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25 nostalgic things you remember from a specific year or decade!

Started by retrorussell, June 30, 2022, 03:32:12 AM

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retrorussell

2008:
1. Funny SONY commercial with Peyton Manning, Dale Earnhardt Jr., James Brown (NFL play-by-play) and the San Diego Chicken.
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2. The NBA Draft: DERRICK ROSE is taken #1 by the Bulls (and fights injuries through much of his career).  RUSSELL WESTBROOK goes at #4, KEVIN LOVE at #5, BROOK LOPEZ at #10, DEANDRE JORDAN at #35 and GORAN DRAGIC at #45.
3. Offensive tackle Jake Long goes #1 in the NFL Draft to the Dolphins, with QB Matt Ryan going to the Falcons at #3.  Ravens QB Joe Flacco is taken at #18.
4. As President George W. Bush visits the Iraqi PM in Baghdad, an Iraqi reporter takes off his shoes and throws them at Bush, who dodges them.  The reporter is removed by security and is sentenced to 3, then dropped to 2, years of prison, of which he only serves 9 months.

5. My first day of my hospital job was over 15 years ago!  I found out quick how lazy the doctor/nurse staff can be.. started out doing the Dental clinic run.  One dentist just left a pile of bloody teeth on a tray and just went home.  Gross!  Did that for a while, then switched to the 101 building (animal labs) later in 2008.  I remember not being sure which rooms I could enter to clean and casually poked my head in one room where a nurse was poking at a dead bird with a scalpel.  I was like "Oops!  Sorry.." and she was all "Nah, come on in!  Don't be shy!"  Eww..

More later..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

One more 2007:
The Minnesota Timberwolves trade away their star player KEVIN GARNETT to the Boston Celtics.  Garnett would help Boston win the NBA Finals the following year.

More 2008:
6. The Golden Globe Awards are given but the ceremony does not take place on television due to the Writer's Strike.  Instead, a simple press conference announces the winners.
7. Good win by my Bills over Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers.  In spite of the power going out in the stadium due to an electrical outage, it is still played (fortunately it took place during the day).  It seemed like Trent Edwards had recovered from the injury earlier in the season vs. the Cardinals but the Bills were bad after this game and completely wilted the rest of the season.
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8. KNIGHT RIDER returns in a made for tv film.  It is poorly received by critics.  It spawns a short-lived new series.
9. I remember rooting for the Memphis Tigers to win their first NCAA title against the Kansas Jayhawks from the waiting room next to the blood draw lab.  Alas, Kansas won 75-68.
10. David Cook wins season 7 of American Idol.
11. Classic TV channel THIS TV is formed.
12. Tom Brady suffers a torn ACL in the first game during the 2008-09 NFL season that forces him to miss the rest of the season.  QB Matt Cassel replaces him and the Patriots *just* miss the playoffs at 11-5.  The Dolphins, who won only one game the previous season, win the AFC East!
13. Game 5 of the World Series is suspended in the 6th inning due to rain.  It is completed 2 days later.
14. Manny Pacquiao defeats Oscar de La Hoya in the "Dream Match" in Las Vegas by TKO in the 9th round.
15. Trevor Immelman wins his first major (Masters).  Tiger Woods ekes out a US Open win over Rocco Mediate.
16. Venus Williams beats her sister Serena in womens' Wimbledon championship.
17. TROLLFACE meme debuts (often seen with "U Mad Bro?" or something similar):

18. The USA Olympic basketball team atones for their ghastly showing 4 years prior by winning the gold medal.
More to come..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

2005 tidbit: the absurd (but funny) comedy series STELLA debuts.  Worth checking out!

