"Reflection: 2001" - August 1, 2008

Here's a new concept I'd drummed up for a "filler blog," which is something I've needed a whole lot more of as of late. This idea is called "Reflection," where I reflect on a time period of my life that I remember very fondly, and I'll generally have a reason for posting it at the time that I do (say, sometime next March there may be a 2005 one in store). Whether it be good or bad, it's a memory nonetheless, one which hasn't been posted since it occurred at a time in my life before blogging / writing was a big deal to me.

We take ourselves back to the year 2001, a time when I was only first getting into the music I listen to today. A time when I still lived in Chicago and saw no sign on the horizon of going anywhere, except maybe somewhere else in the neighborhood. A time when you thought you understood the concept of a romantic relationship, but never even had a clue. A time when your dream was to start a band and wrote the worst songs ever known to man. A time when Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Barry Bonds led Major League Baseball in home runs, before anabolic steroids were ever an issue. A time when the Twin Towers still stood high, eclipsing the sun and New York's metropolis, and George W. Bush was considered one of the best things to ever happen to this country. A time when this nation's patriotism was at an all-time high.

So funny how much changes in the course of eight years, eh? :D

In 2001, I was gonna be ten years old. To any nine year old, that's a big deal, for whatever reason. Guess it may be the whole double-digits thing? I understood it then, and frankly, I don't understand it now. Hah. I lived in Midway, still going to St. Daniel the Prophet school, third grade and fourth grade. My third grade teacher was Mrs. Collelo, and fourth grade was a swap between Ms. Bowers and Mr. Schipitz (if that's how you spell it). Sweet Mother of God, that seems like a long time ago.

I just remember third grade being a blast, getting closer to my two best friends to date (Dale and Sean), meeting someone who I'd have what could be called a "playground crush" on for about two and a half years (Lauren Cross, who ironically now goes to Lockport Township High School). I don't think anyone has surpassed that record in my book, though part of the reason is because I can't find a stable relationship. Nice job, Lauren, haha.

I remember this is when Pokemon: Gold and Silver came out, around that time at least. Haven't played that shit in years, but my God did they do the trick at the time. Everyone would talk about them, the secrets, make up lies about the things they'd catch and how they did, Gameshark secrets, etc. Those games defined the generation at the time, hands down. Hell, the whole Nintendo era did. N64 was the hottest thing around, though would soon be forgotten with the upcoming Gamecube release in November.

The summer was a blast, now that I think of it. I actually did summer camp at Valley Forge, which most of my friends were a part of. Actually helped me get closer to some people than I already was. July 5, 2001 was not a good day however. I broke my wrist roller blading, and my grandma (dad's side) had a stroke. Certainly not the brightest day in Zach Bernard history. Still, even with a broken arm, I managed to turn out alright. I remember the day of the surgery, I hadn't eaten anything for 13 hours. It was a Friday and I got out of the hospital around 10 p.m., then we stopped at Portillo's on Harlem, listened to the Cubs wrap up a LONG four hour, extra-inning game against the Detroit Tigers, and wrapped up the day. Hard to forget that one.

Speaking of the Cubs, this was one of my favorite Cubs teams in history. Managed by Don Baylor, you had Sammy Sosa, Matt Stairs, Ron Coomer, Michael Tucker, Delino DeShields (haha, Sean), Rondell White, Eric Young, a terrible Todd Hundley, Joe Girardi, Kerry Wood, Jason Bere, Jon Lieber, Jeff Fassero, and Kyle Farnsworth. We were STACKED that year, and had First Place for quite some time. I'll never forget, however, eating at a restaurant called Nick's on 79th in Chicago, watching the Cubs miserably implode against the Cincinnati Reds. Aside from a Sammy Sosa two run homer, the Cubs lost 10-2 that cold, September night. This started the Cubs September Massacre of 2001. Such potential, wasted in that month. We went from First to Third, finishing the season without going to the postseason. What a shame. And then the sad tone of the last game when the beloved Arne Harris died, and Chip Caray cried a few times because he lost a dear friend. What an awful way to end such a positive season...

Yeah, was a summer of Cubs winning, hanging with friends, taking long walks, hanging out on the porch on Sunday nights, creeping views from the front screen door to see the score of the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game. This was the time when I was first the budding music fan I am today. My favorite bands? Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and U2. I loved those three. I was also becoming a big Van Halen fan, who would be my favorite band from Winter 2001 to Spring 2007. I'll never forget ABC Family airing U2's concert from Boston in 2000, and keeping that on VHS until I picked up the DVD sometime in 2006. Also, I remember VH1's special Bon Jovi: One Last Wild Night concert, which I had taped, but lost in a move, sadly. Still looking for that one as a bootleg. That, however, remains one of the most memorable concert performances I'd ever watched on TV in my life, hands down. Mom had gotten Van Halen's "Best of Vol. 1" for Mother's Day, and that essentially began my VH saga.

So, when school started, it was fourth grade for me, for the bitch that was the young Ms. Bowers. She was the type of teacher who was young and thought her upper-hand was intimidating. Though it was nevertheless, humorous. She reported the news of the plane destroying the Twin Towers, at the time calling it a "bombing." Stupid bitch. She was replaced my Mr. Schipitz, who was such a cool, nice guy, but really wasn't much of a teacher. Things with friends really began to stabalize, and it was really the beginning of some relationships I still have with friends now, even though I don't see them like I used to.

These was also around the time when my mother started working again, and my grandfather started picking me up from school and go out to lunch afterwards. This was a routine that would continue for years to come. Until I had moved.

2001 was a year of humor, change, childish playground heartbreak, maturing with friends, meeting ones who will have made a beneficial impact on the rest of your life, and most of all, excitement. I know I jumped around a bit and ended abruptly, but 2001 was the earliest and probably the haziest of the years I plan to reflect on. There are more coming on the way, so sit tight!

-Zach