Even though I plan on making some fairly standard lists like I did last year (top 10 records, top 10 worst album covers, etc.), I thought I should do something that's a bit more personal and reflects moments in 2008 that are memorable to me. And it's become pretty common for me to slam my fist on the keyboard to type an all-caps jumble that looks something like this:

;KLSDAFJLADFS8@#$43GF LJDAFGJKL@#$$%#QAJGFKLS;

So, let's frame my year this way: Here are the top 10 moments in 2008 that caused me to use ALL CAPS OMG WTF HOLY GOD. —MarkEdge, Buzznet community manager, panasonicyouth

10. Meeting KasperObscene
What? You didn't even know this happened? Ok seriously, Kasper and I suck so much because we did not take A SINGLE PHOTO OF THE EVENT. At all. So, basically, you have to rely on my SUPER POWERFUL INTERNET SKILLS TO CONVEY HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS.

Examples:





SO YEAH. Would I lie on Twitter? I DON'T THINK SO.

We ate vegan food. We saw Strike Anywhere and Hot Water Music. We waited for the Metro for 80343204893280 hours. He wasn't here long enough, but it was long enough to FOREVER CEMENT HIM IN MY HEART.

Come back, duder!

9. Cloverfield



OH GOD, NOT EVEN THE BEST MOVIE EVER AND SLIGHTLY DISAPPOINTING UPON SECOND THOUGHT, BUT HOLY HELL, IT WAS SO MUCH FUN AND IT WAS A TOTAL EXPERIENCE SO THERE.

I don't know why I didn't write the official Buzznet movie review of Cloverfield in all caps. Because I basically drooled my fanboy obsession all over that film. Kind of embarrassing? Probably.

I still like the film a whole lot. There's a part of me that feels that Matt Reeves and J.J. Abrams chose such uninteresting/vacuous characters specifically because it's more fun to watch people you despise get torn apart. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but the whole movie was so ambitious and ridiculous and over the top and actually frightening that I still like it. BECAUSE HOLY CRAP DID YOU SEE THE SUBWAY SCENE? KILL ME NOW.

Good job, guys. Now don't make a sequel and let it just be what it is.

8. Hearing Brokencyde for the first time.
In my head, I thought, "I have to make this list positive. There's got to be only things on this list that best represent your personality, intelligence, and the positive events of the past year." But I'm past that kind of thinking, because this year, I was introduced to Brokencyde.

Oh, what's that? You've never heard them? Then let me do the extreme displeasure of introducing you to this non-ironic musical douchebaggery:



Now, I realize that writing about them perpetuates their music, exposes it to more people, and, inherently, increases their popularity. I am willing to take this risk in order to make a stand against a number of things present in this video/abomination of a song:

• The lyrics. I don't even need to have a cursory explanation. It's obvious.
• WHY IS HE SCREAMING THE SAME LYRICS THE OTHER GUY JUST SANG?
• Vocoders. Digital voice manipulation. 
• Portraying women as nothing but accessories to their shitty music.
• The incredible number of references to alcoholism, despite the fact that there is no real alcohol in the bottle.
  
• This entry on SongMeanings.net. Fursachi? Really???
  
• Even Warren Ellis hates you! Seriously, that's a death sentence just by itself!

Ok, ok, why is this even on the list? Especially considering how important all the other items are that surround it. Whining about a subjective opinion surely isn't that significant.

If you're thinking this, watch that video again. PEOPLE SPENT TIME MAKING THAT VIDEO. Studio space was rented. Microphones were spit on. Bunny suits were found. And all for this ultimate ending.

SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THIS. WHY. WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS. Please someone explain this to me. Preferably if you're in Brokencyde. KTHX.

7. The Vice Presidential debates
After a long break from live-blogging and after an even longer stretch where I didn't blog about politics, I felt the time was right for me to crack open my pseudo-education and rant away, my caps lock just a pinky away.

And seriously, it was a long, painful, terrifying, and hilarious ride. All made better by the comments provided by Buzznet.

