2008: The Year in Review

Welcome to the 2008 edition of The Year in Review. Last year was all optimism and new friendships. 2008, on the other hand, has been one of loss. The year was marked by growing distance between friends, the end of my brief tenure at UC, and the failure of many of my goals. There were some triumphs, though. I have a motorcycle license and am actually moving out, and I found the girl you all told me I would despite my fierce denial. Like 2007, this year can largely be split into three distinct parts.

The Year in Segments
I. January-March
The first third of the year was essentially the denouement to 2007. I mainly hung out with Meagan and Dora, a girl I met at Jesse's Christmas party. Unlike 2007, this part set in motion the whole of 2008. I lost my tenuous grasp on my education, I decided to get a motorcycle, and one bad night in February caused damage to my friendship with Meagan that has yet to recover. I spent several Thursdays at The Dock and witnessed the epic battle between Meagan and her roommates. I lost contact with Sarah Leidy and Ryan. I got to know and then lost track of Tamra's crew. I still talk to all of them from time to time, but it's rare. The upside to this was my new friendship with Dora. Gas was reasonably cheap and events were plentiful, so I spent rather a lot of time driving us on adventures, including one week with several trips to Louisville (the week of Steve's 20th birthday) where I put 1000 miles on the VW in seven days. It was then that I met Sarah. The last great parties of 2007 at the Thunderdome were around this time, and one event involving vodka at Gabe's house has kept me away from straight liquor for almost 11 months. The backdrop to all this was the massive stress of losing my spot in the engineering program. It was a bad time and only my escapes with Alicia, Dora or Meagan were suitable distractions. When school ended, I took a memorable trip to Jackson Center with Alicia and experienced Community Days in a small rural town. It was the last big adventure I'd have until August. At the end of March, I was done with 2008, but I had 5 long months ahead before the year would start to look up. Other notable events: I went to some damn good concerts early this year. RBF, Streetlight, and Less than Jake were excellent. I saw Streetlight Manifesto again at the Hatter shortly thereafter. The rest of the year would be largely devoid of concerts.

II. April-August
April, May, and June were marked by three changes: I left UC, started at SKF, and slowly stopped talking to everyone with any frequency. Alicia went back home to work. I still spent time with Dora and Meagan from time to time, but the one notable event was the Tegan & Sara concert on May 18th. Dora invited me because we listened to a lot of Tegan & Sara on the drives around Greater Cincinnati and Louisville, so I went for it. Outside Bogart's, we met Miriam and Sarah, two of Dora's friends from Louisville. It was Sarah's birthday, so I did a lot of nodding and smiling and zoning out. It's my usual reaction to knowing one other person in the group. Once inside, Dora neglected Sarah to spend time with Miriam, so she clung to me instead. After the concert, we headed to Friday's in Kenwood, with Dora in Miriam's car and Sarah in mine. Shortly after this, I ran out of cash and got a job. The first six weeks were first shift, but I couldn't handle being up that early, so I switched to second. Sarah acquired my SN from Dora and because I was only available when other people were working or sleeping, I talked more or less exclusively to Sarah for most of June and July. That was interrupted when she started working 3rd shift at Wal-Mart at the end of July. With the exception of the conversations, my only social interaction was infrequent excursions with Meagan or Crystal. One notable exception was an impulse drive to Indianapolis with Kaitlin in late May. We invaded the Circle Centre, saw Iron Man, and took a walk around the city. Toward the end of August, the year finally improved.

