Life of Brian

2005

Twenty years ago.  One more kid to go.  So much more to know.  Two thousand and five.  Was this a good year for you?  Anything extra ordinary happen?  Did any of you win the super lotto!  The most I've ever won picking numbers is ten bucks.  I don't even play the lotto anymore.  Sure, when it gets up to seventy quadbillion, I'll spend a buck or two, literally.  Buying scratch off's is so much more fun.  I've purchased my fair share, in fact, my parents and I would drive to a local store that sold these scratchers, buy one for each of us and if we won anything, we'd drive to the next location and buy some more with our winnings.  This was actually quite fun.  We'd never win more than twenty or thirty bucks, so basically, we got most of the enjoyment out of driving around and spending time together.  Every once in a gas tank we'd win something sizable and be able to put some cash back in our pockets.  Most outings we'd end up going to three sometimes four different stores after winning enough to buy another round of tickets.  But winning anything substantial, was rare.  It's a scam I tell you.  I do have friends who've won thousands off of scratchers.  My mom has won $500 on a single ticket.  But how much have those people spent before winning big?  Probably twice the amount of their winnings.  The Lottery knows what they are doing.  Yet, driving around our little town spending about ten bucks each was actually quite fun.  If we'd lose right off the bat, well, that was the end of that.

Sarah and I were in the thick of working.  Making car payments, paying rent, buying toys, diapers, formula, food, and sometimes we'd go out to eat.  We lived in a nice duplex.  I called it an apartment in my last post, but it was actually a duplex.  We had our first garage at this place which was super nice.  It allowed us to store even more junk.  Early in the year I had saved enough to purchase my first quad.  I think the MSRP was $5500.00.  I absolutely love riding.  My cousin Mike had quads, and he would let me ride them from time to time.  Pismo Beach had sand dunes, and you could ride out there.  One trip was all it took, and I was hooked.  The dunes were my drug.  I still ride to this day and any place with sand dunes is hands down my favorite type of riding.  I'd spend hours in that little garage of ours cleaning and shining up my quad.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  Pledge on plastic keeps it shiny for years to come.  Maybe you already knew this.  I still have this quad, and it still runs very well.  Our two little girls were happy and healthy.  With both of us working, Sarah and I were tremendously lucky to have her mother Linda and her Aunt Sharon watch over our kids while we were at work.  My mom also helped out when she could, but living two hours north made that a bit hard.  Sarah and I never had to hire a babysitter for any of our children!  For that, I am eternally thankful.  Ironically, our landlords last name was the same as mine.  He and I got along very well.  I'd help him do repairs around the duplex and we'd even actually go out to lunch a few times.  He loved to fly model airplanes and had four or five of them that he showed me at his home.  John Turner was a nice man, and a great landlord.  After the tragic event in the unit next to us, our old neighbor moved out and we got new neighbors.  A young couple close in age to Sarah and I moved in.  We'd become good friends with these neighbors, and they would live there beyond when we moved out and purchased our first home.  They too would raise little ones in that duplex, and we have pictures of our kids playing in a kiddy pool in the driveway.  The following ten years were very rewarding.  Looking back at these years It's hard to believe they went by so incredibly fast!  The age of 25 to 35 is a complete blur.  So much was going on, our lives were so busy, that the years literally flew by!

Some events that stand out in the world in the year 2005.  Hurricane Katrina would hit the southern United states, killing 1,836 people.  I remember watching news footage of the devastating flooding and all those poor people who were living in football stadiums sleeping on cots.   The first video to ever be uploaded to YouTube was called "Me at the zoo".  Saddam Hussein sat in front of an Iraqi judge to face punishment.  The United States Military found him in a hole in the ground.  The Gulf War lasted from 2003 to 2011.  A coalition force was established with several other countries sending troops.  The U.S. had between 192,000 and 466,000 personnel committed to this operation.  Four thousand five hundred and eight American soldiers gave their lives during the gulf war.  Over thirty-two thousand were wounded.  Up to forty-five thousand Iraqi's were killed.  A serial killer in the state of Kansas who was known as the BTK killer, would be arrested.  This man had been killing people since 1974.  He was finally caught after sending a floppy disk to investigators in which investigators were able to track back to his church computer.  This man was a boy scout leader, as well as a compliance officer in his local town.  Most knew him as an ordinary man, yet he had killed over ten people.  The state of Kansas did not have the death penalty during these years and so this man was sentenced to life in prison.

Condoleezza Rice was sworn in as the first Black female Secretary of State in Jan of 2005.  If she were to run for president of the United States, she'd absolutely have my vote.  She attended Stanford where she honed her reputation as an expert in Soviet affairs.  She would replace Colin Powell.  Martha Stewart was released from prison in March of 05.  She had lied about some stock investments.  The Olympic Park Bomber plead guilty to avoid the death penalty.  Prince Charles would finally wed his mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles.  This occurring eight years after Princess Dianna's fatal car crash.  In Atlanta Georgia, a man wanted for murder was finally arrested after spending three days perched atop a crane.  Danica Patrick would become the first woman to lead the Indy 500.  In May, former FBI assistant director W. Mark Felt would be officially named as "Deep Throat", the secret source who helped unravel the Watergate scandal.  Ford would produce the last Thunderbird ever made In July of 05.  

Average home prices in the U.S. in 2005 were $297,000.00.  The national average price of gasoline was $2.30 a gallon.  Car prices in 05 ranged as follows.  A Lincoln LX V6 cost $26,590.00.  On the lower end models, a Hyundai Accent cost $10,544.00.  I was driving a 1998 Toyota Tacoma 4x4.  I still see this truck roaming around Ojai.  I cannot imagine the number of miles it must have. 

Movies in 05 included Cinderella Man, Pride and Prejudice, and Lord of War.  Top songs in the charts included Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" and Green Day's "American Idiot".   T.V. shows that were popular included Greys Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Prison Break and BONES.  

Two thousand and five would fly by.  I had the night supervisor job down.  Sarah was excelling at NHH, things were looking up and I must have won at least forty dollars on scratchers.  We'd add one more little human next year.  The last of our little family.  

"I do read, but it suits my image to appear dumb.  It's what the public likes."

-Paris Hilton