Thoughts on the Turning of the Year
Another year is drawing to a close. We are being bombarded with lists of 'the best of', 'the worst of' and so on as folks look back on 2008.
Well, I am not going to give you a list ranking my choices for even the 'most annoying' although if I did Caribou Barbie would top that one.
Nope, I'm just going to look back.
All in all it wasn't a bad year, it wasn't a great year so I can't quote Dickens with a 'best of times, worst of times' perspective. Yet it wasn't quite ordinary either. For that I can blame presidential politics. Oh yeah and that dating thing that only last two months. But that one is another rant for another day. To rant on it now would only make me want to punch something. And since I plan on enjoying what is left of my 4-day holiday weekend without scuffed or broken knuckles there will be no ranting (thus no punching) on that topic.
Health-wise it was a decent year for me although early December was not so good for my mother. Nothing serious that we know of, tests are still vague though) but since two days in the hospital is not a fun event no matter how you look at it I do believe it is safe to say that she wasn't too thrilled.
Job-wise it was decent too. I still like the job, which for those who have known me long might seem a bit of a miracle. The last two jobs I had you see were awful. Not the work, the people especially the people in charge. This one remains good as we approach the two year mark in May. Since I have about a three year attention span this is a good sign.
Kitty-wise (and we can't forget them) it was also pretty good. No major health issues there either and so far no one has knocked over the tree. Ornament fatalities have reached an all-time low (just one) and they continue to get along with each other. Which is not altogether normal in an odd numbered group. Cats you see tend to form pair bonds and thus even numbers are considered the preferred grouping if you are going to have more than one. But then too three is a "magic number" so maybe that's it.
Transport-wise the car did give me a scare this month when not only the check engine light came on but the drive indicator (car has a light up display that shows you which gear the car is in so you don't have to look down at the gear shift to check that you are actually in reverse before you hit the gas) was flashing. Turns out the transmission had an issue with the third gear clutch switch. Uh-huh car has about 22,000 miles on it and the transmission is having issues? My theory? The idiot who had the car for about three months before deciding he wanted a true sports car not a sport model ran the crap out of it. You know the type, speed shifting, jack-rabbitting out of the red lights, speeding then slamming on the brakes... typical teenage boy behavior. Although the guy had to be at least biologically a grown-up because a wife was mentioned.
People-wise from the friends perspective (again, not going to rant about the guy who freaked himself out and ran for the hills) it was a good year. Enjoyable book club events, evenings out (that Jazz at the Greenhouse thing for example), meeting new people while working on the Obama campaign, getting more involved with the local Democratic Party, meeting for lunch and so forth.
So I would say it you add it all up this year was better than some (certainly better than the last several)and not nearly as bad as others (1995 will forever be the benchmark of awful). A well-balanced year.
Not a year for living dangerously although I do still want to do that at least once. You know, throw caution out the window, forget about society's expectations and just embrace life head on without a second thought for consequences and other inhibiting notions. If I can live for years on the ragged edge of financial diaster why not live on the ragged edge of thrills and other sorts of disasters (think romantic for example)?
So how was 2008? Balanced, decent and too annoying. I give it a 6.5 out of 10.
Well, I am not going to give you a list ranking my choices for even the 'most annoying' although if I did Caribou Barbie would top that one.
Nope, I'm just going to look back.
All in all it wasn't a bad year, it wasn't a great year so I can't quote Dickens with a 'best of times, worst of times' perspective. Yet it wasn't quite ordinary either. For that I can blame presidential politics. Oh yeah and that dating thing that only last two months. But that one is another rant for another day. To rant on it now would only make me want to punch something. And since I plan on enjoying what is left of my 4-day holiday weekend without scuffed or broken knuckles there will be no ranting (thus no punching) on that topic.
Health-wise it was a decent year for me although early December was not so good for my mother. Nothing serious that we know of, tests are still vague though) but since two days in the hospital is not a fun event no matter how you look at it I do believe it is safe to say that she wasn't too thrilled.
Job-wise it was decent too. I still like the job, which for those who have known me long might seem a bit of a miracle. The last two jobs I had you see were awful. Not the work, the people especially the people in charge. This one remains good as we approach the two year mark in May. Since I have about a three year attention span this is a good sign.
Kitty-wise (and we can't forget them) it was also pretty good. No major health issues there either and so far no one has knocked over the tree. Ornament fatalities have reached an all-time low (just one) and they continue to get along with each other. Which is not altogether normal in an odd numbered group. Cats you see tend to form pair bonds and thus even numbers are considered the preferred grouping if you are going to have more than one. But then too three is a "magic number" so maybe that's it.
Transport-wise the car did give me a scare this month when not only the check engine light came on but the drive indicator (car has a light up display that shows you which gear the car is in so you don't have to look down at the gear shift to check that you are actually in reverse before you hit the gas) was flashing. Turns out the transmission had an issue with the third gear clutch switch. Uh-huh car has about 22,000 miles on it and the transmission is having issues? My theory? The idiot who had the car for about three months before deciding he wanted a true sports car not a sport model ran the crap out of it. You know the type, speed shifting, jack-rabbitting out of the red lights, speeding then slamming on the brakes... typical teenage boy behavior. Although the guy had to be at least biologically a grown-up because a wife was mentioned.
People-wise from the friends perspective (again, not going to rant about the guy who freaked himself out and ran for the hills) it was a good year. Enjoyable book club events, evenings out (that Jazz at the Greenhouse thing for example), meeting new people while working on the Obama campaign, getting more involved with the local Democratic Party, meeting for lunch and so forth.
So I would say it you add it all up this year was better than some (certainly better than the last several)and not nearly as bad as others (1995 will forever be the benchmark of awful). A well-balanced year.
Not a year for living dangerously although I do still want to do that at least once. You know, throw caution out the window, forget about society's expectations and just embrace life head on without a second thought for consequences and other inhibiting notions. If I can live for years on the ragged edge of financial diaster why not live on the ragged edge of thrills and other sorts of disasters (think romantic for example)?
So how was 2008? Balanced, decent and too annoying. I give it a 6.5 out of 10.
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