We spend our lives in boxes. From a spatial perspective, and on down to our planet, continent, country, state, city, etc. We move about encircled by one restrictive boundary or another. We awake in a room. We prepare ourselves for the day in another. We shed the safety of one box for another. Perhaps one with wheels, which we use to commute to a larger box to spend a great portion of our day, in subdivisions of said box, working, processing, analyzing, reflecting, yearning for escape from the very box that grants us the bi-weekly pittance which permits us to dream. And where do these dreams come from? The fleshy container that houses our spirit; that houses our mind? What is our mind, if not an unseen box in a meat receptacle so very similar to the other bipeds that converge and crowd in on our shared boundaries. It is a world full of squares and lines. And safely in the center, I rest inside a box of my own.
Greg wrapped the final length of Cat-5 cable around the IT manager’s neck, enjoying the way the tension seemed to thrum in time with the dying man’s pulse.
“My rack, my world,” he thought to himself. A giggle escaped his own throat, barely audible over the gurgling sounds of strangulation. It was going to be a good day.
Jimmy was thirteen the first time that he died. His body stretched across the road, one arm twisted painfully beneath his back. Cold pavement conflicted with burning lead; which had torn a hole through his stomach and chewed through his intestines only seconds before. He could make out the sounds of approaching sirens as Night slipped an obsidian glove over one hand and closed the teenager’s eyes forever.
His eyes… He was staring down into his own milky eyes. The gun in his hand trembled and he found himself fighting off the sudden urge to vomit. The sirens grew louder, the first swirls of red and blue rebounding off of storm windows and aluminum siding.
I am really not motivated to write this missive.
While 2008 was not a bad year, it was not necessarily a year of personal events either. The times were either positive or negative. I was either happy or sad. There was only one staggering moment, which I will touch upon in the Deaths section of this post. With a mind fully focused on everything but writing, I present to you (those most important to me), the year that was: 2008.
Music:
Music has always been very important to me. Regardless of where I am, or what I am doing, I have a soundtrack running in my head at all times. At the moment, “Judy (For Shame) by Sacha Sacket” occupies this slot. I believe that he may have been the only concert that we actually attended this year. That is a major disappointment, as I consider myself somewhat of a concert connoisseur. Regardless, a few notable musicians/albums/songs from the past year.
· Adele – Hometown Glory (song)
· Kings of Leon - Only by the Night (album)
o This is likely my 2nd favourite album of the entire year. This band just has something different. Something very special. Their 2007 disc (Because of the Times) is just as strong, if not a little better.
· Metallica – Death Magnetic (album)
o My friend Vince and I recently discussed how much we wanted to hate this album, but found ourselves unable. For old school fans, this album is a true throwback to the days between Master and Justice, and really just flat out rocks. Aggressive, pounding, intense rock, which you cannot help but to get caught up in.
· Ours – Mercy
o If you are looking for 1 album to buy that represented the best of the year, Jimmy Gnecco and crew stood head and shoulders above the rest, casting a shadow far too long for other bands to crawl from under. This was the finest album of the year.
· Kanye West – 808’s and Heartbreak
o I am throwing this one out there because I expected it to be terrible, but really enjoyed it. It is also a testament to the fact that Auto-Tune studio software can make the worst singer sound relatively decent. Too bad he didn’t bring it with him to his tragically embarrassing performance on Saturday Night Live.
Health:
Nothing new to report here. It was a year of allergies, a bout or two of food poisoning, and an incredible headache that I managed to work through. After my 2007 issues, I feel as though God gave me a reprieve.
Entertainment:
I don’t really like this category, as so much that is entertaining tends to waste so much time. I complain constantly about how little time I have to do things I enjoy, so these little throw-away enjoyments induce a bit of guilt. Anyway…
· Plays: We didn’t see a single one. In 2007, we rediscovered this lost art form (to us, anyway), and in 2008, failed to capitalize on it a single time. If I believed in resolutions, I might create one now. As it is, resolutions are for those too weak to accomplish anything on their own throughout the year, and need a special day, once a year, to set goals that will be broken within a week. Bitter. Heh.
· Music: Did you really think I was going to cover this twice?
