First of all, I apologize for not posting last week. Here’s my rant.
I truly hope 2010 is far better that 2009 was. I wish that for everyone, regardless of how good or bad 2009 was for them. On with the show…
The Year in Review.
For me, 2009 was both a horrible year and a greatly important one. As far as bad years, it was at least as bad as 2008, 2004, 2001 and 1990 were.
2009 started well enough, at a great party where I made many new friends. My roommate at the time got somewhat lucky and he wouldn’t shut up about it or stop rubbing it in my face until the middle of February.
During the year I moved twice. The first time was in the middle of winter and the truck got stuck in the snow and I lost many of my belongings including my inherited antique typewriter, my antique television and all of my artwork.
On top of it all, I was in a lot of pain for much of the early winter, doing my best to hide it from view. I was mainly hiding it from myself. After my hospitalization for gout in 2008, I was taking my medication for it but adjusting to the changes in it hurt.
Then I was forced to cut off my long, beautiful hair. I was thinking of selling it to a wigmaker but the barber chopped it up and threw it out. The barber also insulted me over it. I’m never going back to that barber.
Shortly afterwards, I was forced to move back in with my parents after ten years of living in my own house. Now frustrated, dejected, depressed and worthless, I was a jobless failure and a boomerang kid.
I had seven jobs in 2009, only one of which seems somewhat secure, although I’m not able to be certain of it until the end of February at the earliest. Most of the jobs I had were difficult for me in one way or another and mostly didn’t pay very well at all.
Also, I gained a brother-in-law when my sister got married. The only thing keeping me from going totally off the deep end in 2009 was the speech I promised to give. I gave it. Afterwards, I needed some other reason. It was a couple of months before I found it, being my current job. I certainly hope and pray that this one lasts!
More important for this column, 2009 saw the official launching of Infringement Television. JC Sunshine’s Fireside Chat and NSN TV (now The Long House) soon became the main content thereof. There was, however a major disagreement over the content of the fledgling Infringement TV between several assorted members of the Montreal Infringement Festival and the website was soon changed into the mixed media WEB TV / Online Magazine format, which we called Forget the Box after a blogpost that Jason C. Mclean was writing.
We struggled, but we got something off the ground without really spending any real money, which is a good thing because none of us seem to have any. After a while,we started getting writers to write articles and columns for the site, including this one.
I went back to school as an independent student for one semester at the beginning of 2009. I was hoping to get an on-campus job using the work-study program, only to find out a few months later that I was never eligible in the first place. No choice but to drop out. When we applied for a government grant to help out the beginnings of Forget the Box, history repeated itself and we’re still struggling with no budget at all because of it.
Another important thing that happened to me in 2009, was that I finally got my own car. I had needed a car for a very long time before this past year, but could never afford one. Finally, I got some help with getting it, insuring it, repairing it, tiring it and even fueling it! The expenses piled up.
I think I’ll be playing catch-up until 2017 at this rate, barring any further disaster! Now that I have a decent job, even if it’s not always full time, at least I can play catch up properly.
