If the 70′s plus the 80′s were my years developing what I could be, and the 90′s was the decade where I started expanding who I could be, then the 00′s was the decade where I cemented what defines who I really am. The 2000s have been a good decade for me, and it is because this was the time I really felt confident that I finally know who I am as a person. I now truly know what my strengths and weaknesses were, and that’s an important knowledge to have. What’s nice is that I still have room to grow, and I’m still experiencing new things to refine the person that I am.
One of the the first and foremost things I should point out is that this is the decade I got married to my long-time girlfriend of 10 years (by that time). That’s definitely a sign of me going “oh wait, I’m an adult now.” In terms of friends, I actually gained a lot more; much more than I thought I would, due to my workplace and the concerts I attend. By the way, with the end of this decade I’ve reached 11 years at my job, which is a big achievement.
This was also the decade that I decided to actually take advantage of seeing live music much more often, which is something I regret not doing in the ’90s when I was a teenager. From concerts, I ended up becoming huge fans to certain musical acts such as Meg & Dia, The Swell Season, and Marie Digby, to go along with the many other bands that I grew attached to throughout the years. Metallica for example is a band that I was “just a fan of” in the ’90s, but for whatever reason I actually became a huge dedicated fan this decade (ironically considered the worst time to be a Metallica fan). On another audio related note, I became a HUGE fan of The Kevin & Bean Show and podcasts in general (awesome stuff).
My love for the movies only got stronger this decade, as I finally started taking more initiative in watching movies by myself, which exposed me to so many films that I ended up loving. I’ve seen so many films this decade alone, more so than the past two decades combined. I have to also say that TV programming this decade has been phenomenal, with shows like LOST and Firefly being one of my many highlights. Oh, VCR Timer Recordings < the DVR. The other visual medium I enjoy; gaming, is still a part of my life this decade (Dreamcast, xbox, xbox 360), although I officially gave up on handheld gaming systems, and have pretty much gradually become a “casual” gamer. Speaking of going casual… I’ve lost a lot of interest with anime compared to last decade, and it’s now just something I occasionally watch.
One of the most significant things to happen to me, is that the internet and the computer is now something I really can’t live without. The 90s only really brought me Duke Nukem 3D gaming, e-mail, and minor web browsing, but the 00s added pocket PCs, smart phones, social networking, google, and youtube to the mix. Most importantly however, is that I started this xanga blog in 2004, which has become a very integral part of my life and who I am. The ability to do this online journal about my life has proven to be a very useful tool, and allows me to relive my adventures in life.
Did I miss anything else? Meeting celebrities, seeing myself on TV a couple of times during some broadcasts? Yeah, I guess those count too.
Overall, this decade really has been very good to me, and I dare even say that this is what I’ll be looking back as my “golden years” in my life.
Now, for some random links from other recaps of this decade…
40 Things That Were Popular At The Beginning Of The Decade That Aren’t Popular Anymore (link)
NPR Music Timeline: The Decade In Music (link)
The best TV series of the ’00s (link)
15 Biggest Internet Controversies Of The Decade (link)
Most Memorable Amateur Music Videos Of The 2000s (video)
The 40 Hottest Female Athletes Of The Decade (pix)
The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade (link)
The Most Infamous Celebrity Sex Tapes of the Last Quarter Century (link)