Reflections on 2010

I know, I know I've been slacking; maybe one of my New Year's resolutions will be to ACTUALLY blog every day...maybe. Still, I started this little hobby in September and am pretty happy with how many times I've posted and the feedback I've gotten so far! Naturally, my final blog of 2010 will be a reflection. Looking back on what has undoubtedly been the best year of my life!

Chronologically:

1. January 29th, 2010 - My 21st birthday. Oh my god. From what I remember, it was epic. A great time out with close friends, my first time at the bars, and (relatives cringe now) waking up cuddling with the toilet instead of my girlfriend. It all added up to make for a very memorable, ridiculous, extremely fun birthday. I feel as if I definitely lived it up, as it should be. My favorite story from that night was actually told to me because I was...imbibed by then...but apparently outside the bar, I calmly told my friend Laurissa "I'm going to your house now. I'm going to go throw up in your bathroom," and proceeded to start walking the complete opposite direction from her house. Luckily she sent me the right way, leading to my hug-fest with the toilet. A crazy night, to say the least.

2. January 31st, 2010 - JUNO! Something people might not know about our pursuit of Juno (well, if you don't know already, Juno is our house puppy at Washington State!) is that it started with a random dog following Garrett home one day from class. We named her Sophie and kept her for a couple days until we located her owners. That kind of sparked the desire to actually have a puppy, and so I found some Aussie Shepherd/Border Collie puppies on Craigslist in December of 2009 and one short month later we were bringing little "Uno" home. Of course, we didn't want to keep the old name so we went out on a limb and made a big change to "Juno." I can't tell you how awesome it has been to come home from class every day at school and have Juno jumping all over me and constantly being excited to play and run around. I highly recommend getting a dog to all college students, it legitimately lowers stress levels on a daily basis!

3. Mid-March, 2010 - Spring Break in La Penita, Mexico. I went to Mexico with two roommates, my girlfriend (at the time) and two of her good friends (all 6 of us were already friends, though). We spent a week at the beach, in downtown Puerto Vallarta, eating authentic Mexican food, etc. It was a lot of fun, and it was especially cool because we were staying in an actual local house in an actual little Mexican town. There are far too many quotes and memories to reflect on from that trip, but my two favorites are as follows: First, we went on a "booze cruise" one day, which basically consisted of a ferry boat ride (free drinks!) to a snorkeling spot, then a stop for lunch on the beach and a horseback ride up to a swimming hole and waterfall, then the ride back with more free drinks and karaoke. And second, of course, was..."Bear? No, gracias. BEAR!" I can only hope Matt, Garrett, Jaime, Breanna or Kayla read this so SOMEBODY knows what that means...

4. Mid-May to Mid-June, 2010 - Six-week summer session in Pullman. I took three classes for the first summer session up at school, and it was so much fun. I had never experienced a Pullman summer, but just the fact that it was different than winter was something to be celebrated. It was really warm, there were a ton of people there, and I spent a lot of time hanging out OUTSIDE with them.

5. August 8th, 2010 - Rafting Cherry Creek. I work at All-Outdoors, a whitewater rafting company, every summer. There is everything from Class I (easiest) to Class V. I had rafted everything over the last three years, but never took on the mamma jamma of them all. Cherry Creek is actually the upper portion of the Tuolumne River and is just constant Class V's. I'd rafted a few class V rapids on other big rivers before, but never anything like this. There is a Miracle Mile section on the river which is five straight Class V rapids with hardly any time in between, and they were all HUGE rapids! It was unbelievably fun and horrifying and amazing, and I can't wait to do it again next summer!

6. November 1st, 2010 - SF Giants win the World Series. This is painful to put on my list. I hate the Giants more than anything in the world. The fact that they are World Champions still kills me. Hence, why it is one of my major reflections of 2010. Between this and the 49ers being a massive letdown, it was an awful, no-good year for sports as far as I'm concerned. It really couldn't have gotten worse!

7. December 12th, 2010 - http://jamblin-man.blogspot.com/2010/12/tribute-to-uncle-pete.html. My Dad's brother, Pete passed away. He will be greatly missed and always loved. Click the link for a full tribute that I wrote about a week ago.

