2010 The Year that Was: Review Edition

"On to the next one..." - Jay-Z

Of all the years I've ever lived 2010 was...one of them.  2010 has not been what one would call a banner year for me.  Selling my condo.  Still being single.  Issues with friends.  Breaking of traditions.  Money troubles.  These things all weighed heavily on me this year.  I'd say of the past few years, 2010 has had the most ups and downs.  I think I feel that it is worse because most of the down moments are happening as the year closes out.

But let's not dwell on the negative, let's look at the positive.  A lot of good stuff happened this year too.  I'll try to do this as chronologically as possible.

Joel's 2010 List of Awesome:

1. My little brother got married.  The two part event started with the wedding in February and then the reception a few months later.  It sounded kind of weird then, but it turned out to be one of the funnest times in my life.  The reception was so cool because it was such a family effort.  The majority of the family came early to help set up, partied it up, and then stayed late to help.  It was also the first time I had to learn dance choreography and subsequently perform in front of people.  It was nerve-wracking, tiring, and exciting.  I also got something I've always wanted, a sister.

2. Kara & Ariel are born.  This is a bit of a cheat because Kara was actually born in 2009, but whatever it was the end of that year.  Anyways the first babies of our little group were finally born.  Definitely a milestone moment for our little crew.  These little ladies have brought joy into our lives like you wouldn't believe.  It's awesome to see them grow, every time I see them they're in new stages in their development: teething, walking, talking.  Can't wait to see them grow up and take over the world.

3. I take my writing more seriously.  First it started with wanting to become a better Yelp Elite.  Every time I went to a restaurant I went with the intention of writing a Yelp review: took pictures, analyzed the service, critiqued the food in my head.  After about 50 or 60 reviews I finally became a Yelp Elite.  It was an awesome honor.  This led me to write even more reviews and then it led me to want to just write.  Thanks to my homegirl in Japan, Marilou, and a new friend I met through my other friend, @Koolaye, and their blogs, I started a blog of my own.  I believe you are reading it now.  Writing a blog led to getting an article published in Vincit Magazine.  That was awesome, truly an achievement, and hopefully will lead to bigger and better things.

4. Hello and Goodbye to good TV.  This year more than any year was a year of discovery for me.  I opened my eyes to new shows that I've heard were good but never gave a chance to.  Some old and cancelled, some new and kicking.  Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Nikita, The Wire and The Walking Dead are some standout shows I watched this year that I just love.  We also said farewell to one of televisions best shows: Lost.  2010 was a very good year in television for me....well almost, are reality shows still around?  They are?  Damn...maybe they'll be eradicated next year.

5. Movie screenings galore.  2010 was the  year of movie screenings.  Thanks to a co-worker, I discovered GoFobo and FilmMetro, two sites that offer free movie screening passes if you are a) lucky enough to get some b) dedicated enough to keep checking the site and c) patient enough to wait in line for 2+ hours.  I love movies, I love seeing them early, and I love getting to watch them for free.  It almost turned into a hobby for me.  The thing you start to notice while attending these screenings is that there is a culture around movie screenings.  You start recognizing the same people, and it seems like everyone knows each other.  I don't know if they do it, but as soon as I watch a flick I immediately go on Flixster and write a review.  I figure thats the reason for the screening: to get early buzz, so I oblige.  There were a ton of movies that I saw a screening of that I loved: Inception, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Going the Distance, Mega Mind and Losers to name a few.  There are also a few movies that I did not enjoy: Jonah Hex and Nightmare on Elm Street come to mind.

6. You want a podcast, I got a Smodcast.  This was the year I really started listening to podcasts.  Daily I would listen to Fantasy Football podcasts during the season, Fantasy Focus Football is always entertaining.  I also discovered IGN Girlfight.  An all-girl podcast from the women of IGN.  In my eyes nothing is hotter than chicks talking games...especially when the chicks actually know games.  But the podcasts I have been listening to mostly are on Kevin Smith's Smodcast network: Smodcast, Hollywood Babble-On, and Jay and Silent Bob Get Old.  These podcasts have really helped me get through some boring days at work.

And honestly that's all I can think of.  Like I said, a mostly uneventful 2010.  Well stay tuned for my New Years Resolution Edition coming up shortly.