Whew! What a year! One Ph.D. finished, 118 movies viewed, several trips to each coast, a new company started, and a move to New York!!! Here’s a month-by-month rundown of the events of 1997 for little old moi:

January arrived especially warmly, partly due to the fact that I began it in the Bahamas! When we got back, I began teaching yet another chemistry class at IU that I hadn’t taught before (read- extra work for the guy low on the totem pole) as a visiting faculty member. I gave a seminar to my colleagues in the chemistry department in preparation for a seminar I gave in April in San Francisco. In between, we had lots of snow and I got in some decent skiing (for Indiana!) when the air was not filled with the sound of thesis-writing.

On April 28th, I successfully defended my Ph.D. and was awarded my degree and a promotion to Assistant Professor. In May, I RELAXED!!! On one particularly hot day, I was sitting in the sun with a fire truck all day at a car show and FORGOT I had tickets to see ELO in concert (coincidentally the first group I ever paid to see, at age 15). ‘Twas a typical absent-minded professor move, but surely the dumbest and costliest one I’ve made to date. Late in the month, I took a trip to Atlanta to visit Grandma and friends Mike and Jimmy, and on to Florida to visit Mom. (I don’t think I forgot anything then...)

At the beginning of June, I went to NY for another acting workshop. Upon my return, it had become clear that my acting, and my best friend Leona’s medical school lives were not going to be compatible for the foreseeable future. We parted friends and have seen each other a few times since her move away.

In July, I actually got momentarily bored, and with my love of movies, I decided to begin a new entrepreneurial venture. Few companies sell movies via the internet, so I set up my own shop. Movies2GO has 40000 titles which are sold 20% below retail at movies2go.com if you want to tell your friends and neighbors! (NOTE: AS OF 1999, THIS SITE IS NO LONGER ONLINE. ANY SITE AT THIS URL IS NOT MINE. DESPITE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE FOUNDER OF AMAZON STARTED OUT TO DO, MOVIES2GO WAS NOT ABLE TO STAY IN BUSINESS DUE TO SITES LIKE AMAZON SELLING PRODUCTS AT A LOSS...BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY.) Also in July, another house down the street went up for sale, and with the new mall coming in across the highway, Mom and I decided it would be a good investment, so we snagged it. It required no work, unlike past experiences, though I did have my first run in with corrupt union electricians.

Justin bought an awesome and HUGE duplex in Boston, so I delivered his furniture from my house to his at the start of August (yes, of course I forgot a few things!). While there, my friend Chuck managed to get us free tickets to Queensryche. Later in the month, I attended my 10 year high school reunion in Atlanta and got to see Jimmy and Mike again, along with friends Stephanie and Mike from IU who now work down there.

September brought the start of yet another class I hadn’t taught! That month, IU also offered me a position for the following semester (for a class I had taught!)…. However, Grandma called in a huge favor and found me a place to stay in NYC, so I resigned my position at IU in preparation for the BIG MOVE to the big apple.

October saw my 28th birthday and a big party at the house. My oil spill recovery company was also called into action for a road spill/accident that had the highway through Bloomington completely closed. November saw, among other things, several nasty fires, 2 suicides within a mile of the house within 30 minutes of each other, and Veruca Salt in concert. I was to be cast as the Ghost of Christmas Present in a local production of A Christmas Carol (the director said he wanted that part to be “a bit insane”!), but had to decline the role, as I was going to be out of town opening night! Later in the month, the company was again called to action for a government compliance survey of a local business. If I could get 10 of those a year, I’d be a happy man! Thanksgiving was spent in Boston at Justin’s with Mom and Grandma.

And here we are in December, with cold weather and snow again. (Actually, the first snow this year was November 3rd.) I gave my last final exam on the 12th, and am preparing for the BIG MOVE on the 26th. I have my house rented to a friend of a friend who’s working on his Ph.D. and can look after things in Indiana for me. When I get to NY, I’m supposed to have lunch with the Chairman of the Cooper Union chemistry department and meet with several casting directors and the talent scout from the workshops. Then, I’ll just pound the pavement and give my picture to as many agents as will see me. My phone number in IN will still have a machine for me on it, and my pager number will remain the same, so we can stay in touch.

Peace and love in the coming year and always,
Kevin