8. Late August to Mid-December, 2010 - First semester senior year, in general. I know this is a very broad category, but it was the best way to do it. I discovered Rico's, Taco Tuesday, ways to have a ton of fun any night of the week at school. I met a ton of new, awesome people and I plan on staying in touch with most of them for a very long time. I can't even describe how much fun I had meeting people, partying, and just hanging out in general these last four months. It's senior year, and it's setting in that I might come back to California after this Spring and not see all the great friends I've made for quite some time. That being said, I've honestly tried to go out, do something fun and meet people at every single opportunity. Despite 18 credits this coming semester, I plan on doing the same thing again. Get ready, Pullman. Get ready.

Overall, this was definitely the most crazy, fun, memorable year of my life. BUT, 2011 is going to be even better. Last semester in Pullman, New Orleans for Spring Break, Semester-at-Sea...it's going to be a great time. I can't wait to live it up again and I'm even a little bit excited to graduate and be a full-time adult. Here's to a great 2010 and looking forward to an even greater 2011! Thanks to everyone who made this year what it was...you know who you are!

Tribute to Uncle Pete

I've been away for a while. Distracted by finals, the beginning of Christmas vacation, etc. Almost two weeks since my last post, but I haven't had room for thinking since then! My blog tonight is dedicated to my late Uncle, Pete Dorn. The Sunday before finals week, my Dad called to tell me his oldest brother had passed away while working in his beloved yard. It's been a rough ten days or so since for everyone, especially my Dad, his other brother John, sister Dinie, niece Shelley (Pete's only child), and sister-in-law (Pete's wife and high school sweetheart), Jeanne. We drove down to San Luis Obispo this past Sunday and attended a beautiful service in Uncle Pete's honor on Monday, and I wanted to write a few words of my own here tonight:

For those of you that know my Dad, imagine an older version with a little more bald and a little less beard, but the same great sense of humor and goofy smile that lights up a room. That was my Uncle Pete. To my sister and me, he was the playful, happy-go-lucky Uncle who always had the awesome orange trees in the front yard and a joke in the back pocket.

I remember climbing those trees, or playing catch in the backyard, or even hopping the back fence to go play on the real field at San Luis Obispo High School. I was "J-bird" and my sister was "Lexie-doodle-dandy" no matter how old we were. Whenever I did something funny, stupid, annoying, etc. when I was younger it was, "J-bird, you turkey!" And I can still remember my astonishment watching Uncle Pete eat an orange, and I mean the WHOLE orange in front of me, and saying "it's good for you" as the last part of the peel went down the hatch.

As I got older, the visits to see my Dad's family got fewer and further between. We made it down once or twice a year for a couple days, but high school sports, and eventually college made it difficult. Even so, whenever we pulled on to Cazadero St., Uncle Pete was there, smiling and ready to see his little brother, his wife, and little niece and nephew.

In the last few years, Uncle Pete's "End Cancer Now" campaign through Team in Training has gotten bigger and bigger. It really is a tribute to the man, who dedicated the last years of his life to volunteering and making a difference in people's lives. According to the Team in Training representative who spoke at the service, my Uncle Pete accomplished something astonishing to me: he single-handedly raised over $1 million dollars toward cancer research through fundraising and marathons. To have the determination, patience and personality, even, to raise that much money in a lifetime is astounding. But to do it all with the intention of helping people who really need it? That's just admirable and amazing, and in a league of its own.

This last Thanksgiving break, we made a last-minute detour to go to San Luis for turkey dinner. Call it fate, call it luck, call it what you will, but either way we got to see Uncle Pete in his element, one last time, and my family could not be more grateful that it happened. On Thanksgiving morning, we managed to be dragged out of bed at the ungodly hour of 7:00 a.m. (for those of you that know me, this was a big deal), to run the 8-mile "Turkey Trot" that Uncle Pete put on every year. It was our first time running it, and Uncle Pete's last.

Lexie and I finished in just over an hour and 15 minutes, muscles aching and stomachs cramping (okay, maybe that was just me...Lexie is in far better shape than I am). My parents, the last two people to finish the race, took an extra hour enjoying the scenery and taking pictures together along the route. At first, I was annoyed that we had to stand and wait that long, but looking back, we got to spend an extra hour we wouldn't have normally had, catching up with Uncle Pete and shooting the bull one last time. Most importantly, my Dad got to spend another day and night with his brother. He told us about how he had got up that morning at quarter to five to post signs to make sure drivers knew there would be racers on the street. He spent another hour after the race making sure he pulled them all down and cleaned up the racing area. No complaints, as usual.