19. After being nominated 3 times but not winning (Malcolm In The Middle), Bryan Cranston finally wins an Emmy for BREAKING BAD.
20. Funny CollegeHumor episode: Why Girls Don't Fart.
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21. .And "Vibrator Boyfriend":
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22. ..And Reindeer STD:
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23. Bad movies: THE LOVE GURU, THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE, DISASTER MOVIE, ONE MISSED CALL, PROM NIGHT, 10,000 BC, SAW V, COLLEGE ROAD TRIP, MAX PAYNE.
24. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN wins Best Picture and Best Actor (Javier Bardem) Oscars.
25. The late great Heath Ledger improvised this funny scene in THE DARK KNIGHT:
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"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

Another 2008: Brett Favre retires, then un-retires and communicates with the Vikings, hoping to play for them instead of Green Bay (they are already grooming Aaron Rodgers into being the new starter).  Green Bay files tampering charges against the Vikings.  When Favre is re-instated by Commissioner Roger Goodell he is shortly after traded to the New York Jets.  They miss the playoffs after he suffers a shoulder injury.
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

Another 2006: Animated versions of the comic strip CYANIDE AND HAPPINESS debut!  They're hilariously bent; check them out if you haven't seen them.
One more 2008:
Actor Christian Bale ERUPTS in an angry rant on the set of TERMINATOR: SALVATION.  (NSFW language)
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2009 revisited:
1. The Samsung Galaxy debuts!
2. My brother was staying at my place for part of this year.  He slept on the futon in the guest room.  To this day, as a husband and father of two, he is a total slob.
3. Ha ha ha-- the SHAKE WEIGHT debuts!  I remember seeing commercials for it at the karaoke bar and everyone would crack up at the parallels to a hand job.
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4. At that same bar, the DJ/KJ allowed people to put their glass or pitcher of beer on her counter right near their computer equipment.. really bad idea.  It eventually resulted in a spill that screwed everything up and put the system out of commission for a few days or so.  The DJ/KJ got fired and I ordered a silly custom-made t-shirt for the alternate DJ/KJ that read "I survived the great beer spill of '09 and all I got was this stupid t-shirt".  He loved it.
5. The funny Lonely Island album INCREDIBAD debuts.  Song LIKE A BOSS is on it.
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6. SLENDERMAN debuts!

7. ANNOYING ORANGE meme debuts.
8. Singer Chris Brown attacks his girlfriend Rihanna on the eve of the Grammys.  Scheduled to appear together, he is forbidden to contact/be near her for 5 years and must attend a domestic violence class.
9. Eleven year old Jaycee Dugard is abducted and raped by Phillip Garrido and held on the property of Garrido and his wife for 18 years.  Dugard gives birth to his 2 daughters.  The Garridos serve several dozens of years (at least) for rape/abduction.
10. MacKenzie Phillips (of the group Wilson Phillips) reveals in a book that her father John (Mamas & The Papas) raped her.
11. Tiger Woods' personal downward spiral begins with an odd car crash and details of his infidelity/marital collapse coming out.
12. Popular farming simulator FARMVILLE debuts.
13. Kanye West has another weird outburst, storming the stage of the MTV Music Video Awards where Taylor Swift is accepting the award for Best Female Music Video.  West complains that "Beyonce had one of the best music videos of all time" for SINGLE LADIES.
14. The Black Eyed Peas spend 26 weeks out of the year at #1 with Boom Boom Pow and I Got A Feeling.
15. Bad movie STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI is released.  I remember it well because a bartender at the karaoke bar dressed up as Chun-Li.. and looked pretty damn good!
16. Sported one of my best Halloween costumes ever-- dressed up as the videogame character DIG DUG and went with my sister and her friend for karaoke and to enter the Halloween contest there.  I won first place and $100!

