Looking back, in retrospect, hindsight is 20/20.

After being referenced in Pete's blog (thanks, man!), I felt it only fitting to take time to do a post-X-mas, pre-New Year's post.

Looking back at 2005:

• Got a "real" job.
• Had one of the most financially beneficial years at CSz.
• Celebrated being at CSz 10 years!
• Got to document, be cast in, do behind the scenes work on, and help make Project Z.E.A.L. a reality with Tim and company (looking forward to sci-fi fun!).
• FINALLY making a triumphant return to the theatre by having major roles in The Drawer Boy and Twelfth Night Or What You Will. I went for a theatrical hat-trick and also had a fun time in Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.
• Having one emotional relationship end (unfortnately, in a rather immature fashion), but then seizing the moment by discovering and embracing an even more amazing relationship with a person that was right under my nose the whole time.
• Read three great novels; Angels & Demons, The DaVinci Code, and The Historian (if you haven't read any of these, go find them and enjoy them).
• Embraced new technology by getting an iPod, joining NetFlix, making South Park versions of myself and my girlfriend (see images at right), and starting this blog.
• Saw the best film of 2005, King Kong.
• Discovered the music of Johnny Cash.

Things to look forward to:

• Enjoying every moment possible with my girlfriend.
• Being a creative part of the relaunch of CSzQC.com with my web guru friend (it's coming in January, folks, and it's gonna be cool...).
• Finally getting a long form show out of the creative recessess of my brain and onto the stage.
• Opportunities that have opened up in the job field outside of the QC that I may now pursue.
• Dedicate myself to getting in shape to start playing volleyball again.
• Studying and understanding Eastern philosophy.
• Traveling.
• My sisters' wedding in Arizona.
• Doing more theatre (I'm actually now being offered roles)!
• Bringing two of my favorite shows, Hate Mail and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) to the QC in some way.

Lights! Camera! Spend a truckload of cash!

Holy crowbars, was King Kong an amazing film. We went to the midnight show and it was so worth it. I've had moments from this film replaying in my head at least once a day since seeing it and I can't wait to experience it a second time. As a friend of mine so eloquently stated, "it's a big monkey fighting a dinosaur..... how can you not like it?"

Seriously, I think this was the film of the year for me with Walk The Line a close second. Peter Jackson has done it again! Even if Lord of the Rings wasn't your bag and you didn't get wrapped up in that story, this film is easily accessable with a story that everyone is familiar with in some form or another (it's no secret that one of the first popular video games was Donkey Kong, which takes not just it's name, but apes the storyline directly from Kong..... pun firmly intended).

At any rate, this film was WAY better than the lackluster Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and I hope they handle the rest of C.S. Lewis' work a bit better than they did this one.

Class dismissed.