2008 Year in Review

Before I start I'd like to make a quick public service announcement. As we dive into the depths of winter people need to remember one thing. Coats, parkas, sweaters, sport jackets, etc. can get dirty. Just because they have layers underneath and you don't wear them as often doesn't mean they can't absorb B.O. Please keep others in mind as you enter the 4th season without washing that coat.


2008 Year in Review

Best/Worst Commercials: This post can be contributed to a question asked by my professor in the Advertising/Promotion class I just started. He asked what our favorite commercials were this year and I drifted into my thoughts from there. Thanks to the wonderful world of DVR (would be in the discussion for best invention) my commercial viewing is limited to what' s on Sportscenter before bed and Playhouse Disney in the morning. Commercials I will rewind for are 1. Anything with Peyton Manning, he always nails it 2. DirecTV posing as the cable company commercials, mentioned in a previous post 3. Sonic with the two funny guys in the car and 4. The beer commercials with the NFL coach rants.

I could immediately identify the two worst commercials. Did that commercial just tell me to use TV to keep my kids from school work and sports? Or I don't know what you are selling just make that lady stop dancing.

Favorite/Most Inspiring books of 2008: My favorite book of last year was probably The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor. I picked it up by chance at the airport because it sounded intriguing and part of it takes place literally in my backyard Midway, UT. The book is actually several years old and was the first novel with Scot Harvath, the ex professional skier turned Navy SEAL turned Secret Service Agent turned CIA assassin. Lions was fast and fun and the insights/comments on Mormon and Utah culture were quite funny and only slightly wrong. I have since read and enjoyed the next 6 books with Scot Harvath. He reminds me a lot of me. Except for the blond hair, blue eyes, and daily expert use of guns. I shot a black powder rifle once when I was 12. But he's a guy who just really likes America, like me.

Most inspiring book of the year by a long shot was Breaking Dawn. After finishing that book I felt a little sick and kind of guilty about having just read all four of those books. The fact that I mostly enjoyed them probably made matters worse. Nothing inspired me more to change and do something with my life than when I finished reading. In fact I couldn't even start another book of fiction for several weeks and was stuck trying to make my way through John Adams.

Movies of 2008: Because I felt none of the sequels lived up to predecessors my movie of the year award goes to Twilight. This was the first movie made after 1969 that made my wife smile from the first second, all the way through the credits, and into her sleep. It was amazing to witness. And that wasn't even the first time she saw it. For me I had a hard time getting over the disappointing castings of Esme and Rosalie.

The one "worth it to own it" award goes to WALL-E. Simply because of the sheer volume of viewings you can get out of anything from Pixar. Jack is a big fan.

Race of the year: I've blogged about both the Battle at Midway and LOTOJA. While I loved those races and look forward to them again this year there were two other races that tied for race of the year honors: Irvine Stake Triathlon and Novell On-site Triathlon. Two very prestigious races, one against software geeks and the other against high schoolers on single speeds. But they gave me my first two first place overall wins and will hold special places in my heart. Special thanks to my competition, Casey Robles and David Warden, who have beat me before and will beat me again for not racing this year.

Television 2008: Most of the shows this year were abbreviated but that wasn't all bad. Although nothing will top the Lost season finale from 2007 when they introduced the flash forward I thought Season 4 was the best since the first season. So many things were finally answered it actually makes me nervous for what they might do this year. It's probably my favorite show. The best "new to us" show goes to Psych.

My Miscellaneous awards:
Accessory of the year = Reversible belt by Banana Republic. Matches brown or black shoes and does not need to be removed at airport security. Honorable mention ECCO's 'New York Bicycle Toe' Slip-on.
New addiction of the year = Blackberry. Honorable Mention Facebook, be my friend!
Funniest post of the year = Still laughing about my buddy Wes and the Urine-Nation. I could relate. Honorable Mention, too many of y'all.
Sports news of the year = Lance Armstrong returns, this is going to be awesome. Honorable mention, Elder Emmett reports he still has mad soccer skills.


It was an awesome year and we felt extremely blessed. Here's to a great 2009.