And when my Mom and Dad finally strolled to the finish line, he was still standing there, holding the Turkey Trot Finish Line sign, yelling and smiling and cheering, as he had for the 250 previous runners.

At the service, it was standing room only, including tightly-packed people who could probably hardly see the stage. There were people from Team in Training, neighbors, family, former football teammates, other members of the local Kiwanis club, and probably a few hundred guests who had at some point enjoyed a classic Pete Dorn barbecue (just to name a few groups present).

My mom always said he was the "unofficial Mayor" of San Luis Obispo. Aunt Jeanne and Shelley were approached by so many random people who knew Uncle Pete when they went downtown last week, that they were overwhelmed by the unending condolensces and had to return home. As my Dad said when he spoke toward the end of the service: "The impact that someone's life has on the world can be measured by how many friends he had."

My Uncle Pete, whether volunteering with Team in Training, leading a Turkey Trot, attempting to end cancer, or just being a great father, husband, grandfather, brother, uncle, and everything in between, was loved and cherished by a large population. An entire town, even. The people of San Luis Obispo, certainly, and many more, will remember Uncle Pete forever for the great man he was. I think it's safe to say "the great man he is" because even if he's no longer with us, he had a memorable impact on all of us, which will never die. Dad, if the impact a man has on the world is measured in friends, I think your brother ruled this kingdom.

Uncle Pete is definitely the closest family member to me to have passed on. And in a way, that means I'm lucky, because I've survived almost 22 full years without knowing the pain of losing someone near and dear to me. And I think that reflecting on Uncle Pete's life has definitely stoked a fire inside of me; to be better in everything I do, like he was. I can be less selfish. I can be more friendly. Heck, I can learn to put together a better barbecue! But, this blog is not about me. It's about celebrating the life of a man who lived life with a purpose, who lived life selflessly, energetically and lovingly. Uncle Pete, the great man he is, can teach us all a few things about life and love.

Rest in peace Uncle Pete, you will forever be loved and missed.

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 9

I have a weird problem where I combine words. Maybe it's because I inherently want to save time or breath. Maybe I think I'm clever. Who knows? Anyway, it's such a problem that my roommate (who has had to live with me for three years now) has coined them as "Jisms" (Jeremy-isms). The reason this is the topic of my blog today is because I really couldn't think of a blopic (blog topic). I'll be honest, it's very rare that a Jism is actually funny or smart. But it's like getting an M&M in a handful of trail mix - it's hard to find, but it's awesome when it does.

That's all I've got for today. But if I ever start combining words too often and it starts getting annoying, feel free to give me a swift groin kick (or, grick).

Nap time.

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 8

For the second day in a row, I'm doing a late-night/early-morning post, hoping it will pass as yesterday's TITITALA! Anyway, I think this will be a pretty obvious post: Washington State 81 Gonzaga 59!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another day, another marathon waiting in the rain and snow and cold to get in early to a Cougar sporting event. This time, I got up at 6:00 a.m. and set up camp. We got in early and got the second row behind the announcers. But nobody cared about getting on TV tonight - this was about redemption. After heartbreaking losses all weekend, we needed a win. Especially against the other big program in Eastern Washington. Regional rivals. We hung tough with #5 Kansas State five days ago, and this was a big game to see if we could actually measure up to the big boys. Granted, Gonzaga is not it's usual self, but they are still a solid program. We had a +4 line going in, but that was a bit generous; personally, I thought Gonzaga and WSU matched up really well. Until tip-off, that is.

Despite a slow start on offense for both teams, Washington State was playing stifling defense all game, holding Gonzaga's star scorer Steven Gray to 7 points on under 20% shooting. It really never was close. Three-pointer after three-pointer went through for the Cougs, and Klay Thompson (now ranked as the #4 shooting guard in the nation according to Rivals.com) just went off tonight. His final line: 24 points, 7 steals, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block.

Let me take a second to go where many men have gone before. I want to step back and take a closer look at Klay's amazing game. Obviously, the 24 points are impressive in themselves, as that total came in just over his team-leading season average. But, he was also 4-7 from beyond the arc, including two HUGE momentum-killing threes in the second half. The thing I was most impressed with was the defense though - seven steals is absolutely ridiculous, but what the box score doesn't show is two things:

1) He was everywhere on defense tonight. He covered anybody and everybody, was hustling harder than anyone on the court, and got to the ball at least five more times than the stats actually registered. Basically he was just a huge spark on both sides of the floor.

