2001-01-05 - 0:20

Two triple zero

Well, it hasn't been that long since the odometer reached '01, so I think that I can get reflective on a year passed. Honestly, though, it's somewhat forced, because the end of the year didn't have me looking back at all. And that fact is very much a good thing.

The changeover from 1999 to 2000 was a big one for me. It meant a number of endings and a number of beginnings. At the time, I was definitely thinking more about what had passed; and I was quite down because of it. I say that it's a good sign that I'm not very reflective now; because it illustrates the fact that I'm a lot more content and forward-looking. I'm essentially an optimist, though, so my mood at the end of this year is a return to my norm.

I have a lot of reasons to be happy about 2000. The move into the real world after four plus years of university has been cool. I've had a lot of fun with the roommates. Aaron, the one constant, is as easy to get along with as ever; and through him I met a lot of cool people, like Sophie, Marty, Adeline, and a few others who popped in once or twice (Um-Jammer Lammy, anyone?).

Although I didn't gel too strongly with Eric, Maneesh turned out to be a very cool roommate. He and Parag were a lot of fun. I also really enjoyed having Scott around; and I'll be waiting patiently for his appearance on Junkyard Wars.

My favourite time was certainly the summer, as rainy as it was. It was a blast having Aaron, Nick, Colin, and for a while, Jaclyn living here. Some of my happiest thoughts of the year are of chilling with Colin and Jaclyn, barbecuing in the backyard, and hauling out the acoustic guitars afterwards. (I didn't know at the time that I'd be seeing Colin and Jaclyn get married in a few months.)

This year was also the first time that I had a steady income with no tuition looming around the corner, which let me explore a lot of interesting music. (Once my current order of Takako Minekawa discs ships, I'll have gained enough bonus points from CDNow that I can get a free discman or blaster. Heh.)

As well as filling out my collection with old favourites, I also got into a lot of bands for the first time this year: Barry Adamson, B�a, Crime and the City Solution, Die Haut, the Dirty Three, Elwood, Jad Fair, Half Japanese, Mick Harvey, Anita Lane, Lois Maffeo, Lydia Lunch, Takako Minekawa, the Misfits, Moby, Mother Superior, Beth Orton, The Roots, and Yo La Tengo, among others.

2000 was also my best year for concerts: Rollins Band, PJ Harvey, and Moby were among the highlights; and my hastily-arranged trip to New York City to witness Einst�rzende Neubauten was my coolest move of the year. Among the other acts that I was able to see were the Roots, the Chili Peppers with STP and Fishbone, the Misfits, and A Perfect Circle. The most notable disappointment was missing the Dirty Three in Montreal. Next time.

Although the workplace went through some changes this year, not all of which were positive, I had a lot of fun there. I still have a job that I enjoy and that I do well; and I don't wake up in the morning feeling unhappy about going in to work. I can't complain there.

I also met some cool people at work this year. Greg and I became great friends (I'm really looking forward to his return to the city); and Mandeep was a very good guy to work with. The other co-ops were all pretty fun, too. I hope that Chetan, Hua, and Manuel are having a good time these days. Manuel deserves credit as the main man cracking the whip to get us to play soccer twice a week, when the weather was nice. ("Ah, c'mon, guys!") Tim also fit in well during his stint with the group.

The Banff vacation was another highlight, which I will remember for quite some time. It was also a surprising, but much-needed, ego boost to come back from that vacation and have a super-cute girl chasing after me. (Admittedly, it wasn't a difficult chase.) I'm still a little fuzzy on how everything started and ended or if it really did; but it has been enjoyable. Jian rocks.

One other thing that I'm glad that I did in the past year was start this journal. It's something that I had been thinking about for a while; and I've really enjoyed keeping it going. I still think that it's really cool that a few people read this; although it'd certainly be worthwhile even if it was here just for me.

So, I guess that when I do force myself to look back, I'd have to say that 2000 was a great year for me . . . no wonder I'm in a good mood as I'm moving to '01. Life is good :)

J.