· Television: This may come as a bit of a surprise, but the most compelling, beautiful television that I watched all year was So You Think You Can Dance. Ignoring the ridiculous title, I have never been more moved by the grace and rhythm of both choreographer and dancer, so many times. Anyone who knows me immediately knows that this is a program that I shouldn’t enjoy. Yet there it is.
· Books: I read a lot of great books this year (both audio and paper formats). A few that still bounce around in active memory are Haunted (Chuck Palahniuk [Thanks Arj!]), After Dark (Haruki), Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Haruki), Have You Seen the Horizon Lately? (Jamie S. Rich [Thanks Joe!]), Towing Jehovah (James Morrow [Joe once more]), Short History and Lost Continent (Bill Bryson), The Slab (Jeff Mariotte [man I am tired of thanking Joe!]), Heart-Shaped Box (Joe Hill), Crooked Little Vein (Warren Ellis), Freddie Mercury Biography, Duma Key (Stephen King).
o I can recommend all of the books above. I cannot recommend the 20-30 detective novels, which I adored but were pure junk reading.
o Toss into the pile another 20+ random fiction, non-fiction, historical, and science novels, too many comics to count, white papers and the sort, and you have a rather robust mound of reading. Now that is something I can look back upon with some semblance of satisfaction!
Death:
After a previous year full of loss (Grandma Annabelle Drake, Greg High, Chris Busch), I wasn’t prepared for more grief. However, it found me, and the rest of the family. We lost my Grandma Pansy on September 6th, and her brother Harley on the 8th. I’d had a 15 year outstanding grievance with my grandmother, but was able to make my peace with her in the final months before her passing. We fully expected a few more months of life, when she died abruptly in the night. The family lost a sister, a mother, a grandmother, and a wife. I didn’t expect to feel anything when she passed, so the grief that came was a lot heavier than I could have anticipated. May she rest eternally in the shadowed woods of her youth, frolicking happily with those that she lost before her own departure.
Friends/Family:
Regardless of how hard I try, I just can’t seem to rid myself of these pesky people in my life. I make mistakes, they cling like unwelcome burrs. I am irritable, they wait around. I am impatient, they refuse to leave. And I am thankful for each and every one of them (you). God has blessed me with a few close people in my life, and I can never truly express the proper levels of gratitude. I should mention that the active communications between myself and my brother Johnny has absolutely been a wonderful discovery. He is a great man, father, and husband, and I truly am proud to know that the blood we share is the same. Thanks bro (and thanks for Twitter.com)! Now if only I could lure Tommy into open lines of communication! He is more of a recluse than I am.
Mexico:
Whether I was there, or my family from Mexico was here, my life was instantly altered into something nearly unrecognizable. I have found closeness in my new(ish) family that I never really desired before I had it. They are just as much a part of my blood as those that I was born into. In lieu of getting sappy, I will just point out a few memories from Mexico this year:
· Hunting (rabbit) for the first time in almost 3 decades.
· Lots of dancing.
· Great conversations.
· Much Tecate Light.
· The world’s greatest collection of sarcasm stockpiled in one location.
· Bachoco beach and the rebuilding effort (thanks to Hurricane Norbert).
· The screws falling out of the engine on their own (in fear) when they found out Lalo was coming for them.
Good News:
· Voted for Obama. I like McCain, but felt Obama fit my personal goals/policies much better. I also was afraid that McCain would die and that Sarah Palin would usher in a new era of dumbing down in America.
· This is Bush’s final year in office.
· Our soldiers are amazing.
· Gas prices (now).
· Banning of trans fat in many restaurants.
· US Olympics and Michael Phelps’ 8 gold medals.
· The continual decoding of the human genome.
Bad News:
· The violence in Sonora has been out of control. Calderon refuses to give up the fight against the drug traffickers, and in turn, they refuse to stop murdering each other, government officials, and innocents. Much of this violence has spilled across the border. Phoenix has recently bumped to the top of the US list for kidnappings, due mainly in part to drug kidnappings from Sonoran and Sinaloan cartels. This is a dangerous world.
· George Carlin, Arthur C. Clarke, Gary Gygax, Paul Newman, Bernie Mac, Sir Edmund Hillary, and Bo Diddley departed from Earth to find the greatest stage of all awaiting their individual talents.