More to come..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

17. Susan Boyle catapults to fame on BRITIAN'S GOT TALENT.
18. CollegeHumor had a lot of funny videos.  This one about the Monopoly guy cracked me up:
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19. Almost bought a HUGE house right off of highway 99 in Tigard OR.. would have had to do a lot of work on it though.  Big Mexican family trashed it-- would have needed to replace all the carpet, gotten an exterminator over (ants), and more.. but if a bunch of people wanted to share the expenses (there were probably 5 or 6 bedrooms) it would have been worth it in the long run.  Would have gotten it for $180,000 initially but their agent wanted more.  Glad I passed, though the location would have been great. 
20. Also had a good look at a flag lot 2 story house, but got outbid at the last second.  All in all, I'm really glad where I'm at.
21. Silly (and profane) Lonely Island song I'M ON A BOAT with T-Pain (NSFW for language):
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22. One of the all-time overplayed songs: BAD ROMANCE by Lady Gaga.  Ugh!
23. Actress (CLUELESS) and voice of Luanne from KING OF THE HILL, Brittany Murphy, dies of prescription drug abuse at age 32.
24. Disgusting South Park episode with a water park where the patrons pee in the water (and of course, the water is completely replaced by pee).  So gross.. my friend and I were just laughing at how stupid an episode it was:
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25. Commercials:
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"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

2010:
1. Great South Park episode spoofing the "controversial" book CATCHER IN THE RYE.  The boys make their own book just to be disgusting and the adults mistake it for a brilliant allegory.  It is called "The Tale Of Scrotie McBoogerballs" and its sequel is "The Poop That Took A Pee".
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2. Funny part of the show INTERVENTION.  A former boxing star turns to drugs and alcohol.  Upon an intervention set up by his son, the boxer emits a very silly-sounding cry!  I remember when I first saw this I was laughing till I hurt.
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3. Funny SNL musical skit with Andy Samberg as a coke-snorting guy who gets more and more unhinged as the skit unfurls.  I remember the DJ at the karaoke bar sometimes stopping to play a funny video and he pulled up this:
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4. The super-annoying Samsung Galaxy "whistle" tune for a message/notification debuts.  I would hear this on the bus and just think some annoying person was whistling to themselves. 
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5. The little yellow critters called Minions from the film DESPICABLE ME get major recognition:

More later..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

One more 2007:
David Hasselhoff is filmed by his daughter while very, very drunk and it prompts him to recover from alcoholism.
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Back to 2010:
6. My sister and I went to see the funny film SUPER.  A guy (Rainn Wilson from THE OFFICE) loses his wife to a scummy nightclub owner (Kevin Bacon!) who gets her hooked on drugs.  The weight of this and his disgust at people getting away with a wide spectrum of infractions-- from simply cutting in line at the movies to violent crime-- leads him to don a superhero costume and mete out violent justice to perpetrators of the above.  Very dark humor and gorily violent; not for the squeamish.  We both thought it was funny and loved this opening animated sequence.
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7. Other 2010 films: TRON, INSIDIOUS, GET HIM TO THE GREEK, HOT TUB TIME MACHINE, SHUTTER ISLAND, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PT. 1, ROBIN HOOD, CLASH OF THE TITANS, IRON MAN 2, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER, THE WOLF MAN, INCEPTION, LEGION, THE CRAZIES, and the stinker THE LAST AIRBENDER.
8. Olympic Georgian luger Nodar Kumanatashvili is killed in a training run during the Winter Olympics' opening day events.
9. Larry King ends his long-running show LARRY KING LIVE.
10. DOCTOR WHO's list of doctors reaches eleven with the debut of Matt Smith.
11. Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol and the Lakers, down 3-2 to the Boston Celtics, come back to win the NBA title.
12. Lebron James leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign with the Miami Heat (he will return to the Cavs later in the decade).
13. Beloved game show announcer Charlie O'Donnell dies.  Guest announcers fill in for him on WHEEL OF FORTUNE.
14. The funny BLUE MOUNTAIN STATE debuts.
15. Other TV debuts: PIT BOSS, UNDERCOVER BOSS, WWE NXT, JUSTIFIED, SCOOBY DOO MYSTERY INCORPORATED, LOUIE, THE BIG C, NIKITA, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, MIKE & MOLLY, HAWAII FIVE-O, BLUE BLOODS, MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC, THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS, LUTHER, SHERLOCK, THE WALKING DEAD, and the cartoon series YOUNG JUSTICE, TRANSFORMERS PRIME, and the great animated shows THE AVENGERS: EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES and G.I. JOE: RENEGADES.
16. Series endings: HEROES (returns in 2015), AMERICAN CHOPPER (returns in 2018), NIP/TUCK, NUMB3RS, SCRUBS, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2003 version; returns in 2012), UGLY BETTY, UNSOLVED MYSTERIES (returns in 2020), COLD CASE, KING OF THE HILL, GHOST WHISPERER, LOST, 24 (returns in 2014), LAW & ORDER (returns in 2022), 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, DEAL OR NO DEAL (returns in 2018), CYBERCHASE (returns in 2013), PENN & TELLER: BULLS**T, AT THE MOVIES, CAILLOU, and THE VENTURE BROS. (returns in 2013).
17. Viral video THE BED INTRUDER SONG, which was originally an interview with a (rather illiterate) brother of a victim of attempted sexual assault:
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18. Great game RED DEAD REDEMPTION debuts!  My brother got a PS3 and this game; I played it a bit.  Me being me however, I mostly just tried to find ways of killing my character off.
19. Old Spice comes up with a weird "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" campaign.
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20. The creepy black and white game LIMBO is released, in which the child protagonist can be gorily killed in numerous ways (perhaps NSFW):
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21. KFC's "Double Down" debuts!

