13

And so here we are, the obligatory year in review yes? no? maybe? who knows, but as i sat on my couch alone filled with booze and pharmaceuticals i couldn't help but stare in awe at the mass of complete shit that was broadcast on every channel, i mean who were these fucking muppets yapping about their shit record or piss poor film? worse yet was that music channel who propped up two examples of how vapid, stupid and utterly absurd the world of reality television can be, between the two complete bozos i don't believe the IQ combined reached double digits but hell that's why i don't watch telly now innit...

and so i turned off the shitbox and checked on my boyos and quietly kissed them on their respective little mops and trudged onward into the new year, so could this be the year that the old Kono gets off his ass and starts submitting stories to magazines or typing out his magnus opus? that sound you here is the sound of the Kid laughing as he chalks another mark on the board of times i've threatened to do just that but most likely i'll spend the year doing what i normally do which is typing shit out and throwing on the pile with the rest of the pages that stack up and collect dust....

So the year the year the year, what happened last year? not much really, got my walking papers in October and spent most of my working days reading and working out, did manage to drop around twelve pounds or so all while adding on a few pounds of muscle and i must admit that my shoulders and chest are finally filling out at the ripe old age of 42, got rid of the belly i had going and while i don't pretend to kid myself into thinking i'll look like Marky Mark i've noticed i'm in surprisingly good shape compared to most of the cats my age, hell i'm in better shape than alot of younger cats these days, of course it helps that i gave up the cigs, i mean don't get me wrong, i'll have one now and again (like the day i got laid off, figured i'd do the early morning drinking right) but like Big Mac's one ain't gonna kill you know and then, no more than anything else i figure, i really noticed the difference as i shovelled the half foot of snow last week, instead of huffing and puffing and smoking my way through the driveway in 30 minutes or so i cleared the fucker in 10 and wasn't even breathing heavy, i'm a bit addicted to it now and it helps me keep up with two little hell raisers, besides it's good for the boyos to see their daddio taking care of himself (and then cracking a beer) and i'm trying to hang on as long as i can now to see as much of their lives as i can, granted i still got a few bad habits but a man's got to make it through the day somehow you know...

As for the arts and shit, i'll say the longest book i read was Peter Nadas' Parallel Stories, it topped in at over 1100 pages and i don't know if i enjoyed it or was just glad to finish it, my favorite books this year were usually from the NYRB, a series that brings back lost classics and The Adventures and Mis-adventures of Maqroll was a fantastic read, apparently is was 6 or 7 books combined but i was riveted by it and couldn't recommend it highly enough, the funniest book was most likely Jack Grisham's American Demon, Jack is an old punk who was a complete motherfucker, funny i could relate to it huh? My favorite book was an old one i fnally got around to reading, it's no secret i'm a huge Cormac McCarthy fan and this year while sitting at my desk i read the Border Trilogy start to finish, fucking hell, the man can fucking tell a story and like most of my heroes didn't go to writing school to learn how, those three books had me reeling and while i sat on my couch at the end of Cities of the Plain and read the last words of Billy Parnham the tears just started rolling down my face, it moved me that much, i could count on one hand the number of books that have shook my that hard and good old Cormac owns two of them, Nelson Algren another, in between of course i read a shit ton of other books, i don't know how many this year, i don't read particularly fast cuz i'm a bit stupid but i'm guessing around 40 something, did just finish the Killer Angels which was fucking fantastic too...

Music you ask? fuck there was way to much of that, this was the year that 1986 broke and i ended up listening to alot of current bands that reminded me of my youth, Diiv, Wild Nothing's, Beach Fossils, the Drums, Chromatics, Merchandise,  i spent some time with some new records by old favorites: Dinosaur Jr., Bob Mould, The Walkmen, Guided by Voices, and of course this is the year i said goodbye to the CD, set up my turntable and broke out the old vinyl, bought a bunch of new records and some old ones like the Stooges Funhouse on wax cuz nothing says dope smoking moron like Funhouse and some headphones, i got to see some great bands, most of which i wrote about and one that i'm still getting around too, that being the Afghan Whigs and if you've hung around the lounge long enough you know how much i revere that band and two weeks from monday barring a last second cancellation i'll be up close again for one Steven Patrick Morrissey, not a bad year at all...

Of course the year hasn't been stress free, there was that bit about losing the gig and my relationship with the fairer sex continues to be tenuous at best, believe me i saw my old man get tossed after supporting his wife for 28 years when he lost his job and that event has shaped much of my view on relationships, i'm always on the lookout and though i've heard a few comments about my lack of employment i still provide a valuable service in that i'm a very skilled and adept stay at home dude, i get shit done and take care of  the boyos and am even teaching myself to cook a bit more these days so i might extend my stay around these parts just yet...

As for the rest of it? well i'm doing a good job of keeping the demons in check these days and nothing can compare to getting up in the morning and making the boyos breakfast, getting one or sometimes both off to school, on his off days i get to hang out with Nick Disaster and build shit and play games and color stuff, i spend nights helping the I-mac with math and listening to him read to me, we go to hockey school and basketball practice and soccer games, i get to spend alot of time with them and that has been the highlight of my fucking year, they may drive their old man batshit crazy at times but he'd be hard-pressed to tell you that he doesn't love it, he does and just like he says to his favorite barman when the pint of black gets low, let's do it again now shall we...