2) Remember those momentum-killing threes I mentioned? He swatted away a lay-in by Gonzaga on a huge block, came down the floor, passed the ball off, got it back and hit a perfect three-pointer right in the defender's eye. Not only that, but he ran back down the court with arms raised, yelling...dare I say it: Klay Thompson was showing emotion on the court. That pumped up the crowd more than anything.

Anyway, an overall amazing game for the Cougars. And it was really worth every second I stood in that freezing cold line. We should be getting a few votes for the Top 25, although I don't know if we'll actually sneak in yet. With a 6-1 record and a quality win under our belts (the only loss being to Kansas State of course, who is a top-5 team and only beat us by five!), we may be on the cusp!

Anyway, I'm still on edge from the epicness of the game (although the Rockstar I drank might be adding to the jitters...) and really can't even formulate anything more to say right now. All I can say is Go Cougs, and I'll see y'all tomorrow!

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 7

Okay, I know it's technically Wednesday...but I'm posting Vol. 8 later today and because this is an ungodly early hour, I think we can count this as Tuesday's post. Anyway today's (OKAY, yesterday's...geez) topic is my 2011 Spring Break. I'm now booked to travel to New Orleans through WSU's Center for Civic Engagement. My good friend Amy convinced me to apply for the program, and we had our first meeting yesterday. And let me just say, I am PUMPED.

First of all, we'll be staying at a pretty nice Holiday Inn on the French Quarter, two blocks from Bourbon St. We will have activities planned Monday through Friday; volunteer and community outreach projects, parades, tours and lunches. One day we get to help rebuild a house through Habitat for Humanity that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Another day we will help create "green space" and take care of a large city park. On Friday, we will be going to the marshes and helping with the "clean-up of the clean-up" of the oil spill. That means that many native endangered plant species were displaced and/or destroyed by the clean-up effort, and we will need to remove the invasive species and re-plant the domestic ones.

Those all sound like so much fun. It's a great way to discover and experience the New Orleans culture while simultaneously lending a helping hand to the people down there. Another awesome thing will be the Thursday of the break. It's St. Patrick's Day, and according to our trip leader, it will be like Mardi Gras, Jr. He said there will be a huge parade, music, festivities, all on a route that goes directly past our hotel. ("Heads up for flying potatoes, the people on the floats try to peg tourists!") In addition, we have our nights free to explore the French Quarter, Bourbon St., and/or any other area of the city. I foresee a LOT of jazz clubs and jambalaya in my future!!!

One last thing I'm jazzed about (BAHAHA sorry, had to) for this trip, is there is a group tour where we go through the swamps and on a paddle boat getting an education about New Orleans. Then later that night, we will be touring a New Orleans cemetery (artistic and rustic, according to our trip leaders) and have the option of going on a real voodoo, ghost hunt that night.

Obviously, I have a lot to look forward to! I'm extremely lucky to have this opportunity and plan to take full advantage of every minute. I can't wait to have the best Spring Break ever down in N'awlins!

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 6

Hello large audience of loving, devoted readers! I have a couple things to share today:

1. I am essentially finished with my first semester of Senior year of college. AHHHHHHHHH!
2. Is there any more ridiculous workout than swimming? Maybe it's because I'm not a swimmer.

I can't believe how fast this semester has gone by. It has been a whirlwind of unbelievable fun, boring (sorry, it's true) classes and endless parties. I've met so many awesome new people, and rarely passed up an opportunity to go out and have fun. Taco Tuesday has been a revelation. My only regret is that I didn't take advantage of these things last year too! Anyway, it's a really weird feeling. I am honestly sick and tired of classes, especially the majority that are uninteresting to me. But, I am nowhere near mentally prepared enough to be done with college, done with Pullman, done with this grown-up-but-still-allowed-to-be-irresponsible transitional period. I definitely wouldn't complain about another year or two in this awesome town. At the same time, I'm really excited to see what happens in the "real world." Mom, if you're reading this, try to suppress the tears!