22. When I moved into my house everybody pitched in to help, which I greatly appreciated.  We all painted all the walls in the house, my dad's friend helped improve my bedroom ceiling, and most important of all, we replaced the boards in the deck out back.  Pulling up the boards we found a ton of razor sharp type of wood fasteners and broken glass on the ground beneath to step on..  My dad as he is wont to do replaced it with crappy used wood, and it would eventually buckle a bit when you walked on it (I eventually hired a crew to put all new boards in).
23. This was the first time I didn't own a LAN phone.  Never going back.
24. Other notable game debuts: ASSASSIN'S CREED: BROTHERHOOD, MASS EFFECT 2, SUPER MARIO GALAXY 2, the awesome SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV, MLB 10: THE SHOW, GOD OF WAR III.
25. And I had fun with this game: ROCK BAND 3.
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Being able to customize your own band was the big selling point for me-- especially since I liked making it silly/dirty.  I named my band "C*ck and the Stinktubes". XD
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

2011:
1. A computer-- an IBM Watson-- participates on JEOPARDY! and defeats former champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.
2. Popular memes of Fry from FUTURAMA thinking to himself "Not sure if..":

3. Bad movies: JACK AND JILL, SEASON OF THE WITCH, ALVIN AND THE CHIIPMUNCKS: CHIPWRECKED, THE SMURFS, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, HUMAN CENTIPEDE 2.
4. South Park's hilarious episode HUMAN CENT I.PAD (spoofing the stupid HUMAN CENTIPEDE film) is released.
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5. AI assistant Siri debuts!
6. My Bills changed their uniforms back to the mid 70s to early 80s design (still worn today).
7. This is the last year of the Pac-10 in college sports, as the inclusion of Colorado and Utah will make it the Pac-12 the following year.
8. Ashton Kutcher replaces the fired Charlie Sheen on TWO AND A HALF MEN.
9. MSNBC talk show host Ed Schultz leaves MSNBC for one week after calling Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham a slut on his radio show.
10. On THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS, Taylor Armstrong gets into a heated argument with other housewives over her husband's domestic abuse.  This leads to an internet meme several years later featuring her yelling at a cat eating vegetables.
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11. Taylor Armstrong's husband Russell is found dead of an apparent suicide.
12. The documentary 102 MINUTES THAT CHANGED AMERICA commemorates the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
13.  PIERS MORGAN LIVE takes over Larry King's old timeslot.
14. CNN reporters Anderson Cooper and Katie Couric are attacked by protestors in Egypt during the 1/25 Egypt Revolution.
15. Andy Rooney makes his final live appearance on 60 Minutes.  He dies a month later.
16. BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD returns to MTV after 14 years with new seasons.
17. Hurricane Irene causes mass destruction across the Caribbean and the US East Coast in August.
18. The Pro Football Hall Of Fame Game during the 2011 NFL preseason is the only game cancelled due to the NFL lockout.
19. Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Matt Stafford ALL pass 5,000 yards passing! (Eli Manning comes close)
20. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck turns the heads of awful teams needing a QB in the 2012 NFL draft, prompting the quote "suck for Luck".
21. My Bills nab their only victory at Toronto (they played a total of 6 games there from 2008-13), smoking the Washington Redskins 23-0 (we had NINE sacks!).
More to come..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