But it was seriously such a bizarre moment, not just in my life, but on a national level. And I'm sure those who don't live in the United States thought the same thing: This caricature of a human is actually eligible to be the vice president?

Here are some of my favorite moments from the LiveBlog:

• 6:05pm: IT FUCKING TOOK HER 20 SECONDS TO TELL A STUPID STORY THAT ISN'T TRUE. OHMYGOD PLEASE DON'T VOTE FOR HER. Also, she isn't really answering the question.
• 6:10pm: JOE SIX PACK. HOCKEY MOMS. HOLY FUCKING SHIT, PLEASE STOP IT.
  
  6:11pm: Sarah Palin, if the economy in America is not our fault, WHOSE FAULT IS IT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
  
  6:12pm: Palin pretty much blew Ifill off. "Would you like to address the health care issue?" NO I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT I WANT, STUPID MODERATOR.
• 6:49pm: Just as Sarah Palin started repeating, word for word, our current president's words about people "hating freedoms," Richard yelled out, "GUANTANAMO WHAT?" God Bless his pumpkin-ale-filled soul.
• 7:12pm: "Her reward is in Heaven." ALSO PALIN MADE A FUCKING SHOUT OUT.
  
  Let me repeat that.
  
  SARAH PALIN JUST MADE A SHOUT OUT TO THIRD GRADERS. Complete and utter loss.

Ah, what a joy.

6. LOST: The season four finale
SERIOUSLY DID YOU WATCH THE FINALE? DID YOU?

Let me reiterate why this deserves a spot on the list and why it deserves all caps. I don't care if you hate this show or if you've never watched it. I'm not here to defend that at all. You can continue not watching or hating the show and this doesn't bother me one bit. It's not for everyone. But I love it and Season 4 redeemed everything that was weird and unnecessary in Season 3.

Oh yeah. And the finale? (Spoiler ahead.)



WHAT THE FUCK THE ISLAND DISAPPEARED HOW DOES AN ISLAND DISAPPEAR OH MY GOD THIS IS THE BEST SHOW ON TELEVISION.

Yeah.

5. Barack Obama wins the presidential election

Fact: I did not vote for Obama. I vote based on who I support, not who I think will win. Perhaps this isn't practical or pragmatic, but my conscience would drive itself guilty if I voted for someone I couldn't put my heart behind.

Obama voted to spread immunity to the telecom agencies who spied on us. He doesn't support gay marriage openly (though he condemned Prop 8 too....hmmm). His universal healthcare plan doesn't include a mandate to have every American pay into the system. (That's not universal health care by definition alone.)

Despite her bizarre focuses and odd behavior, I voted for Cynthia McKinney (Green Party) because I felt she was the best person for the job. Of course she wasn't going to win. That's not why I voted for her.

But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I was totally shocked and overwhelmed when, just around 8:00pm on Tuesday, November 4, 2008, Barack Obama was declared the next President of the United States.

Obviously, just by being elected, sweeping reforms aren't going to come to Washington. I don't expect much to be changed for a few years. And I still don't agree with all his politics.

BUT HOLY GOD AMERICA ELECTED A BLACK MAN AS PRESIDENT! AND ONE WHO CAN COMPLETE FULL SENTENCES!

I had to have a moment of happiness before I learned that....

4. Prop 8 passed

GAH. WHAT THE HOLY HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU CALIFORNIA? You are supposed to be a godless, liberal state full of heathens and sodomites! And in 24 hours, you ADD AN AMENDMENT TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION THAT SPECIFICALLY REMOVES THE RIGHTS OF AN ENTIRE GROUP OF PEOPLE, OF WHICH I HAPPEN TO BE A PART OF.

The polls in Los Angeles closed right when Obama was announced as the winner. (Which creates a hilarious scenario: What if you were a McCain supporter and you rushed to vote by 8pm here in Los Angeles and you made it just in time and then BAM IT IS ANNOUNCED OBAMA WON HAHAHAHAHAHA YOUR VOTE DIDN'T MATTER. Ok, that's mean. Whatever.) Anyway, I was elated for about....20 minutes? Then the preliminary numbers for prop 8 started rolling in and any happiness I had was long gone.

