“THE DEED creates the doer almost as an afterthought.”

I’ve been pondering this Nietzsche quote the last few days, as the clock ticked over to the year of the Apocalypse. It makes me think of how I will choose to represent the year of 2011, crystalized from thousands of photos, millions of moments, and in fact, what is time when you have a growing archive of everything you’ve ever done?

On the eve of the age, it’s fitting that Facebook just released their Timeline feature – essentially allowing access to a memory once reserved for omniscient beings alone. My past years are now only a click away (2008, 2009, 2010) and now 2011.

January – Sean and I had our first major screening of the One Week Job film, to a sold out crowd. I remember saying to Sean, with nerves slightly buzzed: “You know… it’s always easier not to do things.”

February – Before getting to the cross-country One Week Job Canadian tour, I wanted to include a picture of my dog Tobi.

And now back to the tour. The funniest part about the journey was how little prepared we were for the Canadian winter. Having grown up in Vancouver, where the temperature rarely goes below zero, it was almost bizarre to have to plug your car in to keep it warm during the night. And to have more than fingerless gloves.

In late Feb, I flew to Washington, DC, (my first time), and am not embarrassed to say I felt a tinge of romantic nationalism for the ideals embodied in the Lincoln Memorial and the various other monuments.

I was actually there to shoot insightful interviews with the staff of National Geographic Traveler.

March – Breaking Free, a web-series about expats living abroad, was picked up and I hit the road with a motley crew to film in Central America.

In Nicaragua, I experienced my first “gallop on a beach,” which I might add, is extremely enjoyable. I ended up writing one of my favourite essays “Travel and the Art of Flow.”

April – Upon returning from the beach, I assisted the Vancouver crew for Playatime, part of the regional art projects to appear at Burning Man that year. My help came in the form of a video, which helped them raise funds through Kickstarter.

A few weeks later, I left for Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Shanghai, as the final leg of the Breaking Free shoot.

May – The eventual teaser turned out pretty sexy (thanks to the crew at The Werehaus).

June – I joined a solidarity fast for the two remaining hikers that were detained in Iran. I’m happy to report that they were eventually released in late Sept, proving that good things to actually happen.

Unfortunately, late June saw a repeat of the 94 Canuck riots, this time amped up on social media and hollow consumerism. I commented on the scene with Empty’s Theme Park: Reflections on the Vancouver Riot.

July – I shared the joyous wedding of my friends Robin & Ana, who are more than a little gonzo for each other.

August – Sean turned 30. So we decided to party like it was 1981.

September – Back to the playa of Burning Man, my third year and most transformative (if that’s even possible). I believe I found a costume for my alter-ego: Vision Weaver:

As well, as a gift back to the Burner community for the mind-blowing, heart-exploding Temple of Transition, I crafted a video love letter.

Sept 15 also marked the eruption of the Occupy Movement…but more on that later.

October – Karen and I headed underground for Notes from a Modern Cave Man, on Vancouver Island.

Upon our return, a fortuitous opportunity arose to film Robert Redford for the New York Times.

In late October, after having read ‘Sacred Economics’ by Charles Eisenstein, I decided to fly out to New England to stay with him for a week. The plan was to shoot a short film to share his crucial ideas at this critical juncture of humanity’s evolution. The result was “The Revolution Is Love” – currently seen by almost 200K people.

November – Let’s say… I became Occupied. I continued filming the movement here in Vancouver, sharing various perspectives via short films (as part of the upcoming Occupy Love).

And I wrote my manifesto: If We Get Occupy Right, We Get Everything Right.

December – While the physical Occupy Vancouver camp had been disbanded, the movement continues to evolve and grow behind the scenes.

As the year closes behind me, and the new, auspicious 2012 begins to unfold, I now ponder what it means to “occupy.” I believe it’s about reclaiming our presence once again. Reclaiming our lives. Reclaiming this moment.

If the deed creates the doer, than the r(e)volution will be the afterthought.

This is a bit late in coming, but like most things… it was put off until the right time.

Last year, I wrote my resolutions for 2009. Looking back on them, I realize I actually did a pretty good job.

• I attended Burning Man.
• I spoke some (passable) Spanish in Colombia.
• I spent 3 weeks working with the crew of Word Travels.
• I managed to do a fair amount of yoga (my wife, on the other hand, became a yoga teacher).

On top of these, I was spent 3 weeks on the Big Island of Hawaii with a friend and Taoist teacher.

One of the biggest events that hasn’t come to pass is the launch of the One Week Job documentary. Circumstances conspired to push the process into this year, but fortunately, the final phase of the film is about to get underway.

The biggest lesson I learned this year:

Humble introductions lead to unlimited (and unknown) opportunities.

Basically, I reaffirmed that we have an impact on people, places, and things that extend far beyond the scope of our own lives – and the best way to navigate this sea of potential is…to be aware. Every moment counts.

Which leads me to my resolutions for 2010! Here they are, in no particular order:

• Finally complete the One Week Job documentary.
• Push even more momentum into the Matador Network.
• Attend two weddings: one in Mexico, the other in Cuba.
• Celebrate family and friendship (not only during the holidays).
• Further develop my own personal Tao.

In truth…that’s all I got right now. There are so many things in the works right now, it’s impossible to predict where the road will lead.

And that’s most of the fun…