The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Sunday, December 30, 2007

I see it being meme'd on a couple of blogs. Pico hasn't done it yet, but I figure it's high time for....

GREG'S YEAR IN REVIEW

January:

Rang in 2007 with friends, cigars, and a rousing game of "I never." Started the NutriSystem plan. (At least 15 NutriSystem items remain in my pantry, so you can tell how much I stuck with it.) Survived the annual cold snap/ice storm. Exchanged e-mails and had a phone conversation with a rather forward, sexual woman who turned out to be selling something.

February:
Winter put me in kind of a funk. Became a TV reviewer. Gave up porn and fast food for Lent.

March:
Was told that I'd make a good priest. Went through a funk upon finding out my ex was walking down the aisle. Consoled myself by driving three hours in an attempt to get laid.

April:
Found out a friend who got married last summer was getting a divorce, and already had an apartment. Roadtripped to Austin to celebrate a friend's birthday, and attempted to make new ones in the process. Auditioned for "Deal or No Deal." Flew to Nashville to see G. Met her friends, her boyfriend (who became her fiancee), and her loud co-workers. Learned some life lessons: happiness is not found at the bottom of a gin and tonic, and always hang out with people dumber than you. Saw the Roots in concert.

May:
Celebrated Dallas' early elimination from the NBA playoffs. Struggled with prayer. Turned 29. Celebrated with family and a few friends. Met a friend from the old days.

June:
Started talking with HM again. (And it's been pretty much "just talking" since then.) Saw Game 2 of the NBA Finals in person. Celebrated the Spurs' 4th championship.

July:
Watched "Facing the Giants." Wondered how good a Christian I was. Interviewed for a manager position. Didn't make the first cut. Played with an iPhone. Began my first foray into event planning, beginning to set up the fall season of Theology on Tap.

August:
Went to Austin on a whim, and ended up regretting it. Flew to Las Vegas to walk an old friend down the aisle. Lost a few hundred dollars and my camera during the process. Tried to help a few co-workers become multi-millionaires by setting up a lotto pool when Mega Millions was over $200,000,000. Made a new friend at a wedding reception.

September:
Went on a date with my new friend. Waited about a month until Date #2. Learned that I'm not so great at pitching a softball.

October:
Ran into the ex. Put in an application for a financial advisor position with another firm. Got shot down by a personality profile. Dressed up like royalty at work, at a party, and on 6th St. Learned that I'm more comfortable being someone else than being myself. Also learned that the woman I get with is going to be the one that wants to kiss me when she's sober.

November:
Started a new position with my old company. Saw The Police live in concert. Started praying again (somewhat) after hearing an anecdote on ESPN.

December:
Drank with blind people. Got really jealous. Got a digital camera for Christmas. Wondered where all the brown people were in pop culture. Welcomed my godson to the world.

Tomorrow night, I end 2007 with friends in downtown. (If you want to come along, drop me a line.) Here's to 2008 being my best year ever.

Labels: ,

Friday, December 28, 2007

Tonight, I had a date with a woman from out of town.

Tonight, I visited my friend in the hospital.

Tonight, I started counting down towards the arrival of my godson.

Tonight, I'm not going to get much sleep.

Labels:

Sunday, December 23, 2007

A buddy and I were talking over some beers Friday night, when I told him how I wanted to make 2008 a banner year. I'm turning 30, and I figure I'd like to hit adulthood running. I told him about resolutions I made in the past. Going through the archives, I discovered I never actually posted how I did on each of those. Better late than never, no?

CASH
Goal: accumulate $15,000 in liquid assets.
What happened: Didn't get that much cash, but I did become a homeowner, so my overall net worth increased considerably.

COMPANIONSHIP
Goal: Date at least three women during the first three months of the year.
What happened: I believe I got 2/3 of the way. K and I went out on Valentine's that February, but she proceeded to forget all about it in an end-of-year survey she posted on myspace.

CATHOLICISM
Goal: Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church by year's end.
What happened: Pages in my copy of the Catechism- 756. Pages I read- 6.

CURVES
Goal: Weigh 140-150 pounds by my 28th birthday.
What happened: Honestly, I don't think I even came close to 160.

