1.05.2010

2009: A Year In Review

It's 2010.  How weird is that?  I remember sitting back during the '90's and wondering what life would be like in the next millennium.  I remember the days before the Internet, before the day of the ubiquitous cell-phone, before Facebook and Twitter and Tim Horton's and Starbucks being on every single block of Winnipeg.  But that was so 20th century.  Let's talk about last year.

Looking back, 2009 has been an important year for me in many ways.  Here are a few significant events:

Winter 2009.  I started running at the gym.  It is a very fulfilling endeavour.

Spring 2009 - I had my first ever teaching practicum at John Taylor Collegiate.  What an experience!  This 6-week teaching block reaffirmed my desire to teach, and gave me immense amounts of ideas and material.

Summer 2009 - two things.  I spent July and August at 4 Wing Cold Lake teaching music to Cadets.  This was an important time for me as I got to spend the summer doing work that I love, as well as a time for me to live on my own.  Second, Aaron and Caitlin got married - which was a blast, and it was the first wedding of my close friends.

Fall 2009 - many things (not just because it is more recent and my memory is failing me.  Get off my lawn!).  I worked hard all summer and won a spot in the U of M Symphony Orchestra.  This was important to me as I had set a goal for myself and worked hard to achieve it.  Francesco and Amalia got engaged.  I got baptized in October.  I played in the Concerto Competition.  I made some new friends and got closer with the old.  I survived Swine Flu and lived to talk about it.

Some favourites from last year:

Music (pop/rock).  This year, I discovered Sufjan Stevens and Regina Spektor.  A friend from Cold Lake gave me Stevens' Michigan and I heard Spektor's The Calculation on CBC Radio Two, and immediately went out and bought the album.  Maybe I'm a little late getting to Stevens and Spektor, but I am still really enjoying their music.  I finally listened to Thriller in its entirety, too.

Music (classical).  After a year of 20th Century Music classes, my horizons have expanded significantly.  I rediscovered John Adams this year, played a lot of Eric Ewazen, and, thanks to Orchestra, have been discovering classical orchestral repertoire (something that, for some reason, I didn't really care for until this year).  I played Haydn 101 (The Clock) and Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, and those were fantastic, got to see Tchaikovsky 4 at the WSO, and am playing Schumann 3 (Rhenish).

TV and movies.  I didn't do a lot of TV-watching this year, but I did watch my way through a few seasons of House, which was fantastic.  I stopped after season 3, and didn't continue, but life gets in the way.  Futurama also continues to be a favourite.  I saw the Half-Blood Prince and Avatar in theatres, watched Up on Blu-Ray.  I finally watched Dr. Strangelove, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Godfather, Full Metal Jacket, and Mean Girls.

Games.  I finally got my hands on a copy of Twilight Princess for Gamecube, and have been enjoying it immensely.  I played through Link to the Past again, which was also fantastic.  For board games, I have really been enjoying Apples to Apples and Ticket to Ride.

Relationships.  No "significant others" last year, but I did make new connections and deepen many existing friendships (probably a better choice).  I am especially grateful for my Bible Study Friends (tm) and Ginger, Alyssa, and Elise - you guys host great parties!  And, as always, for the guys, for many nights of crashing in Andrew's basement playing Mario Kart.

Looking ahead.  I have no idea what 2010 will hold for me.  My goals at the moment are to run more, to practice more, and to gain the wisdom to know what is truly important in life.


Here's to 2009, and best wishes for 2010!