I started writing up that end of 2005 year survey thing on like december 15th, i just didn't get around to finishing it. what a good time to do it!
What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before? -- Have
major surgery, deliver pizzas, play cards across the border, break someone's heart, become dependant on alcohol (just kidding! but not really).
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? -- If I made any, I don't remember them.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? -- A couple cousins of mine, yes.
4. Did anyone close to you die? -- A friend.
5. What countries did you visit? -- Canada, roughly twice a week.
6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? -- A relationship. Doesn't have to be life-consuming or immediately, or even that freakin serious --- just something besides boring/bad/awkward first/second dates.
7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? -- January 17th, when I did, in fact, rupture my appendix.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? -- Improving my poker game immensely -- keeping a solid GPA (hopefully) all the way to the end of the school year. Real big fucking achievements, but whatever. 2005 was not a year for spectacular things.
9. What was your biggest failure? -- Something I did for a long time, and realized incredibly too late.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? -- Not really. Just the worst pain of my life when I ruptured my appendix and spent almost 2 weeks in the hospital. Had another trip to the hospital a couple months later, a lot of colds, and a bad case of laryngitis/nasty cough for about a week in November.
11. What was the best thing you bought? -- A ticket to see Sufjan Stevens at the Bowery Ballroom, and a ticket to see the Mountain Goats w/ the Prayers & Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers. Two amazing shows.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? -- Probably Niko's, for all the crap she had to put up with in regards to her family, and was always still a good friend.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? -- No one in my own, direct life.
14. Where did most of your money go? -- Probably food, poker, gas, and school related expenses.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? -- Seeing Star Wars, episode III --- playing Omaha 8/b at Casino Niagara, meeting John Darnielle.
16. What songs will always remind you of 2005? -- The Mountain Goats: Shadow Song / Modern Skirts: NY Song
17. Compared to this time last year, are you happier or sadder? -- Oh, much more depressed about everything in general. I've gotten used to it.
ii. thinner or fatter? -- fatter. with the exception of not eating for two weeks in january, i cant possibly get any more thin.
iii. richer or poorer? -- Haha, like always, poorer. this is a bad time of year for me money-wise.
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? -- Devote more time to my friends --- all of them.
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? -- Worry about what people thought of me.
20. How will you be spending Christmas? -- With the family.
21. Best musical release of 2005? Either Animal Collective's "Feels," or Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois."
22. Did you fall in love in 2005? -- No, I did not.
23. How many one night stands? -- Uh, maybe 2. Although not much came out of them. One just shouldn't have happened.
24. What were your favourite TV programs? -- Unsolved fuckin' mysteries.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? -- Nah. You're all cool.
26. What was the best book you read? -- Positively Fifth Street, by James McManus. A writer's trip to the 2000 World Series of Poker where he covers the progress of women in poker, the Binion murder trial, and somehow makes it to the final table of the Main Event in the process.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? -- Without a doubt, Animal Collective.
28. What did you want and get? -- A good time slot for my radio show. Bill and Kev's Excellent Adventure, every Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4 PM, and Kev's rockin radio from 4-6 PM.....A better roommate than last year.
29. What did you want and not get? -- Consistent happiness.
30. What was your favourite film of this year? -- Probably Batman Begins.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? -- I had a party! and i got pretty drunk, and apparently Sarah keeps thinking i tried to molest her. NOT the case.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? -- Not going to the hospital twice. Not having to smoke and drink so much, though the latter certainly made it easier.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004? -- Domino's uniform and a lot of khaki colored shorts. and the same old over-sized leather jacket i've always had. Emo glasses.
34. What kept you sane? -- Playing cards and taking walks with Elle during the summer -- the radio station and playing cards during the fall.
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? -- Michael Brown, who provided an unlimited amount of fodder (and still is) for his handling of Hurricane Katrina.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? -- Social Security Privitization. Another possible landmark achievement that Bush f'd up.
37. Who did you miss? -- Missed Lucas and Dan big time, as those fucks didn't return to Buffalo State.
38. Who was the best new person you met? -- My good buddy Bill Eager, who is like a jack of all trades. He gives solid advice, writes great music, and hosts fun parties. A ton of amazing people at the radio station.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005. -- True friends won't leave you alone until you tell them something other than "fine" when they ask you how you are. Thanks guys.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. --
Ask me if I'm sick and I would lie (I'm a mess)
I'll tell you about it later . . .
I've been trying to get it off my mind
But I can't fight it no more. . .
- the modern skirts
A successful school year, indeed.
Dance Appreciation: B (I thought I was going to get a C, haha)
American History X: A
Intr. Social Work - A
American Lit: A-
Logic: B+
Next year's schedule is Intro to Theater, History of Cinema, Intro to Poetry, American Lit II, and Dynamics of Poverty (swk). Yeah, I want to double major in Social Work and English, and I think I might be able to do it, with a few summer courses here and there.
mary, carry my name
hoof marks hacked up all i had to offer you
looked all over this place
lost your portrait lately when the winter blew
in like herod and them
freedom hangs like heaven over everyone
ain't nobody knows what the newborn holds
but a dollar says he'll lick that devil
and do it alone
- lyrics to Freedom Hangs Like Heaven, by Iron and Wine.
