Philadelphia Story" (how could I not have seen that movie somewhere along the line before?) I doubt 200 is a workable goal for the year to come, but I'm still going with the list, if Mike and Stenns are, that is.

Band Of Brothers: Speaking of movie lists, I was going to include this HBO special on mine. After all, it was 10 episodes and took up the time I could have been spending watching about 5 theatrical release movies. In the end I didn't, but this series was excellent, moreso than many movies released into theatres by major studios. The acting, writing, and directing were brilliant, and the scene of the D-Day invasion by air was gripping beyond belief. Had it shown up on my movie list, the rating would have been a solid *****.

Taking A Chance: This year I finally got up the nerve to send a few samples to my writing to the local public radio station, and lo and behold, two of them were accepted, and I went and recorded myself reading them for broadcast later. I'd have never thought I could do something like that, and it's something I'm proud of trying. And I have Mr M to thank for pushing me towards it.

The Blogathon: This was my first year taking part in the annual Blogathon. 48 blogs in 24 hours, all for charity. It was a roller coaster ride of adrenaline, creativity, lack thereof, sleeplessness, helpless giggles, mini acrochallenges, had a great online party atmosphere, then ended up with Stennie and I (she was blogathonning too) desperately sleepy, lacking in ideas, lacking in initiative, and basically lacking in everything except the will to bash that ratbag actor Tom Berenger. At about 5am, Stennie decided to put her kitty Buster into the California governor's race.

The Office: BBC's comedy show about the workings of an extremely mundane office (I think they sell paper goods), is a gem. Ricky Gervais, the show's creator and star makes me laugh just breathing. I love a show that's not afraid to have its star and lead character be so incredibly unlikable. Add to that the fact that for some reason, this show about the mundane workings of a mundane paper company seems to be done as a documentary (why would anyone do a documentary on these people?!) just sends it over the top.

Gags

Life With Bonnie: What was last year's one bright spot in the TV season has become a dismal gag this year. I don't know if this was Bonnie's decision, or if ABC decided to start fucking with her show. First of all, she's lost a kid. The family's daughter has suddenly disappeared this year, with not explanation one as to why. Then they've had a re-re-re-recurring story about the boss David having to move in with the Malloys after Bonnie keeps burning his house down. It's not funny. It's become - *gasp* - a sitcom.

The Movies I Didn't Make It Through List: It was short, it was dull, and other than one column ("feel guilty?"), it was a total throwaway. I doubt I shall be keeping it in the coming year.

Lies: I've told them, you've told them, we've all told them. Some are just worse than others and some really really hurt people. Enough said.

Napster and I-Tunes: Now, both these little nuggets were the reason I took the plunge into the world of XP anyway (even though I've just found that it was not XP that fucked up my computer) (even though it started everything). I've been pretty interested to see what the new version of Napster was going to look like. And I-Tunes offers the same option to buy songs for .99 apiece. The thing is - the selection sucks! Punch a song in the search engine. Go ahead, I dare you. You're not gonna find it. I've tried obscure, I've tried mainstream. I guess hoping for a recapture of magic in a bottle really was too much to ask for.

Michael Jackson: I was really hoping I would never have to mention this name in my blog or anywhere else again. I don't know if he molested someone. I don't know and I don't care. But Michael Jackson needs to be in jail. A jail for fuckin' freaks. Everything he's getting he deserves because he's chosen to live his life as a fuckin' freak instead of as a human being. Twice in one interview I had to hear him say rather than hurt a child he'd slit his wrists. I wanted to yell, "Well, do us all a favor, OK??" He's fuckin' freaked his way out of a successful career, the fact that he never was that talented is starting to catch up with him, and he's grasping at straws to keep being famous. Just leave him alone, everybody, and maybe he'll sink without a trace.

There you have it, lads and lasses. And now on with the year at hand!