My Top Ten EVERYTHING for the 2000s

Sorry I'm late to the top-ten list party! My interests vary so much I decided to make an everything list. Hopefully it will be interesting to more than just my video game and music snob friends. I might make video game or music list at some point though as they're pretty fun also.

My list is not just things I enjoy but the things that shaped my decade: the people, events and media. Most of them are doorways into some sort of room about which I'd forgotten or overlooked. These are the things I remember. The things I need to remember.

1 - Getting married (2000)
November of 2000 marked the beginning of Lara and my journey together. It's been one of the coolest things that has ever happened to me. I know some cool couples but I count myself as one of the most fortunate men I know.

2 - Farstar (2002-now)
My enduring music project. Burning through several bass players, a couple guitarist and half a dozen drummers we managed to independently released 3 projects. Another one is in the works and I've got more songs in me.

3 - Turning 30 (2006)
I have to say, I had the most kickass 30th birthday party of anyone I know. Dinner was great and we invaded a local Asian karaoke bar taking over their largest room for at least 4 hours. I'm also going to have to lay the claim as one of the first of any of my friends to have an event at Family karaoke. Others have followed suit but we brought it first!

4 - Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 (2002)
This was the video game that got me back into video games. Farstar was recording at the Echo Lab for 7 days and we played this game non-stop. When Lara visited us one day she got sucked in and we bought a Playstation 2 the next week. Thankfully we've both had varying levels of interest ever since then.

5 - The Mountain Goats (2006)
In 2006, "No Children" and "Against Pollution" were my favorite songs from what would become my favorite band. Hope and resignation have always been big parts of who I am; this music exudes it in a way that is magnetic. It's not happy music but happiness is generally overrated.

6 - "Alias" (2005)
This television series was Lara and my re-entrance into popular TV culture. It opened the door to our watching Buffy, Angel and a whole slew of other shows we had missed. We borrowed the first season on a lark and ended up watching all 22 episodes in one weekend. Marathon TV viewing for the win! From here we realized we didn't actually need cable or a DVR to watch shows that looked interesting. Neither of us could sleep after the Alias season 2 finale so we both woke up early and called every Blockbuster in a 25 mile radius to find the first disc of season 3.

7 - "Microserfs" by Douglas Coupland (2001)
People talk about Generation X and Life After God as being great but this was the first Coupland novel that really captured me. It was the first community in a Coupland novel I wanted desperately to be a part of. Every career decision I've made since then has to some degree reflected this desire!

8 - Driving up and down the California Coastal highway.
Roadtrips are long on romance but ultimately they're an endurance exercise: 80% boring, 15% less boring, 4% we're almost there, 1% beef jerky! Unless you're on California's Coastal highway 1. I drove up the coast with Todd Graves and Lara in the early 2000s and then again on Lara and my anniversary a few years ago. There is something interesting and beautiful around almost every bend.

9 - Running (2002)
I played sports in high school but it wasn't until Todd Graves asked me to join him on the last half of the Houston Marathon that I learned to run. I ran track in high school and still the idea of "learning how to run" seems strange. The 'left foot, then right foot' part comes naturally; the challenge is doing it for any extended period of time. Jeff Galloway's Book on Running was extremely helpful. We've all heard of the high that comes after extended running. There are plenty of books which also discuss the zen to be found in running. Some of those are pretty weird but plenty of them make for good reads. For me running has taught me that it's ok for me to fail. Your leg hurts for some reason; you're normally able to run ten miles but today you can barely do two; something feels very off. You learn that those days happen and all you can do is get out there and do it some more.

10 - Jenny Craig (2007)
It's humbling to mention this but that's probably OK. I was skinny all through high school and college in 2007 the crazy work hours and poor eating finally caught up to me. I was 5'9" and weighed 204 lbs; I decided I wanted to change. Thankfully my friend J. Bearce recommended Jenny Craig and as non-masculine as it was I made an appointment. Within a year I was down 40lbs and since then I've been able to keep it off with regular exercise and portion control but it's not super easy. I would recommend Jenny Craig to anyone who was wanting to lose some weight in a realistic, healthy and sympathetic environment. NOTE: When I did it, there was a $300 signup fee and you'll spend $300-400 per month on their food. They're flexible with how much food you'll need so it is probably worth calling them if you are at all curious.