III. August-December
At the start of August, Sarah would occasionally call me on her lunch break to talk. On August 4th or 5th either Sarah or I asked the other out. I just read the IM logs and it's exceedingly vague. Either way, it led to the first run to Louisville on August 14th. Since then the relationship has only gotten stronger and every new adventure makes it more solid. My friends welcomed her without question, I get along with her family as though I'm part of it, and our schedules allow frequent visits. This one thing, this solid relationship, comes close to redeeming the whole year. It's not the only detail of the fall and winter worth noting, though. I got to know James and enjoyed my share of parties at her place. Last week, I signed a lease with her and Alicia for James' current apartment on Dana near XU. In October I took the MSF classes and as of December 18th will have a new horizontal license with class D and M endorsements. The downside to summer, fall, and winter is that my extended time in Louisville and at SKF has seemingly killed my social life. Few people are willing to do stuff these days and I'm rarely available to do it. 2008 wasn't just a story, though, it was a series of friendships. These are the people who mattered in 2008.

The People in Review
Unfortunately, I lost contact with a lot of people in 2008. I also got a little closer to some and a lot closer to others.
Meagan McNeilan - Meagan and her crew set the tone for the first chunk of the year. Parties at the dorm, nights at the dock, ghost hunting with Tamra's friends and Julie... It was good times. Unfortunately we had a bit of a falling out after one misadventure and have never been the same since. I'd love to hang out with her more, but the girl is a lot more bitter than she was just a few months ago and our schedules don't coincide, so we'll see where that goes.
Chris Neumann - Chris was (is?) Meagan's boyfriend. We met him at the Dock and he subsequently got Meagan cleaner and happier than she had been since I met her. He's a nice guy, but definitely pretty weird. I haven't seen him since Halloween.
Tamra Hardin - Tamra was Meagan's friend and roommate for the second semester. Unfortunately, the friendship devolved into all-out war by the end of the semester and Meagan and Tamra continue to hate each other. She's a typical scene girl, fairly fake and none too bright, but she's friendly to me and we still occasionally chat on AIM.
Julie Cupp - Julie, Sean and I had our own assortment of adventures this year, from concerts to bowling to random nights out in the middle of nowhere. I haven't seen her since probably November, but she'll still call me up from time to time with something to do after I get off work and I'm generally up for it.
Sean Bailey - I went to Beechwood with Sean, but always saw him as the friend of Glenn's brother rather than a person in his own right. After he and Julie started hanging out, I got to know Sean. He's a nice guy, and somehow he makes any event more normal.
Alicia Zwiebel - Alicia has been my most stable and steady friend for going on three years now, and we continue to get along perfectly. We'll share an apartment with James in six months, and I'm due for a trip up to Jackson Center sometime, but for most of 2008, while the world was going to shit around me, Alicia has kept me grounded. It's good to have a source of stability besides myself.
Megan "James" Greis - Aside from Alica, Sarah, and Kraut, James is the one friend who frequently contacts me with stuff to do. I've had my share of parties at her apartment and we still plan to mix Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat and Fruity Pebbles sometime. I hadn't spoken to her between 5th grade and early 2008, and I'm not saying we're particularly close, but we get along well and she's one of the positive aspects of an otherwise crap year. James knows how parties should work and always has a good tale to spin, and helped Sarah feel instantly at home in the area. I'll get to know her better in 2009.
Nikki Greis - Unfortunately, Nikki became a bit of a recluse in 2008. It works for her, and I'm happy that she's happy, but I do miss the random adventures and random concerts. Someday I'll just have to impulse-invite her to a movie or something.
