2003 Year in Review – Part 1
I did this last year and it seemed to go over well. This year it seems even more appropriate, so here are the highlights and lowlights of my 2003.
January
The winter trip to Kansas was a blast as usual. I began my newspaper internship because I could see graduation on the horizon. I got shut out of the Media Law class I needed to take before I could graduate and fretted over that for a long time. Marci revealed to me that she quit smoking something I had wanted her to do since we became a couple. The revelation literally made me cry. My Raiders made a dominant run to the Super Bowlthe teams first since 1983, and my first championship of any kind since the Arizona Wildcats won the basketball national championship in 1997only to get their asses handed to them 45-21 in the big game. I was depressed for weeks afterward.
February
Annette and Ron, my two closest friends, unexpectedly dragged me out of the house to celebrate my birthday (see Humility and Honor entry). It was a simple gathering, but its a day I will never forget.
March
For some ungodly reason, I took a six-week magazine writing class and damn near killed myself doing so but I got an A. The month of medical scares began. First, Marci complained of stomach problems that turned out to be a malfunctioning gallbladder. Then, my niece Lillian got taken to the hospital because of a cough and breathing problems. The docs did x-rays and found some sort of growth in her throat. They immediately started talking tumor and chemo. Luckily a CAT scan revealed that it was not a tumor and a steroid shot or two later, the problem disappeared. Marci made her annual trip out here. I tried to take her to Alcatraz, but it was booked, so we took the much shorter Bay Cruise and ended up getting out of San Francisco just hours before war protesters essentially shut down all the freeways. Lilly celebrated her first birthday!
April
The job cuts in California begin and my friends and I have to wonder if well get the ax. Marci undergoes surgery to remove her gallbladder. I felt horrible about being so far away from her and it turns out she underestimated the recovery time and had to deal with emotions stemming from that.
May
Preparations for graduation begin as the semester ends. I got all my paperwork signed in one whirlwind day and started thinking about registration.
June
I officially abandon the idea of a newspaper internship. Instead, I focus on graduation and not the job Im going to need after it. I signed up for another stint at the student paper and end up having a great time!