One more 2003:
What a weird finish-- the Saints needed a win in Jacksonville to squeak into the playoffs.  Things looked grim but after a number of laterals on the final play they score a TD to come within one point of tying it up!  But.. they blow the extra point try!
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One more 2010:
Though my Bills were really disappointing this season this was a great, resilient victory in Cincinnati over the Bengals.  We got down early by quite a bit but roared back with a monster performance by Stevie Johnson.  I loved his t-shirt featuring a quote from THE DARK KNIGHT: Why so serious?
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Back to 2011:
22. Though my Blazers were not likely to beat the Mavericks in the NBA playoffs, the return of oft-hobbled star Brandon Roy spurred the team to mount a tremendous comeback in game 4 to tie the series.
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23. A low-scoring affair in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship results in a win for Connecticut over the Butler Bulldogs 53-41.
24. Kyrie Irving is taken at #1 overall in the NBA Draft.  Kawhi Leonard goes at #15.
25. Commercials:
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"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

Re-visiting 2012:
I don't recall posting this one yet:
1. THE FAIL MARY!
Perhaps the weirdest ruling of all time in football history.  The Seattle Seahawks-- notorious for getting gifted calls-- get the ultimate at the end of a Monday Night game with the Packers when Russell Wilson heaves a ball downfield and a Packer intercepts it in the end zone.  His feet touch and a crowd collapses with him.  A Seahawk then takes the ball away-- and is awarded the touchdown?!!
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I remember cleaning out the pre-op unit (as part of my run having to clean the post-op unit as well) while watching this, and having to stop and watch the end.  Absolutely bonkers..
2. The "Grumpy Cat" meme debuts.
3. The NFL hires replacement referees!  They no doubt were instrumental in the call for the above final play.
4. The Korean meme video "Oppa Gangnam Style" is launched.  I always called it "Open Condom Style".
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5. My Bills get defensive end Mario Williams, and he has some nice seasons for us with lots of sacks (though some low effort plays sometimes).  He also wears creepy red contact lenses!
6. My Bills stunk it up this year.. a couple of really bad blowout losses to good teams like the Seahawks (50-17) and 49ers (45-3), another year of missing the playoffs at 6-10, and we traded away Marshawn Lynch to the Seahawks, who would win the Super Bowl in a couple years. 
7. In case I didn't mention this play before: on Thanksgiving, Jets QB Mark Sanchez runs with the ball vs. the New England Patriots, and runs smack into the backside of one of his offensive linemen, fumbling the ball.  A Patriot picks it up and returns it for a TD.  The play is coined "The Butt Fumble".
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8. My Blazers hire former Hawks coach Terry Stotts.  He would have a good deal of success with us though he wasn't the best defensive coach.  I was happy to see us trade away guard Raymond Felton, who was overweight and mostly ineffective when he played for us.
9. The Baylor Bears Women's Basketball team wins the Women's NCAA Championship with an undefeated record of a combined regular/postseason record of 42-0!
10. Weird ending to the Super Bowl in which the Giants score a TD perhaps a bit too early, instead of milking the clock better.  D.J. Wade runs it into the end zone after trying to stumble to a stop at the 1 but falls in and gives the Pats time to drive down the field.  Fortunately for the Giants Tom Brady has to heave a Hail Mary to the end zone and it is incomplete.