Seventeen school weeks from now, I'll basically be done. Technically, I have a few more credits to take care of on Semester-At-Sea in the summer, but that's going to be much, much different. Looking back at this semester, I can honestly say that I only enjoyed one class. It's not for lack of hard work or even disinterest, despite being required to take every class. It just really was unfortunate; every class but my "conditioning swimming" class was either boring, poorly taught or had frustrating assignments. Anyway, let's just talk about how awesome the swim class was. Someone might read this and wonder how I could enjoy a class in which I simply get there, swim laps for an hour, and leave. Well, first of all, it was a hell of a lot easier than getting my lazy butt up to the actual gym on a regular basis. But, more than that, the teacher (DeDe!) and a lot of the kids in the class were awesome too. It's rare that I look forward to waking up for my first class, especially one where I physically have to work. So, as to #2 from above, is there anything more ridiculous than a swim workout? I felt like I was going to die after every class (for a little bit, then I felt refreshed when I got hydrated and got my breath back!), but the thing that killed me was today's final class. We had a class swim meet and I swam a 50-yard freestyle as the last leg of a relay, the 50-yard backstroke, and the third leg of the 100-yard freestyle relay. That's five laps total, and I was winded. Granted, it was sprinting, but after usually swimming anywhere from 75-100 laps in the hour class, I could not believe how dead I was after just FIVE! Anyway, because of this strange ratio, I've decided it's one of the best workouts ever. Never should have quit the swim team!

Other news tidbits from today:
- MTV is the worst channel ever made (it's been on our TV all day for some reason)
- Go out and buy Inception on Blu-Ray tomorrow!!!!!!!!
- My buddies and I from the football game are in the Daily Evergreen!!! (WSU student newspaper)

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 5

The day after the crazy weekend. Luckily, I had a warm bed, Coach Carter, Sporcle.com (do NOT, I repeat, do NOT go to this website if you need to be productive...), football and great company all day to keep me sane...but after the torture I put my body through (little sleep, body parts exposed to sub-freezing temperatures, etc.) the last two days, let's just say I'm a little whacked out.

I can almost walk pain-free finally, after having my knees locked for nearly 4 hours on a tiny ledge at Martin Stadium for the football game. I haven't quite caught up on my sleep. And I think I have the beginnings of a cold. I have large, matching, bruised bumps under each knee from the small railing they were pushed up against during the game. But all in all, I'm surprised at the physical state I'm in. Unfortunately the 49ers or Warriors did nothing to help ease my woes of a loss-filled weekend, but I did have a nice relaxing day to recover. Sorry, I don't have much to say today, but I do want to share a link! Yesterday, I posted about how my friends and I became mini-celebrities due to our ridiculous get-up at the football game (or lack thereof, I guess). Check out the picture I found on the Tacoma Tribune's website:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/static/photo/sportsgallery/sports.html#id=album-168362&num=content-3170208

Pretty cool, eh? I'm the one closest to the camera...with the goofy, but incredibly warm hat on. Until tomorrow...

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 4

Today I was a minor celebrity. After a hectic day yesterday of camping out for the (HEARTBREAKING, by the way) basketball game for over 12 hours, I was at it again. Up early to go to the Apple Cup - for those of you that don't know, that is the in-state football rivalry between my Washington State Cougars and the evil Washington Huskies - and painted from waist to forehead as the representative letter "S" in "GO COUGS!"

It's no Red Sox/Yankees or Duke/North Carolina, but the Apple Cup is a pretty damn big deal. Especially up here. Despite a 2-9 record, the Cougars were looking for the upset, and even sweeter, to knock the Huskies out of bowl contention. To paraphrase the disappointing result, Washington pulled it out on the road 35-28. But that's not the point...

Let me remind anyone who's reading that it was averaging around 23 degrees here today, with some icy wind and light snow. And I was shirtless. For almost 5 hours. It's a miracle I'm alive, but my friends and I received more than enough attention! We had multiple pictures taken of us, were on the big screen at least five times, and were on live TV a few times as well. We made friends with the security guards and the crowd management staff, my roommate (the "space" between "GO" and "COUGS") made out with a girl who claimed she "just had to make out with one of the people they saw on the screen," and even got a passing Husky fan to stop flipping off our fans and hold his hands up in respect at the sight of us. Not to mention, I think my hands (wrapped in 2 pairs of gloves, including heavy snowboarding gloves) are bruised from the literally hundreds of high fives I received from the Cougar faithful passing by who were admiring our bravery, dedication, and no doubt our beautifully-sculpted male bodies.