Amber Cummings - I haven't talked to Amber much, but every time we meet, the conversations are nice and things rarely get out of hand. I mostly see Amber at shindigs these days, but as with Nikki I'll find some random excuse to hang out with Amber sometime.
Brandon Stephens - Brandon Stephens, soon to be legally Brandon Black, and for the last ten years "Kraut," is the oldest friend here. We're not as close now as we were in 2007, though, because we've changed a lot as we aged. Brandon has problems that are generally beyond the scope of my standard "suck it up, move on" method of coping, so we can't have serious conversations without him leaving or me blocking him.
Jesse Goosman - I'd previously only known Jesse as Courtney's boyfriend until he randomly invited me to his Christmas party in 2008. It was there that I met Dora, and he was Sarah's previous boyfriend. Between Sarah, Dora, and Courtney, I've heard a great deal of bitching about Jesse, but he seems decent enough. He's just misguided, fairly self-centered, and kind of an idiot. I haven't seen him since February and have no idea where he is now, but I'm happy to have met his crew.
Minadora Macheret - I met Dora at Jesse's Christmas party last December and between then and March we got pretty close. The first third of 2008 was filled with adventures to Dora, and even the day we met was memorable because of the weather and ensuing trip around Greater Cincinnati to get her and her friends home safely. I met Sarah when her dad was paying me to take her to Louisville, and due to her neglecting Sarah at the concert, I got to know my current girlfriend. We kinda stopped talking after she moved back to Louisville, but she'll be in Cincinnati again soon, so I can finally show her and Nick Lookout Point. The last time we really hung out was mid-March, when we went to see Horton Hears a Who. After that was the Tegan and Sara concert and since she returned to Louisville things have been a little awkward for some reason.
Stephen Reynolds - Once again, Steve proves that no matter how long we're apart, we can hang out for ten minutes and it's like we'd seen each other yesterday. Stevo might be the most down-to-earth guy I know, and anytime someone needs help in Louisville, I give Steve a call. Conveniently enough, he's a junior in U of L's school of Education, so Sarah has an easy contact in her field.
Kaitlin Shupert - I didn't see Kaitlin as much this year as I'd have liked, but we do still pull some crazy adventures. The random drive to Indy was a highlight of this year and I'm eagerly awaiting the concert on her birthday. We've grown somewhat apart, but she's still a little sister to me.
Joseph Hanna - Joe receded from the group a bit this year, but he's still a good friend and now that he's at U of L, he's a solid contact in my second city. He showed me his favorite spots in Louisville on one visit. Particularly interesting is a small Asian diner behind the Krispy Kreme on Bardstown Road. Sometime in the future, Joseph and I are venturing to a quarry near his house. Should be interesting.
Jimmy Nichols - Jimmy is still one of the nicest guys I know, and anytime I'm at his place, I'm in for a good time. From movie nights to D&D, Jimmy proves skilled as a host, a DM, and a nerd god at every turn. He can meet all of my film requirements and has vast tracts of geek knowledge that he can discuss without sounding like an asshole.
Sarah Lamb - Sarah introduced herself to me in February by attack-hugging me out of the blue, and I left it at that until the Tegan & Sara concert. Dora's neglect convinced her to latch onto me, and over the summer her IM conversations were about all the human contact I got. We've been together 4.5 months as of now and still have not had any real arguments. It's been all good. She gets along famously with my friends and family, randomly surprises me in detailed plots involving Alica and my mother, and is addicted to my music. I get the vague feeling she'll be around for a long while, but you guys seem to be okay with that.