· Bombs, bombs, bombs.
· The economy.
· Gas prices (then).
· Work stability/unemployment.
· Salmonella.
· The automotive industry.
· The mortgage industry.
· The stock market.
· Rapist priests.
· Fires, cyclones, storms, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.
· The war.
· Global warming.
Miscellany:
· Did you know that my Spanish speaking voice has a completely different tone and pitch than when I speak in English?
· The Ultimate Fighting Championship dominated the world of competitive sports.
· Random comments from New Year’s Eve:
o Farts are nature’s camouflage.
o Vince was eating a cookie while watching two girls, one cup.
o Tron Javolta.
o Try not to slam your ovaries in the car door.
o It looks like our angel is pooping a Christmas tree.
o Many other comments have been censored due to some of the recipients of this post.
Reyna:
After nearly six years together, I feel that my wife and I have truly found our natural groove and accommodate one another in all ways. I am thankful for her each and every day. In all likelihood, without her presence, ol’ Mr. Bailey wouldn’t be around to write these massive missives. Isn’t love odd? J
In closing, your honour, I would like to reiterate the fact that my client was nowhere near that hotel when the lurid photos were taken. J God bless each and every one of you in the year to come. May your feet fall naturally along the path that our savior has set before us. May success find your wallets. May happiness find your hearts. May my feet find the door, because I am out of here.
Love,
Anthony
01/01/2009
Nice…
Outlook crashed ten minutes into the composition of my Christmas message and lost the entire mess. You are all getting the heavily condensed version after that kind of data loss! What a shame. Don’t be bitter if my previously sweet comments have turned down a bitter street. 
I want to wish you all the constant blessings and warmth of friendship, family and loved ones as we usher in this year to a close. It has been a hard year (by way of economic difficulties, turbulence and uncertainty in the job market, the housing market flipping enough times to make a circus tumbler sick), yet we made it through for the most part, and find the doorway to 2009 standing wide open.
I’d like to take a minute and thank God and Christ for making all of this possible. Whether the times are fruitful or meager, I’d have none of it if it were not for them, and I would have none of you either. For those among you who are not religious, I will selfishly send a little somethin’-somethin’ heavenward on your behalf as well.
Thanks to all of you for sharing my path in life. I look forward to decades of learning, laughing, suffering (haha) and enduring by your sides. May your path remain well lit, and may you launch yourself furiously into this world, leaving behind legacies worth remembering. May you laugh until it hurts, and then cry yourself to sleep like the great big, grown-up babies that you all are.
God bless you.
Love,
Anthony and Reyna
Turned 35 today, and thought that it would be interesting to track the means in which people wish one happiness on an otherwise nominal day.
12:01am Anthony - Yes, I was the first to wish me a happy birthday. Ha.
06:00am Reyna - In Person. Before leaving to Mexico for her final tests!
06:00am Greg - Via AIM.
06:45am JR - Via SMS to AIM.
07:05am Fawn - Via Phone.
07:26am Vince P - Via SMS to Phone.
07:42am Amy - Via AIM.
10:49am Rebekah - Via AIM.
11:25am Denise - Via AIM.
01:31pm Pat - Via MSN.
05:02pm Rick - Via Phone.
06:15pm Johnny - Via Phone (Voicemail, my bad!).
06:35pm Kristen - Via Phone (over JR’s ear).
07:32pm Papa - Via Phone.
…
Odd side note… Went to go pickup dinner. Opened the garage door and noticed an odd bulge behind my back tire. Rather than turning on the exterior lights, I decided to walk around the truck and kick what I assumed to be a rock out from behind my wheel. The “rock” turned out to be a turtle, which had burrowed out of my neighbor’s yard and sought refuge in my garage. He must have snuck in while I was weeding the yard. Poor guy, he almost became garage goulash. Guess we both had a lucky day. 
Anthony
Lost my great-uncle Harley yesterday. He passed on two days after his sister, grandma Pansy. I never knew him, nor my uncle Pete (dad’s side), nor my cousin Jim Jones (grandpa Jim’s) side, and yet they are all gone. Four losses within a few weeks. This is a trend I would prefer to see quickly dissipate.
God bless you all. May you finally rest.
Anthony