Despite the loss and the awful weather, it was one of the most fun times I've ever had at sporting event. While it killed me to watch Washington celebrate on our field, I had a great time being "one of those guys" that the entire city surely saw during the game. And I have never been more excited to leave the stadium...I still can't feel my nipples...

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 3

Hey, there we go! Back on track with this whole blogging thing. Today: we discuss my thoughts on why pulling an all-nighter to get in line for my school's basketball game is NOT the work of a crazy person. First of all, the background...I have an Anthropology test at 2:00 this afternoon. I am studying for it right now. I am studying for it outside of Beasley Coliseum, where the Washington State Cougars will attempt to knock off the top-5 Kansas State Wildcats in men's basketball at 8:00 tonight. It is freezing cold out here. I slept in a 2-foot long nook with a worthless pad, sleeping bag and pillow. I look like an eskimo. I will stay in this line until they let us into the game around 6:00 tonight (other than when I'm taking my test). I'm sure people reading this are shaking their heads and muttering about me being a crazy dude. In fact, I'm sure of it, because even some of my friends at school have told me this to my face!

But, there is no offense taken, don't worry. In fact, I take pride in this craziness. IN FACT, I wish they hadn't instituted a "no camping" policy so that I could have staked my claim in line days ago! Seriously. Anyway, let's get to the point here: I am a Coug. I love Coug sports (yes, even the football team...). I especially love Coug sports that have potential for postseason play. Hence, why I put so much effort into going to the basketball games, frostbite be damned. There is nothing better than sitting front row, getting on TV with fellow ZZU CRU members, and (hopefully, hopefully, hopefully) storming the court after a huge upset! Been there, done that? Rushed the field two years ago in the Apple Cup after the double-overtime win? Rushed the court two years ago when Taylor Rochestie hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer against Arizona State? Well, I did. And let me tell you that never gets old.

I'll be realistic for a second here; Kansas State is a REALLY good basketball team. They are far better than Washington State. But, until the final buzzer sounds, we are in it. And that's enough for some crazy fans like me to risk life and limb, hike through treacherous tundra, and...okay sorry. Overly dramatic. But really, win or lose, if we play well, it will be worth the 12 and a half hours I sit here. And Kansas State? Well, I hope they don't get too cocky...they haven't had to deal with the ZZU CRU lately. They haven't had to deal with an improved, older Klay Thompson. Or Reggie Moore. DeAngelo Casto. Faisal Aden. I'm not going to be bold and predict an upset, but the way these guys are shooting lights out right now, it's possible.

So, call me crazy, but the Cougs have a big game tonight. The biggest of the year, no doubt. And there is no way I let something stupid like sleep or schoolwork get in my way. I'm going to this game, and I'm going all out.

Things I Think I Thought A Lot About: Vol. 2

Okay...remember A MONTH ago when I said I was going to make this a more regular, possibly daily thing? Well, oops. I've been very busy (okay, unenthusiastic, uninspired...). Anyway, I'm back with a thought for today. It was brought on by a movie I watched last night, after making the best purchase of my life ($5 DVD box at WalMart...gets me every time!). It's actually two thoughts. Lucky you!

First, is there any better contrast between evil antagonist and lovable protagonist and has it ever been portrayed in a more amazing, human way than in The Green Mile? John Coffey vs. Percy Whitmore. They don't exactly have a natural rivalry until the end, but I don't know if I've ever seen a movie that made me hate a character with more of a passion than I do Percy and love a character more than John. That's my first mini-thought. Every time I see it, it's just the most amazing job of acting and scripting.

That also got me thinking: How did The Green Mile not win Best Picture in 1999? (American Beauty took the award home)...I haven't seen American Beauty, so I can't have much personal input, but I do know that The Green Mile is a cinematic masterpiece. So, naturally, I googled it. Turns out, I've never heard of a single calendar year in which more awesome movies were released than in 1999. Check it out:

The Green Mile
Fight Club
The Matrix
American Beauty
Star Wars Episode I
The Boondock Saints
Toy Story 2
American Pie
The Sixth Sense
Office Space
Ten Things I Hate About You
Wild Wild West
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
The Blair Witch Project
October Sky

And really, the list goes on...I just wanted to share this with everyone because it's so ridONKulous! Doesn't it make you wanna watch at least half of them right now?

"He kill them wi' their love. Wi' their love fo' each other. That's how it is, every day, all over the world." - John Coffey, The Green Mile