Did you hear that disgraced former NY State Senator Guy Vellela is sharing a cell block on Rikers Island with the rapper Shyne? That has sitcom written all over it.

More fallout from Sunday’s tsunami in South Asia. The death toll is now estimated as 116,000 and rising. 116,000!!! I cannot even fathom that number. Villages were completely wiped out and if that’s not bad enough, it is feared that a high death toll will result from diseases and poor health conditions. This is a tragedy unparalleled in my memory and the wealthy nations of this world must open their wallets to help. Otherwise we condemn the survivors to their deaths. Thus far, the U.S. has pledged $35 million. This is a laughable amount considering that we spend five times that amount EACH DAY in Iraq and that they’re planning on spending $40 million for Bush’s inauguration. We must give more and I am sure that we will. With the United States’ credibility in the world at a recent low (thanks to perceptions over Iraq) we cannot afford to appear stingy in this regard.

And now the Year in Review continues!

May
I worked with Ben and Gabe on the launch of VassarChat.com. After a fast start it quickly fizzled out but we’re considering revamping and relaunching it. One of my co-workers passed away from a heart attack and I attended my first Catholic funeral. Met the famous historian David McCullough. I reunited with some of my co-workers from many years ago at a political fundraiser. I attended Sarah’s birthday party and met the Anonymous Blogger but had to pretend that I didn’t know who he was since he was still anonymous at the time. Our biggest event of the year was held at work – the Coney Island Beach Opening – and Mayor Bloomberg gave me his kazoo.

June
Went to my 5-year college reunion and had a blast. Got a digital camera and started occasionally posting pictures to my blog. Had a job interview for a position that, as of this date, still hasn’t been filled. Became increasingly busy and bogged down at work. made more tolerable by frequent lunch outings. Gave Sarah a tour of Brooklyn including Park Slope and Coney Island.

July
One of my friends from college was killed in a car accident. After posting about her on my blog, traffic increased dramatically and people who knew her from all stages of her life started leaving comments and using it as a tribute page. I also decided that I would start thinking about moving out of my studio apartment into a bigger place. This remains my primary goal for 2005. On my blog, I did my own version of "I Love the 90s" summarizing my life in each year of that decade. I saw a bunch of Brooklyn Cyclones games. On the dating front, after not worrying about it for a couple of months, I did find time to meet up with one other person. And I met many bloggers at a They Might Be Giants concert in Prospect Park.

August
I started attending Tuesday Night Trivia at the Baggot Inn and became closer friends with many of the bloggers who I’d already gotten to know through surfing their sites. I also welcomed Ben back to NYC who had just moved here from Cali. I took some time off of work to recharge the batteries and met up with my uncle who gave me the grand tour of the Empire State Building. I watched some of the Olympics and tried to avoid watching the Republican Convention but I did experience some of it up close while walking though Manhattan. With my mind on other things, I cancelled my JDate subscription.