CDog vs. The World

2009: My Retrospective December 31, 2009

Posted by CaitDog in Uncategorized.
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I haven’t posted at all in the month of December. My plan was to defend myself by saying that I at least started to write the 2nd installment of my 2-part Twilight discussion series, but that was in November. I didn’t have enough time to finish it that day, and have forgotten to bring my book with my notes in it to work with me everyday since then. Seriously. For a month. I have one of the best memories ever (friends will attest to its freakish power) except when it comes to anything useful.

But let’s put all that aside right now. Here is my December (and a little bit of November) content, brought to you in my final hour of work on the final day of both the month and of the year 2009. Thanksgiving was rad. I won our post-dinner family Bingo game twice. In the second week of December, I went to Disneyland with my mom and my sister. I’ve always wanted to go at Christmas, so that was my birthday present this year. Super magical and amazing. I now want to go back every Christmas. Then real Christmas happened. Lots of family, fun, and making merry.

There. You’re caught up on everything that happened in my blog-absence. Now we can focus on the champagne-poppingly divisive holiday that is New Year’s Eve and the inevitable reflection that comes with it.

Some people hate celebrating the new year, and I have to say, I don’t really have a lot of patience for these folks. Sorry. Their reasoning is that their lives have been crappy/boring/whatever for the whole year that just passed, and nothing’s changed, so why expect anything different from the upcoming year?

My response: Get over yourself. That’s it. It’s really that simple.

I am a member of the New Year’s Eve appreciation club. In my opinion, you can’t really go wrong with this one. If you’ve had an awesome year, you get a chance to celebrate it and carry those good vibes into the start of a new one. If your year has been lame, you get to set it on fire, dance on its ashes, and start anew.

2009 wasn’t really my favorite. My job’s less than fulfilling, I’ve hit more creative slumps than I can count, and some days have been so overwhelmingly negative for so many little stupid reasons that I went home and cried. That last one sounded really dramatic. In reality, it only happened, like, twice. But that’s still twice more than I’d like it to.

Even my old friend pop culture seemed to turn on me. Networks are more saturated than ever with reality shows that glorify famewhoring at the expense of dignity. You have to really search to find intelligent scripted entertainment. And don’t get me started on books (really, don’t – that’s for later on in this post).

But I’ve done a lot of really fun, awesome things in 2009 too. I’ve gotten to spend way more time with my family and friends than I did when I was in school (not counting, of course, those who aren’t in CA). I went to my first Harry Potter convention and met a bunch of really cool people. I got the chance to go to a lot of amazing live shows and won a meet & greet with Paramore. I never win stuff as cool as that! I took an insane road trip to SoCal for a weekend with my best friend so that I could meet Selena Gomez (and I did). Oh, and remember when I said I went to DISNEYLAND at CHRISTMASTIME? And yeah, it’s not my favorite, but I have a job. I have health insurance. These are all things that I’m really grateful for.

My point is, it’s impossible to classify an entire year as a waste. When you’re having a bad year, there are still going to be some highlights, and those are worth remembering and celebrating. The good times are what I’ll be raising a glass to tonight, with a hope for many more.

And now, for your enjoyment, here’s a general retrospective of the year 2009 (according to CDog).

2009 Was The Year Of…

…Zhu Zhu Pets

So I had no idea what the hell these were until my niece and nephew received them for Christmas. I mean, I knew they were all the rage, but I kind of ignored it all. Turns out they’re kind of interactive toy hamsters that make noise and wheel around everywhere. Also, the majority of them have stupid names (Num-Nums? Really?). But they’re not that expensive, and they’re way less annoying than Furbys, so…rock on, Zhu-Zhus. Rock on.

…The Downfall of Kanye (For Now)

Yup. Kanye West, master of public temper tantrums, finally crossed the line in ’09. He took on America’s sweetheart, then-19-year old Taylor Swift, and he got burned. Bad. The public, along with his peers, refused to overlook his hijacking of the teen’s VMA acceptance speech. A flurry of public apologies followed, along with the cancellation of a joint tour with Lady GaGa. Here’s the thing. I’m not into the guy. I never have been. But I certainly have no problem recognizing the fact that he’s talented. Here’s hoping Kanye takes this hiatus to finally choose what he wants his legacy to be: bad behavior or music.

…Taylor Swift

It only seems appropriate to follow one with the other. Love her or leave her, nobody can deny that ’09 was the year of T. Swift. She’s sold-out shows. She’s sold millions of records. She’s won a kazillion awards. She’s joined the short list of SNL joint host/musical guests. She’s an unlockable character on Band Hero. All that’s really left right now, professionally, is the elusive Grammy (although I’m betting she’ll score at least one of those too). And yes, there was that Kanye West moment. Whatever. The hot topic used to be her breakup with Joe Jonas, and people moved on. They’ll get over this too. And who knows? Maybe we’ll get a kickass song out of it. Personal note: I used to not get the T. Swift thing. Then I got curious and bought her latest album. Now I get it.

