The Chinese called it the Year of the Monkey. The United Nations dubbed 2004 the International Year of Rice. It was the year that JM Barrie’s Peter Pan, “The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up” turned 100. 2004 also marked the 100th anniversary of:
- the discovery of the Oseberg Viking burial ship;
- the discovery of the Tomb of Nefertari;
- the American Lung Association;
- Dr. Seuss’s birth;
- the wristwatch;
- air-conditioning;
- the answering machine;
- the hamburger’s introduction to America;
- stainless steel;
- the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA);
- the automatic car transmission;
- bulldozer;
- the tea bag;
- iced tea
- the banana split;
How could any year possibly rice to the occasion of honoring such a list of centenarians? Waits a minute, Oseberginning to feel my ship about to embark on another tangent, and I’se always been one tomb nefertari on New Year’s Eve when it comes to striking out in ”different” directions. I seems to recall the odd occasions last year when Ma and I could be found screaming our lungs out in association with the effort of getting Thing 1 and Thing 2, our boys who, at times would just as soon not grow up, to try a little harder Seuss to do just that. Coincidentally, the boys received wristwatches from their grandparents for Christmas this year. 2004 was certainly not a year that put a lot of wear and tear on the old air-conditioner; however, Canada did mark the answering machine’s 100th birthday with the announcement of plans to establish a national telemarketing no call registry. Americans continued to hork down gobs of hamburger even though it still wasn’t coming from Canada and; meanwhile, north of the 49th, Canada would close a hockey camp in Sudbury after 19 children and 6 staff members were stricken by the effects of hamburger tainted with the E. Coli bacteria.
So steel yourself everyone. The kick-off is upon us. Just give me a minute to shift gears (oops, make that beers) before I bulldoze my way through some of the events of 2004 as I remember them (but beer in mind that I drink to forget so don’t get too tea-ed off if I don’t bag all the big stories; or in the event that my insights sound overly bananas as I split hairs en route to a good story).