The Year in Music
I spent much less time hunting down music in 2008. I removed XM from the Jetta when it was being repaired and never replaced it because it's awkward and hard to install compared to the Sentra. It was in the Jetta during the adventures with Dora, but not long after. The trend, therefore, has been decidedly mainstream. I got more attached to musicians I listened to last year and before.
Top Five Albums of 2008
5. Keane - Hopes and Fears
Key song: "Everybody's Changing"
Like many of the top albums, I've had this for a while. I got attached in early 2008. It gave me something to listen to and provided a conversation topic to make chat with Courtney less awkward. It makes the list primarily because I can pop it in whenever I can't decide what to play and I'll always be happy. Hopes and Fears is the venerable backup album. The key song is "Everybody's Changing" because as Keane's first hit, it brought the album and the band to my attention. The song itself is extremely catchy. "Everybody's Changing"
4. Tegan & Sara - So Jealous
Key song: "You Wouldn't Like Me"
This album brought Dora and I together and in turn led to a great friendship in early 2008 that regrettably has dwindled to almost nothing. The Quinn sisters also have a hand in bringing Sarah and I together. This is my favorite of the three Tegan & Sara albums I own, and I chose "You Wouldn't Like Me" as the key song because it's the first on the album and also the one that made it to my various mixtapes. Unfortunately, the band never made a video for this song, so you'll have to look it up yourself.
3. Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree
Key song: "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More 'Touch Me'"
This is the album that Meagan, Tamra and I danced to for months. From late 2007 to spring break, it was always on hand and always catchy. It also showed that the band I'd labeled and ignored as just another emo pop-punk band was actually much less emo and much more witty than I'd ever imagined. The key song is again just my favorite from the album. "A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More 'Touch Me'"
2. The Format - Interventions & Lullabies
Key song: "The First Single"
I finally got this album sometime over the summer after hearing and loving "The First Single." It was a good song from a band I already liked, and I had been listening to their sophomore album a great deal over the preceding six months. This song is generally brighter than Dog Problems and not tinged with the same tone of loss. "The First Single" isn't my favorite song from the album. That honor goes to "Wait, Wait, Wait." It's the key song because it got Sarah addicted to The Format and caused a change in her view of music. She now listens to as much indie rock as techno. No videos were made for this album. Unfortunately, The Format disbanded in February.
1. Ben Folds - Supersunnyspeedgraphic, the LP
Key song: "Still"
This is my most recent Ben Folds acquisition, and sometime over the course of 2008 Ben Folds became my favorite artist. I own all but one album from him and his previous band, Ben Folds Five. This album is a combination of three previous EPs, Speed Graphic, Super D, and Sunny 16 with a few other songs and spawned Ben's biggest solo hit, a cover of Dr. Dre's "Bitches Ain't Shit." This wasn't immediately a favorite, but the album as a whole has grown on me. I can't choose a favorite track. "Still" is the key song because anytime Sarah hears it, regardless of how down she is, "Still" will calm her down. This album also has no videos.
Honorable Mentions:
Panic at the Disco - PatD lost the ! and released a new album this year, Pretty. Odd. The album is much more mature than their previous release and, in my opinion, much better.
Chromeo - Meagan introduced me to Chromeo earlier this year and I introduced Sarah, later impulse buying their two albums. It's fun music, with heavy vocoder use and is at home in the car and on the dance floor.
Third Eye Blind - I finally got their self-titled album this year and found a gem in "Motorcycle Drive By." This album is an icon of the late nineties alternative scene and anyone who doesn't own it should find it.
Jackson Browne - When I first switched to second shift at SKF, I listened to Running On Empty frequently. It's a solid album with solid singles and is some of its decade's finest driving music.
Metro Station - I grabbed their self-titled because XM exposed me to "Shake It." It's a pretty good album if you like scene kid synthpop and is notable for being the last album purchase to come from something I heard on XM.
Rise Against - Ask Alicia or Sarah the most dangerous driving music of 2008 and they'll both tell you it's Rise Against's 2006 album, The Sufferer & The Witness. They've been in the car while it was playing and it's hard to stay under 100. While I personally think Tim McIlrath is an idiot, his brand of melodic hardcore punk makes for a good race to work. Rise Against is to 2008 what DragonForce was to last year.

Summarizing 2008
Grand Adventures: 2 (Community Days in Jackson Center and my thousand-mile week)
Jobs: 1
Cash burned by Jetta: $1000-3000
Miles burned by Jetta: Roughly 20,000
Concerts: not nearly enough
Goals met: 2 (Motorcycle license, improvements in health)

2008 has had its high points, but it's far and away one of the worst on record. I started the year in school and surrounded by friends. I end it as a college dropout with a shit job and half the social life I once had. I've got very little new music and a VW that still sees fit to fail at random. I came away with a few solid friendships, though, and a girl I'm thoroughly attached to. It's gonna take a lot of work in 2009 to get myself where I want to be. It's about time for me to go, time to celebrate the end of this god-forsaken year. It's about time to start the next year with a little hope. It's about time.