…Vampires. Again.

I love a good vampire. You know I do. My collection of Buffy DVDs attest to that. But can we maybe call a moratorium in 2010? ‘Cause I’m over it. From Twilight to The Vampire Diaries (which, admittedly, pre-dated the sparkly saga in print), the undead have overrun pop culture and I’m sick of it.

I know it’s all the rage right now. But authors and publishers have been cranking out volume after volume of pale (no pun intended) Twilight imitations in order to capitalize on the fad. Well-written, original ideas are getting harder and harder to come by. I can’t take it anymore. If I see one more poster or bookjacket depicting a fanged, chalky skinned, heavily eyelined, Hot Topic-goth neovamp, I’ll lose it.

…Glee

I’m pleased as can be about this one. Every once in awhile, a show comes along and punches you in the face with its awsomeness. For me – and, fortunately, for a lot of other people – Glee is one of those shows. It puts a smile on my face every time I watch it, and not because it’s fluff. You wouldn’t necessarily guess from the premise, but it’s snappy, witty, and dark. The biting humor is fantastically balanced with high energy musical numbers. As a former high school theatre kid, it’s often like watching a highly sensationalized version of my teenage years.

Perhaps most exciting is the way the show has been embraced by viewers. When a show features an ensemble cast of relatively unknown but talented actors and is smart, funny, and broadcast on Fox, odds are not in favor of its survival. I was hesitant to get too excited, as I was still smarting from ABC’s cancellation of Pushing Daisies. But clever marketing and good word of mouth seem to have paid off. With several Golden Globe nominations, two bestselling CDs, the first portion of the season on DVD, and a promising back nine on the horizon, Gleeks everywhere will always fondly remember 2009.

…Twitter

While it’s true that Twitter existed long before ’09, I think we all can agree that this is the year it really exploded. Now, is this a positive or a negative? Maybe a little bit of both.

As a self-professed pop culture enthusiast and faithful fan, I enjoy following celebrities I like on Twitter. It’s fun, and I openly admit that. Those little updates make celebs seem more accessible and are a pleasant reminder that, yeah, they get paid more in a day than I probably ever will in my life, but they’re people too.

As a writer, I find the 140 character format pleasantly challenging. In the mass of tweets I often spit out in a day (I have an office job where I sit in front of a computer for seven and a half hours - sue me), there sometimes emerges a pretty decent one-liner. Tweeting can sharpen and quicken the wit.

It can also lead to mass, almost mind-numbing overshare of which every user – myself included – has been guilty of at least once. Incidentally, this leads to my next heading.

…TMI

2009: The Year of Too Much Information. That’s a book title for you right there. Somebody will probably beat me to actually using it, but let it be known that I said it first.

With Twitter being used by zillions (give or take), gossip blogs that outnumber legitimate news agencies, and a handful of reality shows on every channel, the boundary between public and private life has become all but non-existent. And it kind of grosses me out.

I find Twitter to be the most harmless of all of these TMI tools, but it still has its dangers. Miley Cyrus famously caused a stir after she deleted her account a few months ago, but she made a good point. Staying connected is fine, but if you’re sitting in a chair in front of a computer/phone tweeting your deep thoughts instead of going outside and living your life, it’s time to take a break.

Reality shows are something else. And when I say reality, I don’t mean the Top Chefs or the Project Runways or whatever. Those invite some drama, yes, but they also feature legitimately talented people competing to further their careers. No, what I’m talking about are the shows where a camera just follows people around and films their (often patently ridiculous) lives. These are programs that glorify and reward idiotic behavior. And if you don’t think that young people are absorbing that message, let me tell you this: I happened to be in a Walgreens over the summer when a group of 16 year-olds was carded for trying to buy a “home cleanse” diet kit and I overheard one of them say, “But Kim Kardashian wasn’t carded when she bought one.”

But the worst offenders, in my mind, are the gossip mongers, the people who capitalize off of the private lives of others. If a public figure chooses to share information about him or herself, that’s one thing. They put it out there, and it’s fair game. But I am not entitled to know who Taylor Swift is dating, what President Obama ate for lunch, or the details of Jon & Kate’s latest spat. These are people with families, people with children. But the age of TMI has led us to believe that they belong to us, that we get to know whatever we want about them, and that we have the right to rip them apart when we get bored.

All right, so this horse is getting a little too high, and I’m going to get off of it now. But it’s some food for thought, no?

And that’s it for now, ’cause I’m not staying at my office one moment longer than I have to. What’s on your ’09 list? Feel free to tack on a comment.