2008: Leap Year in Review

This has been a year of ups and downs.  Lots of the latter, really, so I can't really do a "Top Ten."  I don't want to do a "Bottom Ten," because I also like to keep myself from being depressed.   Instead, here are my Most Memorable Moments of 2008.

Moments in Pop Culture

• Favorite Movie: "The Dark Knight" 
  
• Scariest Moment in Film: Tie between The Joker's "Watch me make this pencil disappear." in TDK, and Steve Coogan's Karate High-Kick while wearing a caftan in "Hamlet 2".
  
• Funniest Moment in Film: "What do YOU mean 'you people'?!"  -- "Tropic Thunder"
  
• Best Original Song in Film: "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus" -- Hamlet 2
  
• Favorite Comedy Series: "Big Bang Theory"
• Favorite Drama Series: "Mad Men" 
• Favorite Brush with Hollywood: S.G. remembering me in absentia
• Most Exciting Comeback: NKOTB
  
• Tina Fey in absolutely everything she did
• Favorite Awards Ceremony Moment:  Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart discussing prunes
• Mascot of the Year: Gloomy Bear

Moments in Sports

• Michael Phelps, 8 times over
• Celtics vs. Lakers World Championship Series
• Kobe FINALLY getting his MVP for regular series play in the NBA
• Mirai Nagasu winning the National Figure Skating championship

Moments in World History

• OBAMA
• Gas Prices going way up, then going way down
• Bail Out ad nausea
• Rachel Maddow becoming the "It" girl of political punditry
• Yet another war in the Middle East: Israel vs. Hammas

Moments at the Disneyland Resort

• Best All-Day Experience:  Team Clueless at MouseAdventure
• Favorite Line of the Day: "This is on the house." -- Linda, at Small World Mall, 5/20/08

Moments in Dining

• Favorite Drink Experience:  Allen getting Them Chew Balls
• Best Restaurant Discovery:  BASIL

Moments in Drum Corps

• Favorite Uniform:  Blue Devils corps' awesome pants with the half-tail
• Favorite Formation: The Troopers Train
• Favorite Visual Moment:  The breaking of the heart & subsequent killing in Phregiment's show
• Favorite Musical Moment/Horns: Phregiment's Mellophone solo during their ballad
• The Only Acceptable Spoken Word during a program: "I AM SPARTACUS!"
• Favorite Spectator Moment:  "A LOT!" -- Brady, at the Rose Bowl, upon seeing the many corps members at his first drum corps event
• Favorite Moment in Finals: The announcement of BD winning the Silver
• Theme of the Year: Violence

Moments in Rockapella Trips

• Most Relaxing: Spa treatments at the Wigwam Resort
• Best After-Show Activities:  Pillow Fights at the Wigwam Resort
• Best Show Moment: A cricket landing on Scott during "People Change"
• Best Spectator Moment:  Brady's outburst at his first show "NOOOO!  DRINK!"
• Best Meet and Greet Moment:  Kevin pretending to play the blues on his harmonica at the Wigwam
• Trip of the Year:  Wigwam Resort (edited on 1/4/09 from original Las Vegas)

Moments with D'Saints

• Saddest:  Mama passing away
• Scariest:  Mom's fight with lung cancer
• Most Heartwarming:  Brady finally saying my name, and repeating it about 50 times in a row
• Best Performance While Inebriated:  Sherry and the 50 States at Thanksgiving Dinner
• Funniest:  V's confusion between Jeff Bridges and Jeff Daniels

Thank you to those of you who made me smile this year.  Thank you to those of you who were there for the rough times.  But most of all, thanks to all of you for holding special places in my heart.  You are what made me NOT want to leap over this year.

Here's to hoping that 2009 will have more Ups than Downs, more Smiles than Frowns, and more Mermaids than Clowns. 

Yeah, I've lost it completely.