DECADE IN REVIEW: 2001

Ahhh, 2001. a WAY better year than 2000. It started off farily rough though. First, my dog died when he was only 5 years old. We think he had a heart attack but who knows. that sucked. Then, a week later, it seemed like things would pick up when the Ravens beat the Giants in the Superbowl. But, Ray Lewis stabbed someone to death and got away with it by pleading to a misdemeanor obstruction of justice charge and carried on with his life. Smells like justice to me. Mike vick goes to jail for dogfighting, Plax goes to jail for shooting himself in the leg, Ray Lewis stabs someone to death and goes free. But yeah, let's just continue to pretend society isnt composed of morons.

My first year of indoor track was interesting. I missed hockey but track was that much better with jimmy on board. The team itself was solid. We ended up winning the MVC that year. That spring we also won the MVC in outdoor track so it was a pretty good string of championships to round out my sophomore year.

The downside, well the Lakers won again. But, my favorite hockey team at the time, the Colorado Avalanche, secured a game 7 win over the New Jersey Devils. Which was awesome. The summer of 2001 was interesting. The gf and I broke up at the start of summer. I started working as the Pushcart cafe as a mop boy. It was a grimy job but someone had to do it. I took my license test (all I had to do was drive around a rotary) and I officially was licensed to borrow my parents cars when they werent using them. Lucky for me, my parents never made it out much.

Junior year of high school was about as good as it gets. The soccer team was sick and we would end up winning the MVC. September 11th happened and I remember the high school told everyone to stay in class. I wasnt having it so I went to the library to watch everything unfold after the two towers were struck. I remember standing next to Mr. Piscione as we watched both the towers crumble on live TV amidst gasps and sobs. Then I remember him whispering in my ear "this is all your fault." I tried really heard not to laugh, and I succeeded. but it wasnt a complete success as I was arguably the only person outside of Afghanistan smirking at that moment.

I remember there were rumors that every city got hit and the death toll was in the millions. One of my buddies dads was flying that day and he was in tears all day because he didnt know what was going on. It was pretty wild. One girl picked the wrong day to visit Hofstra (I'd mention their names but I fear that they dont want to be associated with this blog). The best part about September 11th, and there wasnt much, was the sense of entitlement that New yorkers have felt ever since. Like the myth that New Yorkers somehow "united" as the Spiderman movies would have you believe. How Rudy Giulani saved the world from extinction.

All of this made watching the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in one of the best World Series in baseball in game 7 that rewarding. Unfortunately, that sense of entitlement never died and its arguably the biggest casualty of those terrorist attacks.

The final element of 2001 came when Marius and Paolo made their appearance at TMHS. both on exchange from Brazil, Paolo stood about 6 feet 9 inches tall and served as a gift to the basketball team. Marius would join our soccer team. Marius was a fairly shy guy and didnt say much. His English was ok. For whatever reason, he was in my Spanish class. I thought I had hit the jackpot, because I thought Marius spoke Spanish. Well, unfortunately Boosh never got the memo that Brazilians speak Portuguese. So I quickly realized it was not a good idea to copy his tests and homework after we both started failing. Marius and I would go on to form a very good friendship.

On my birthday that year, we all went to the Bruins game and it was a pretty good time. We closed out the night at Burger King, where I remember Janelle Lafreniere and I watched a hit and run from the drive thru. I was 17 now. Also, I remember I gave a Veterans Day speech in front of the entire school...what?

I ended the year getting pulled over for the first time for speeding. It certainly would not be the last time I got pulled over for speeding. Frankly, I dont see the point of driving slow. The whole point of transportation is to get from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. Doing it in the fastest way possible, providing you are not reckless, is the way to do it. I was let off with a warning and it would be my first and only time being pulled over by a Tewksbury cop.

Alright, I think I'm done with 2001.

-- Boosh