Get LOST with JOpinionated: September 2010

It only seemed appropriate on the anniversary of its debut to look back at where and who I was when Lost first aired on September 22, 2004. Below is a timeline of significant personal memories, fondly flashing back in time to the early days when I was just a fan without an online presence, voice or forum.

A television show can change your life. Lost altered my path in more ways than one.

It Doesn't Matter Who We Were, It Only Matters Who We Are

9/22/04: Lost debuted on ABC

10/20/04: I was officially hooked, thanks to episode 1.05 (White Rabbit)

8/13/05: Purchased the name and URL for JOpinionated, and started a pop culture blog

3/14/06: Posted my very first Lost entry, after episode 2.15 (Maternity Leave)

1/23/08: Created this site in order to share Lost-specific analysis only, separately from other TV/film reviews

6/20/08-7/23/08: Created Jeremy Bentham website and Facebook profile with Lost anagrams and puzzles; a short-lived summer project

7/25/08: Attended Comic-Con for the first time, asked Damon and Carlton at an EW panel about the use of the name Bentham

7/26/08: Attended the Lost panel at Comic-Con 2008

8/19/08: My first Lost interview: William Mapother (Ethan Rom)

2/18/09: Experienced the official Lost tour on Oahu via KOS Tours

4/4/09: Met writer/script supervisor/continuity guru Gregg Nations at the Lost Weekend charity event, as well as Sterling Beaumon (young Ben) and Andrea Gabriel (Nadia) - both of whom have become good friends [sidenote: I help run their FB fan pages]

6/4/09 - 1/16/10 Completed 5-season rewatch project with comprehensive analysis of each episode

7/09: Attended the Lost panel at Comic-Con 2009, met Josh Holloway, Nestor Carbonell and Jorge Garcia in the press room [also interviewed Dom Monaghan in the FlashForward press room]

1/29/10: Attended a private meet and greet party for the S6 premiere press in Waikiki; spoke with Damon and Carlton, Michael Emerson, Jeff Fahey, Daniel Dae Kim, Yunjin Kim, Nestor, Harold Perrineau and Zuleika Robinson, as well as writers/executive producers Adam Horowitz, Eddie Kitsis and Liz Sarnoff

1/29/10: Hosted a party or 120 Lost fans from around the world; Fahey made a brief appearance

1/30/10: Went on a private press tour of Lost filming locales with executive producer Jean Higgins

1/30/10: Was on the S6 premiere red carpet on the beach, interviewing the above plus Evangeline Lilly and Josh Holloway

3/15/10: Met and interviewed Elizabeth Mitchell on the set of V in Vancouver

5/23/10: Moderated a Lost panel at Jay and Jack's finale party at the Orpheum in LA, featuring Sterling, Andrea, L. Scott Caldwell (Rose), Neil Hopkins (Liam Pace), Malcolm David Kelley (Walt) and Eric Lange (Radzinsky)

8/21/10: Attended Lost Auction in LA, was a guest judge for the costume contest

I realize that I'm leaving out a few important events, but those were the first that came to mind. By the way, you can find articles about each of the above in the archives to the upper right or by searching by category in the Tabs.

First Theories

For the sake of nostalgia, I looked up my first Lost entry from 2006 and am posting some of it below. I think you'll be amused by my initial thoughts, but I have to say that I'm proud of my Looking Glass station prediction!

3/14/06

When Sayid first went exploring by himself in season one, he came across a thick black cord buried in the sand. He tracked it into the jungle but never questioned where the other end led. My theory is that there is an underwater hatch, and that cord is somehow providing electricity or power to it.
Why did flight attendant Cindy disappear and where did she go? She doesn't seem like someone that the Others would be interested in.
Isn't it a tad coincidental that Hurley would be attracted to a clinical psychologist when he used to be institutionalized? He even comments to Libby that she seems familiar. I'm sure we'll find out that she worked where he was a patient. Libby is a mystery; perhaps an Other or perhaps just an odd bird.
When Jack came across his father's coffin, it was broken but empty. Is his dad still alive and on the island? Is he an Other or somehow involved with the Dharma Initiative? Or did the airline send the coffin without the body?
The airplanes on the mobile above the crib had Oceanic logos on them. Dharma is obviously involved with Oceanic - do they own the airline?
Could the HIM they're referring to be Henry Gale, the stranger held captive in the hatch?
Claire took a drink from Ethan's canteen, much like Jack did from Desmond's canteen in his flashback. She mentioned that it tasted sour. Is water one of the methods that Dharma folks use to poison and/or drug people?
Henry Gale was the name of Dorothy's uncle in The Wizard of Oz. And the Wizard himself arrived in Oz via hot air balloon, the very method of transport that this Gale is claiming to have crashed in on the island. Keep in mind that the Wizard also departed Oz in a hot air balloon, so we'll see what happens with Lost's Gale.
Why on earth would Sawyer have a pregnancy test among his hoarded supplies? If a female passenger had packed one, does that mean that one of the survivors thought they were pregnant or are pregnant now?
Is Mr. Eko building a church?
The hatch has a magnetic field below - did it have something to do with bringing the plane down? Or why the Black Rock ship is in the middle of the jungle? Does it have something to do with Locke's ability to walk?
Locke's biological father talked about how everyone gets conned. And who is our favorite con man? Sawyer. There is indeed a connection between those two, but I have no idea what it is.

Picture a Box. You Know Something About Boxes, Don't You?

What if I told you that somewhere in my house, there is a very large box...full of Lost memorabilia to give away. Simply leave a comment below by 10/1/10 and let me know how Lost has changed YOUR life; you will be entered to win a piece of memorabilia (I have plenty of goodies left to give away).

Thank you for strolling down this road with me. And for the past six years. Because without your eyes and words and support, I would still be an anonymous fan without a voice.

Happy anniversary of the day our lives changed collectively and forever.

-Jo

*UPDATE: Here are the names I randomly pulled; please email me your shipping address (jo at jopinionated dot com) and I will send you a little something from my Lost collection!