2000

2000
Springfield, PA

My age: 44- 45

School- I took hand drumming at the Main Line Night School in Ardmore, PA.  I sucked at drumming.

Work-  Principal- Springfield High School Springfield High School, Springfield, PA.  There are 1200 students and 100 staff members.   This was my first academic year here.

Music

• I looked at the top 100 songs of the year and did not recognize one song or most of the artists.
• I listened mostly to world music at this time.
• Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell was released.  Her voice is much deeper after years and years and years of smoking.  And she orchestrated this rendition.  I love it.
• I would go to Border's Book Store on a regular basis and just walk around the store and listen to music.
• I gutted a closet in my bedroom and made that area my music center.  I would sit in there and just listen to multiple CDs throughout the evening.  I liked to examine the album cover, read the lyrics and discover the contributing musicians.

Movies

• Crouching Tiger- I usually don't like action films but this movie held my attention.
• Cast Away- Even in a movie where he doesn't speak, Tom Hanks can hold my attention
• Meet The Parents- This was a fun, mindless movie.
• Chicken Run- I cheered for the chickens.
• Perfect Storm- I could never work on a fishing boat.
• Erin Brochovich- Thank god for people with courage and conviction.
• Best in Show- OMG, this movie was so fucking funny.
• Chocolat- I love Johnnie Depp.

Travels- I set a goal for the new millennium: each year, a new country, a new state and a new town in PA.

• Ireland
• New Mexico 
• Peach Bottom, PA
• California- I brought in the new year and the new millennium in San Francisco.

News events

• After some very shady events at the polls in Florida, Bush was declared the winner of the presidential election.  However, the Supreme Court had to intervene and make a decision (and the wrong decision bin my opinion).
• We all braced for Y2K  and all the computer disaster that would bring but nothing happened.

Family and friends

• o   My dad was diagnosed with lung cancer, the asbestos kind.  He think he contacted it from the battle ships when he was in the Navy.  His first round of chemo was brutal and just about killed him.
• I had to drive to Albany, NY on a few occasions to check on my great aunt who was 87, lived alone and was slipping in her mental capacities.  But she was unwilling to move out of her house.
• i hate to be a crybaby but it took too long for me to adjust to writing 2000.
• o   August (Gus) Christopher Kelly, my nephew, Brian’s son son was born in March
• o   I rented a castle in Tipperary, Ireland and invited my family to join me for the week. Sixteen of us went.  We rented a bus and hired a driver and we saw so much of Ireland in a week that I don’t think we missed anything.