CRUISIN'
Goal: Visit the 2006 Calgary Stampede.
What happened: You saw it, didn't you?

COMEDY
Goal: Perform at a comedy club open-mic night.
What happened: Let's just say the amount of writing I did for that is equal to the amount of writing that's going on in L.A. right now.

CONSORT
Goal: make at least one social outing per week.
What happened: The wheels seemed to come off in February, after the Chinese New Year's party.

CAREER
Goal: Take the GMAT and enroll in an MBA program beginning Fall 2006, or go on at least one job interview this year.
What happened: No GMAT/grad school (much to my parents' dismay), but I did end up getting a promotion.

I'm thinking about hitting these areas once again, with some modified/more specific goals. More to come. Merry Christmas Eve-Eve, everyone!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Pardon me while I get a bit racial...

I recently read this story from the L.A. Times about the creator of the Homies figurines. If you're not familiar with them, you've more than likely seen them for sale next to the gumballs in your local grocery store.

I thought about how great a mark (for better or for worse) one of the gente left on pop culture. Then I started to read Pop Candy.

Yes, if you reference the sidebar, I have it listed as a blog I read often. But lately, I've been feeling a bit left out. Seeing white people wear ugly Christmas sweaters is one thing. (I guess my people don't have much in the way of irony in them.) But then I started reading Whitney's Top 100 people countdown. Sixty entries later, a scan of the thumbnails shows only three minorities. (Four, if you count the robot representing Daft Punk.)

I realize this is only one person's taste that's being listed, but looking at all of this makes me wonder: do we as a people matter in pop culture? When the breakout Latin star of the year is La Llorona, is there more Latinos can do in media?

We've got one thing going for us. At least it's the white kids who are getting knocked up...

Labels: ,

Monday, December 10, 2007

Okay, my curiosity has been sufficiently piqued.

Anyone know where I can find this "2 girls 1 cup" video?

Labels:

Sunday, December 09, 2007

I hate being your friend.

Okay, I'm glad you decided to drive three hours to watch approximately 15 minutes of a basketball game with me. But driving another 90 minutes in the dead of night to visit your ex is something different. I'm not happy with my town becoming known as a way station for booty. (Oh, I'm sorry, all you two did was talk...)

You've got two exes trying to win you back. Congrats. But please stop telling me about it. You told me the ex you visited was jealous of me (something I find preposterous), but now I'm the one getting jealous.

No, I don't think we'd work as a couple. A person that wouldn't vote for a presidential candidate because his name sounds slightly Arabic isn't someone with whom I can hold a conversation. I just hate that you, along with the 79 other female friends of mine, can't see me as anything but a friend. (And people wonder why I drive so far for booty myself...)

Guess I just wanted to get this off my chest. I SO wanted to tell you this when you were here, but I decided to be a nice guy (again), and not add to the situation. Maybe you'll see this, maybe I'll actually say it to you. But I just needed to get it out in the open.

Labels: ,

Monday, December 03, 2007

How do you break up with someone you're not together with?

I guess it's high time for an update with my new friend. Gina and I have been going out for the past few weeks, but we've not progressed to any sort of comitted relationship. Her wall, her friends, her drinking and smoking have been the major obstacles in us getting closer.

Maybe it's my fault for falling a bit too hard. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't picking out china or designing a website or anything, but I did like her quite a bit. I never got that same feeling from her, though.

The day after her sister's birthday party, about a week ago, I tried to have The Talk via text message. She was going to bed and replied she couldn't answer the "Where do you see things going with us?" question. The next day, I tried calling her to ask the question again, and (true to form) got her voicemail. I haven't heard from her since then, and I really haven't taken much effort to talk to her (save for including her in a mass text I sent last Friday asking for drinking buddies).

I was ready to send her a myspace message ending things, but you can't really end something that isn't started, correct? I guess I'll chalk this up as something to give me more experience and knowledge on what not to do (namely, show any emotion).

It was fun while it lasted, I guess...

Labels:

REASON #79 WHY I'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHITE PEOPLE

I give these folks two years, tops...

Labels: