A brief recap of the year that was 2008 in the life and times of yours truly. Despite a minor bump in the road, it was, as Frank said, a very good year.

January

I use my $80K film degree and make a five minute short film starring my son and my good friend on the lucrative budget of $47.50. Entered in the Alamo Drafthouse’s Filmmaking Frenzy, Sideways fails to impress the judges. Our problem was that we took it too seriously, even through we had a toddler drinking “wine”. 

February

The Patriots are 1:15 away from winning their fourth Super Bowl and a perfect 19-0 season. Tyree makes the most amazing catch. Shock. More plays. Touchdown. Giants win. I can’t say I was in shock over this loss, nor did it really hurt. I’d become so used to seeing my teams win, that losing doesn’t exactly sting. Still, a 16-0 season means nothing if you don’t win the game you’re SUPPOSED to win. 

March

Casey turns two, yet still fits in size 18 month pants. His birthday is celebrated a few days earlier on St. Patrick’s Day, as he attends the Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs game. His grandparents attend as well. Wearing his green KG jersey, he is the hit of the arena. Celtics win 93-91. 

April

After months of outlining, I begin the process of writing my first screenplay. It’s my first attempt at writing one after years of WANTING to write one. With a May 31st deadline to enter it in screenplay competitions, I write 4 hrs a night for the month. Rewrites ensue.  Friends give it thumbs up. Ultimately, it never advances in the competitions. Probably should have had some people read it before entering it. Live and learn. The next one will be better. 

May

Kieran Scott Brown arrives on the 13th. He screams for 14 consecutive hours after being born, then hardly makes a peep for the next few days. He sleeps through the night, even a hail storm mere feet from his room doesn’t wake him. Casey has no idea what he’s in for.

June - The multi-faceted month.

Boston - I travel with Casey to the land of my birth. It’s a whirlwind tour of New England, as he visits such icons as Kittery Trading Post, Hampton Beach,the Pawtucket Red Sox, Foxwoods Casino, Larry’s Clam Bar, New England Aquarium and Fenway Park. Relatives and friends meet him up close. We also attend a wedding where Casey dances up a storm just before he attempts to send the wedding cupcakes crashing to the floor. 
 
The Browns Arrive - My parents flew in to meet Kieran and Co. Coincidentally, the Red Sox were in Houston the same weekend. Who knew?

Wall-E - I attended a midnight showing of Pixar’s latest before the Houston trip. FILM OF THE YEAR.

Celtics - If the wedding I attended had been a week earlier, Casey and I could have made it to the Duck Boat parade. No, I’m not bitter. Still, I drove home from Boston during Game 4. I flipped it off on the road, thinking there was no way they could come back. Arriving back at my Uncle’s place, I watched the comeback victory in stunned silence.

July - The month I was “relieved of my duties”.

The most difficult part of losing my job wasn’t that moment where I was told I was being cut loose. We all dream of going out with guns a blazin’ when we’re let go, but I remained calm and collected. It sounds morbid, but part of me was relieved. I didn’t hate my job, but I knew I needed to begin exploring my options.

Telling my wife about my job loss wasn’t all that bad either. Granted, it’s not the easiest thing to do. “Hi honey, I lost my job. What’s for dinner?” I kept myself in check and diligently looked for work while helping out with the kids. I enjoyed hearing Sara’s graphic depictions of what she’d do to my former boss if they ever met in a dark alley…or H-E-B. 

The WORST part is that job hunting makes you feel sorry for humanity in that barely ANYONE returns a call or hits “Reply”. You feel much like Wall-E….abandoned, alone and lonely..questioning what you were put on Earth to do (perhaps it’s why I respond to the movie so well). A few people where gracious enough to meet and chat with me, and I couldn’t thank them enough for their time. It was a difficult two months, but wasn’t the worst thing that happened to me this year. 

August - The worst thing that happened to me this year (a.k.a. working as an usher at the UT football games).

In an attempt to get some sort of income into the Brown household, I signed up to be a part-time usher at the UT Longhorns games. Having done my share of crowd control and being a pigskin fan, I figured, “Why not. How bad could it be? “ 

After working my first game, I vomited into my hat on the busride from the stadium to the employee parking lot. That’s how bad it was. 

Honestly, it wasn’t vomit enducing work. The worst part was that it was an 8-hr shift, usually in the sun, with only a 15 minute break for “dinner”. Including commute time to the parking lot and stadium, it became a 12 hour day. Some of my co-workers weren’t exactly “quality”. It wasn’t worth the $8 an hour. I cringe when I hear “The Eyes of Texas”. 

I will say this, at the end of the first game I worked at, I did field duty for the last two minutes of the game. After the game ends, but before leaving the field, they gather in front of the Longhorn Band and sing  ”The Eyes of Texas”. I woked the band section, so the team was gathered behind me for this last sing along. There’s something cool about 300 lb. linebackers singing the fight song mere inches behind me. Something I’ll aways remember. 

September 

On a whim, I applied for an opening with a ad agency in San Antiono. I had no luck in Austin, but figured I had nothing to lose. I never expected to get a call for an interview. I never expected to get a job offer. I never expected that I’d meet my co-workers at an evening at Esther’s Folly’s on 6th Street…before my first day of work. I never expected to want to THANK my former place of employment for giving up on me.  But you know what they say about least expecting and stuff like that. 

October

The Sox are back in the playoffs. I venture to the local Red Sox bar two watch games with friends Travis and Scott. The Sox lose both games. I blame myself. Watching Game 5 alone at home goes down as one of the most exciting games I’ve ever watched. Sara gets her first “new” car, a Honda Civic. I drive it to San Anonio three times a week. Casey finally catches onto the whole Halloween concept. He aquires WAY too much candy for a two year old. Even Kieran gets boatloads of sugary sweets.

December 

Nothing screams Christmas quite like a water park strung up with lights. With that in mind, the fam attends the Schlitterbahn Hill Country Holiday. Can you be disappointed in something you didn’t have high expectations for? Both boys find plenty of booty under the Christmas tree. I decide to return the one gift I was looking forward to receiving. Glen flies out from California for a visit. We dine at Austin’s best places for BBQ, tex-mex-hawaiian and pizza before heading up to Dallas to see the Anaheim Ducks play. They lose. Glen leaves, vowing never do to this again or until airfare gets to $200 round trip. We close out ‘08 with a trip to the Zoo. 

On Dec 28th, I get my iPhone. After a few hours, I wonder how I the hell I made it though the other 362 days without it. 

Happy 2009 everyone.

 

Happy 2009 everyone.