2010

is now over. It has been fun. Regardless of the beginning, it ended up being a great year. I have my health, I have some stories and I have a future. I'm not sure what expectations I had, and if they were fulfilled or not. Well, I know and it did not happen. That is fine. Once we understand that things don't go our way all the time, life is much easier. You can breathe, and call it fate, call it destiny or coincidence. I'm sure that most of us can't pinpoint when the events that will shape our lives happen. And in those moments most of those who do recognize the impact that particular moment has, can only make one decision.

I have thought a lot about time, and it's meaninglessness. But recently, I have been focusing on it's purpose. I understand that although it is arbitrary, we have given it meaning. Days, hours and years pass and they mean things. It was hard for me to fight time, it is something engraved in us through the routines we encompass. Without time, the world would collapse. Sure people got along just fine without the consequences of watches and clocks, but they were a little bit craftier in how they organized their lives. The sun and the moon, the giant orbs above us, beyond us, held the keys.

I had a goal this year to read forty books. Although I did not succeed, I am pleased with the outcome. I read thirty-three books, exposing myself to some amazing writers, reading some old favorites. In the latter part of the year I read two amazing books. These have a secure place in my top ten. White Teeth, by Zadie Smith blew me away with the interweaving of the characters all distant, yet all connected. It also gave me great cultural insight on Indians, Jamaicans, Jehova Witnesses, and the British living in London. We talk about New York and its diversity, but we forget about the little island across the pond that ruled the world and brought those cultures in its borders way before we even had borders. Number Nine Dream, by David Mitchell, was an amazing study of imagination. It has a few false starts all over the book, but that is not a negative. It took the idea of searching for your father and spliced in the imagination of a twenty-something with an interesting past. It makes you guess, and it proves you wrong. Also, it was set in Japan, so I could relate a little bit. I have read a few Japanese authors, Murakami, and Mitchell is on par with the feelings, the actions and the nuances of this familiarly foreign country.

I had another goal, one in which I succeeded. I decided to watch 200 movies I hadn't seen before. I ended up seeing 202. I won't tell you all that I watched or even the good ones, just the great ones. But first here is what 202 looks like in terms of time and money. I spent 18180 minutes, or 303 hours, that translates to 12 days and fifteen hours watching movies. That doesn't seem like a lot but when you imagine someone doing this while working full time and reading thirty some books, and having an active social life, I would say that I am a little impressed with myself. Now, of these 202 movies I saw twenty-three in the theater. At an average of twelve dollars a movie that ends up being 275 dollars, plus and Icee when the chance was provided. Sure that money would have been better suited for... I don't know, I had a great time. Coincidentally I watched five movies of books I read as well this year.

This was a year for em to expose myself to things I love. Books and the cinema, both, in my opinion, noble pursuits. I'm not sure what goals I have this year but I know that the pressure (only from myself) is off and I can go back and watch some of those moves I loved (Inception, Black Swan, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgram Vs. The World, An Education) Those were the great ones, But I am sure there were many more I missed. So, I'm not sure what I got from all of this. It continued my appreciation for the industry. I will probably try once again this year to watch every single movie nominated for an Academy Award, and keep tabs on the movies will see this year. I am, I have realized, a collector of experiences, and this way I can see what I have accomplished.

With the new year comes new opportunity. Although this year came with five of us lighting cigarettes in the backyard of a party we hopped a cab to get while, while the people inside shouted we were noticing the rain and then the fireworks. There were hugs and kisses to go around. That is the feeling I love. Everyone around the world in the respective time zones were hugging and kissing, smiling and thinking about the future. Without this time marker in place for people to take notice I this these expressions wouldn't be so available. We use time to make things important. It would be strange to do this on Sunday April fifteenth. But the first, everyone is all smiles. The whole world cheers and we are all one, for ten seconds before and a few after.