It's also Christmas time again. A lot of tension this year with unnecessary bad moments, coupled with polar opposite laugh out loud happy moments. My house becomes bipolar during christmas, as i'm sure many others do. Not exactly what I'm looking for this season, but whatever.
I'll put that end of year survery in a few days, when I get around to it.
I've been back at work the past couple nights, which has been a relief. Got me out of the house for 5-6 hours at a time, and has allowed me to make (somewhat) steady money. It has also allowed me to sing along to every possible band you can think of in the car. I try and think of delivering pizzas as one long MIGHTY VOYAGE across the....seas...of...crofton. Shut up, Kevin.
I had to be on the phone with someone last night at work who wanted the "vegetarian" (see: veggie pizza) with sausage on it.
"That probably sounds weird, but it's what we want."
"Thats OK ma'am. I get much stranger orders then that."
Which I do. I just found the phrasing (vegetarian pizza w/ sausage) rather weird.
It's nice to be home -- for a little while. I don't exactly miss the 10-degree with freezing 35 mph wind weather, but I miss something. Buffalo is slowly becoming more like home.
Merry Christmas. I hope everyone reading this has a productive and non-depressing 2006. God bless.
Dear Elle,
I'm HOME. So now I can stop writing these letters and actually talk to you again in person. But one last excursion through my life for just a month:
I know dark clouds will hang 'round me,
I know my way is rough and steep
Yet beauteous fields lie just before me
Where God's redeemed their virgils keep - lyrics to wayfaring stranger
But I ain't really a warfarin' stranger around Maryland. I'm pretty well known, with a solid reputation to boot, if I do say so myself. So what happened these past few days?
I conquered all of my final exams, dealt with some last minute stuff that I somehow got done, and still managed to get pretty drunk on my delayed flight back home to good ol' BWI International.
the water's real cool and the water's real sweet
here's hoping that no points repeat
because i bet against the chances that you'd ever be mine
laid everything down on the don't pass line
and it's a stupid trick of fortune anyway
but the lights are bright tonight
and your eyes shine tonight on chesapeke bay
- lyrics to "going to maryland" from the mountain goats' john darnielle.
I was certainly not expecting to meet a rather attractive and cool girl on my flight home. I was more expecting to kick back towards the rear of the plane, drink my gin and listen to M. Ward doing an amazing cover of "Green River," but instead I sat towards the front, spoke ten times more clearly than I do when I'm sober, and got a phone number after I got off, and she transferred to a flight heading down to Tennessee. She saw me at WBNY one day when I burst in during Anthony's show and played the "GI Joe" theme song. What a small world.
So I get off the plane, drunk as a mule but hiding it well, and give my mother a big hug, before heading back home. Slept like a rock, and woke up well rested and ready to start anew. Talk to you soon.
-yr hmbl &obt svt,
kev
Dear Elle,
I've so much to say, and so little drive to actually type it all up. What had been close to the most depressing two weeks of my life since I moved to Buffalo, slowly moved out of that column on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I'm almost back at my normal, laid back, witty self. I completed two big papers over the weekend, completed two of my most important final exams, and am left with four days of school that won't be that bad at all.
The paper for American Literature was on modern applications of Thoreau's philosophies in
Walden and while I like the gist of what I put in, I think the paper is horribly jumbled around with no clear transition from one point to another. I sent a rough copy to my professor (who thinks I'm cool cause I'm gonna let him spin some vinyl on my radio show next semester), who will hopefully let me revise it once more before I turn it in. I'm really gunning for a solid A in that class.
I finally said something to someone that I should have mentioned a long while ago, but, at the most, I'm hoping it will give me a way to start talking to her again when she returns from studying abroad in the summer. I probably won't think too much about it till that point, hopefully.
I had a discussion the other day, with most of it revolving around the sad state of human relationships (at least in the US), how isolated we've all become, and how conversing with anyone you aren't friends with seems to be somewhat of a social taboo. I'll go into more detail when I see you next week, but it's something I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on.
I found an amazing new band, courtesy of WBNY -- the Modern Skirts. Check them out on Myspace. I'll have a burned CD for you on Friday or Saturday.
I'll also put up a year-in-review-survey in a few days or so.
yr hmbl & obt svt,
kev
Dear EVERYONE,
My laptop broke. I'm in danger of losing everything from my hard drive. I have an entire semester's worth of notes for 2 classes on it I can't access. I have countless amounts of important schoolwork I haven't started, and a lot of shit with some treasury issues at the radio station.
I'm depressed, lacking alcohol, overslept for my radio show after a boring night, lacking cigarettes/cigars, and pissed off in general. This is a whiny emo entry.
The only good thing about right now is that I'm not entirely lacking alcohol -- I have a nice gin and tonic at my side.
yr hmbl & obt svt,
kev