More later..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

11. The Alabama Crimson Tide win the NCAA Football Championship Game over LSU 21-0.
12. Cyclist Lance Armstrong is stripped of all his medals/titles on doping charges.
13. Famed ex-NFL player Junior Seau commits suicide.
14. Johnny Manziel wins the Heisman and the Davey O'Brien awards; the first rookie to win either.
15. The NCAA agrees to a playoff format for college football.
16. Notre Dame is the surprise of the 2012 college football season with a 12-0 regular season record.
17. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a career-best season, topping 2,000 yards rushing.
18. Miguel Cabrera is the 1st player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown in Major League Baseball.
19. Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams founds "Bountygate", a practice that pays bonuses to players that inflict extra damage on opponents.  Suspensions are levied out to many, and are rescinded in December.
20. The iPad Mini is released.
21. Windows 8 Professional is released.  I have it for my laptop in the loft bedroom, and I still hate it.
22. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is released.
23. Crowdfunding website KICKSTARTER is launched.
24. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 is released.  I had to purchase this since gaming videos I tried to make couldn't handle certain graphics capabilities.
25. Commercials of 2012:
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"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

More 2013:
1. LET IT GO from FROZEN:
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2. Hit songs: ROYALS- Lorde, GET LUCKY- Daft Punk, WRECKING BALL- Miley Cyrus, WAGON WHEEL- Darius Rucker, ROAR- Katy Perry, HO HEY- The Lumineers, HOME- Phil Phillips (played on some insurance commercial all the time), THE A TEAM- Ed Sheeran
3. I remember my connecting bus often being late so I had to waste some time before the next bus to work, causing me to be just a little late (I didn't care at this point; I was overworked and they could kiss my @$$) so I'd go over to McD's in the Portland State University blocks for a bite.  Man, they had big salads then.  I tried to get on a salad kick for a while but it's just not really my thing.  I'd rather work out and take vitamins than watch what I eat that carefully.
4. I started lashing out at my douchebag boss.  He clearly liked to screw off and chat with the nursing staff in my ward, but if I sat for a break during a time I wasn't scheduled to he'd freak out and I finally lost it with him.  I told him what an awful supervisor he was.  He got mad and said he'd write me up and I laughed at him and said whatever, dude.  He slammed the door on the way out.. what a child.  He never did write me up and retired a couple years or so later.  Thank God.
5. An internet meme compares Winnie The Pooh to the Chinese Communist Party's General Secretary Xi Jinping.  China then censors all images of Winnie The Pooh.
6. The f**k...?  What a weird song/video!  THE FOX (WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY)- Ylvis
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7. Popular meme with a dog looking sideways "Doge" (often with text of its inner thoughts) debuts.

8. "This is fine" meme from a comic strip showing a dog surrounded by flames.

9. "Tuel Time"!  Starting QB (and rookie) for my Bills, EJ Manuel, got hurt and was replaced by Jeff Tuel.  Not only was he underwhelming (not that anybody had particularly high hopes) but an infamous moment had him on the sidelines not anticipating someone throwing a football to him-- it hit him square in the face.
10. Playstation 4 debuts.
11. Game console OUYA debuts.
12. My Blazers' outstanding rookie Damian Lillard wins Rookie Of The Year Award.
13. Peyton Manning (Broncos) wins the league MVP award for a league record 5th time.
14. The Blazers' stadium THE ROSE GARDEN is renamed THE MODA CENTER.
15. Bust Anthony Bennett goes #1 in the NBA Draft to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Victor Oladipo goes #2, CJ McCollum goes #10, Michael Carter-Williams goes at #11, Giannis Ante.. whatever goes at #15, and Rudy Gobert goes at #27.
More later..
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