It's a bizarre feeling to become a second class citizen in just a matter of hours. (And really, that's what I've become, right? I have a different set of rights and privileges than the citizens in California who happened to have been born as heterosexuals.) It's emboldened my activism and caused me to be even more involved in the fight for civil rights than I have ever been. It sucks that it's taken this event for the activist community here in LA and around the world to become this inspired, but it needed to happen. (And I'll address something specific about Prop 8 towards the end of the list.)

3. Completing the First Annual Los Angels Urban Double Century

A double century, in the cycling world, is a ride that encompasses 200 miles.

;JDSAFHJLSDFLJKASDF;IUWERHIJFAK

YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT. I RODE 200 MILES ON MY BIKE OH MY GOD WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?

This was actually less than two weeks ago.  Want to see a map? HAVE FUN WITH THIS.

Basically, it looked like this:



OH MY GOD LOOK HOW FAR THAT IS.

We started riding at 9:30am and I didn't roll into the finish until just after 5:00am. The following day.

OH YEAH I DIDN'T INCLUDE THIS IN MY INTRO BUT I DID THE ENTIRE THING ON A FIXED GEAR BIKE. YEAH I DIDN'T HAVE GEARS OH MY GOD.

Check it:



There's my beauty. I rode it with a 48/16 gearing, which is a NIGHTMARE going up hills. Oh yeah, hills? Check this out. I rode up Mulholland Highway AND Rancho Palos Verde in one ride.

Here's Mulholland Hwy, which branches off of Las Virgenes and climbs through the Santa Monica Mountains:



Most terrifying uphill/downhill combination of all time. I can't believe I did it:

1. Fixed
2. In the dark
3. In the middle of a double century
4. FIXED.

Here's Rancho Palos Verdes:



Tons of hills. Tons of them!

I didn't ride a bike for three days afterwards. I was in so much pain. And of course the first thing I thought was, "So how do I beat this personal record now?"

I am insane.

2. Completing the AIDS Life/Cycle

I think half of this list is just evidence that I like to do things that are unreasonable and probably stupid. LIKE BIKING FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO LOS ANGELES WHY WOULD I DO THAT OH LORD THAT IS SO FAR.

Check out my Buzznet journal chronicling the experience of riding in ALC7 this year. One of the more sobering, emotional, and inspiring things I've ever done in my life; hell, I even consider it the best thing I've ever done. (Oh yeah, I'm doing it again in 2009! Help out!)

I don't think I can say it better than I did in my journal above; just reading it fills me with joy. I can't wait to do it again! OH YEAH THAT'S RIGHT I AM DOING IT FIXED WTF IS WRONG WITH ME OH GOD.

1. Getting arrested at an anti-Prop 8 rally

HAHAHAHA CAN I PUT ANYTHING ELSE AT #1? I WOULD BE CRAZY NOT TOO.

Sigh. What a terrifying, dehumanizing, and insane experience. And surreal! Surreal is a good word for it.

I mean, what is there to say? I was arrested for....well, I'd still like to know, considering I was told two different things when I was arrested, another charge when I was booked, and then yet another charge when I had my hearing with the City Attorney's office.

No really. I've made a nice flowchart to demonstrate this to you:



Sigh.

Check out MiseryxChord's liveblog on our arrest, as well as Rich's statement and my statement.

I'm happy to say that both Rich and myself had our charges dropped by the city attorney's office last month. The rep told us, "We aren't going to file charges in a case you would clearly win." Awesome.

While I'm glad this chapter in my life has passed, the next one begins soon. I'm waiting back to hear from the ACLU, to see if they'll take on our case against the LAPD. If you can help with legal advice, please do. I don't want to let the LAPD off on this one at all.

BECAUSE OH MY GOD DID YOU SEE THAT VIDEO WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT GUY JEEZ I WAS JUST HELPING SOMEONE OUT

Here's to 2009. I can't imagine it getting even crazier than this year, but I won't be surprised if it does.