16. The Miami Heat were down by 8 with 30 seconds left to the Spurs in game 6 of the Finals, and dramatically come all the way back to take that game and game 7 to stun San Antonio.  Ray Allen, the greatest 3-point shooter that ever lived, was instrumental.
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17. WHAT THE WHAT--?  The Iron Bowl, the game between Auburn and Alabama, has one of the crazier endings ever seen in college football.. In a tie game, Alabama with one second left tries for a 57 yard field goal to win it.  It doesn't come close, and in fact falls in the arms of an Auburn player.  He can return it-- and does-- ALL THE WAY for the game winner!
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18. Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o claims that his grandmother and girlfriend died in December of last year.  Strangely enough, it is revealed he never had said girlfriend.  It was just an online encounter with a made-up account.
19. What in the world-- after a punt, a player on the SAME TEAM AS THE PUNTER tries to return the ball!  What are you doing??  Kent State vs. Towson.
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20. Our drafted center Meyers Leonard became later renowned for his non-defense (inexcusable for a 7 footer) but teased us with this brilliant late season performance.  I remember watching it and hoping he could put it all together consistently someday-- alas..
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21. Bad movies: MOVIE 43, GROWN UPS 2, A MADEA CHRISTMAS, TEMPATION: CONFESSIONS OF A MARRIAGE COUNSELOR, AFTER EARTH, THE LONE RANGER.
22. BREAKING BAD ends!  The series concludes with Walter White succumbing to a ricocheted bullet wound as the FBI raids Jack's compound.  The song "Baby Blue" by Badfinger plays, and is a reference to the blue crystal meth Walter cooked/sold.
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23. NFL DRAFT: Eric Fisher is taken #1 by the Chiefs.  Some other big names: Ziggy Ansah at #5, Eric Reid (#18), Tyler Eifert (#21), Desmond Trufant (#22), Xavier Rhodes (#25), Deandre Hopkins (#27), Cordarelle Patterson (#29), Zach Ertz (#35), Darius Slay (#36), LeVeon Bell (#48), Jamie Collins (#52), Eddie Lacy (#61), Travis Kelce (#63), Tyrann Mathieu (#69), Terron Armstead (#75), Brandon Williams (#94), Micah Hyde (#159), Latavius Murray (#181), Jordan Poyer (#218), AJ Bouye (undrafted).
24. High school basketball player Kendrick Johnson is found dead, rolled up in a gymnasium mat in Valdosta, GA. The case remains unsolved.
25. My Blue Jays hired former skipper John Gibbons, who I always liked.  This current season was a disappointment but fortunes would soon start to change for the franchise.
"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."

retrorussell

One more 2013:
With my brother still living at my house (probably his last year there), we had a particularly cold winter and the heater conked out on us.  I had to schedule someone to get a new heater and install it.  It would take them a few days to do so, and in the meantime my brother and I had to huddle in blankets in the living room.  Ugh...

And probably 2011:
My back fence that divides my property and the apartment complex was CRAWLING with thick ivy.  It took me all night one day to cut it away.  I was beyond exhausted.

2014 re-visiting:
1. My roommate (Jake) and I went to one of the playoffs games vs. the Houston Rockets (game 4).  It was a close affair down the stretch but Mo Williams hit clutch free throws and Wes Matthews had a steal on the Rockets' final possession to win it for the good guys.  The win gave us a 3-1 series lead and we wrapped it up in game 6 on Damian Lillard's insane buzzer beater.
2. Randy Marsh of SOUTH PARK reveals that he is New Zealand singer Lorde.
3. Also Buffalo Bills: our starting QB EJ Manuel is benched in favor of veteran Kyle Orton.  He is serviceable enough to make the team competitive, at least.  Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was carried off the field by his players after a win in Detroit, causing Lions players mental anguish (he was their DC last season).  The Lions' kicking woes contributed greatly to our win.
4. This just felt like the season to finally end the playoff drought, but a close, crippling loss at lowly Oakland basically ended our hopes. I remember how p*ssed I was seeing the final score at work (I think I had to work that Sunday).  This came on the heels of a great win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
5. Shockingly both head coach Doug Marrone and quarterback Kyle Orton leave the team at the end of the season.  On my chat website buffalorumblings.com someone posted a (to us) funny comic strip of Orton and Marrone retiring happily on a nude beach (or is it Fire Island?).  Silly/weird.

6. The famed "Kermit drinking tea" meme debuts:

7. A picture of Michael Jordan (post-career) crying is also made into a meme, often with a jab at entitled sports figures.
8. Media franchise FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S debuts.
9. The ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE debuts, to raise awareness/money for ALS.
10. Bad movies: SAVING CHRISTMAS (Kirk Cameron's pet project!), TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION, THE OTHER WOMAN, SEX TAPE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, EXPENDABLES 3, LEGEND OF HERCULES, ANNIE, A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST.
11. SOUTH PARK: THE STICK OF TRUTH game debuts.
12. I was really hoping the Broncos would be the first team to be shut out in a Super Bowl.. it was close.  They got one score (and a 2 point conversion) in the 3rd quarter.  The Broncos came into the game as the #1 offense in the NFL (with some record-setting performances) but the "Legion Of Boom" shut them down.  It was fitting that a defensive player (Malcolm Butler) got the MVP award but I thought WR/returner Percy Harvin had a terrific game and also deserved consideration.
13. It may have been this year that I had a plumber and his crew come over and replace all my old rusty pipes (probably original pipes from the 50s!) and put new plastic ones in.  They were busy for about a week on it, and it cost over $7,000 bucks!  But boy oh boy was it worth it.  They did a terrific job-- added a new sink/cabinet for the guest bathroom and a brand new tub/shower for the master bathroom.  The guy must have been around 400 pounds but he did everything necessary, including crawling under the house to shut off/turn on the water.  He even put down rat traps in the crawlspace for me (I didn't know I had them).  When I know a crew is doing a good job and working hard, I buy them lunch.  I got everyone pizza.
14. The snow is particularly brutal in Buffalo for my Bills and this year was no different-- they had to re-locate to Ford Field in Detroit to play the Jets.  Fortunately they brought the heat as they clobbered New York 38-3.  TE Scott Chandler, after a touchdown, made a snow shoveling motion to celebrate.
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15. This was the year the Bills hired butterball coach Rex Ryan and his defensive coordinator brother Rob.  Rex's bombastic, arrogant personality was only in town for two seasons, neither of which produced a playoff appearance.
16. I went to the Portland Retro Gaming Convention this year with my roommate.  They're great fun.  About the only reason I would want to get up in the morning earlier than 11AM.  Bought some cool stuff-- not all of it is game-related.  They also have a free arcade full of mostly older games.
17. In addition to Ralph Wilson, other owners to pass were William Clay Ford (Lions), Malcolm Glazer (Bucs), and former coach Chuck Noll (Steelers) and legendary player Earl Morrall.
18. Former kicker Rob Bironas (Titans), famous for nailing a 60-yard game winner over the Colts in 2006, dies in a car crash.
19. This was the Blazers' last season with Lamarcus Aldridge.  I was sad to see him go.
20. Serena Williams wins the US Open in women's tennis without losing a single set.
21. Golf major champs: PGA Championship- Rory McIlroy,  Masters- Bubba Watson, US Open- Martin Kaymer, British Open- McIlroy.
22. Both men and women of the University of Connecticut win their college basketball championships.
23. This was probably the year I got my first hot tub-- it was an old one a friend of my dad's wanted to get rid of.  He just gave it to me!  It was still functional but kind of decrepit.  We tried to "roll" it off his deck and into the moving van-- we broke one of his steps. :P  Hung on to it for about 4 years.
24. Commercials:
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25. My friend Brian, who used to be my best friend but got increasingly irresponsible and whiny and was tough to be around at times, died.  He just could not put down the shot glass, even after emergency surgery on his liver.
Bonus:
Funny Weird Al parody of Pharrell Williams' HAPPY, called TACKY:
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"O the legend they say, on a Valentine's Day, is a curse that'll live on and on.."