2009: Good evening, farewell.

If you know me, there's a good chance you've heard me say that I can't wait for 2009 to end. Been a bad year, but it was just a few days ago that I realized something larger: it's been a lousy decade.

10 years ago, I was sitting in my craptastic apartment, watching the news, waiting to see if the Y2K meltdown would happen. If you're reading this, clearly you survived.

I entered the new millennia with fresh scars of having been with my mother when she passed a couple weeks before. Sat there in my apartment and the thought hit me "Hey, maybe she wasn't destined to see the 21st century."

The Y2k meltdown didn't come. I wonder if I've been waiting for it all this time.

I saw planes fly into buildings. I saw my life get upended several times. I saw my country get worse, and then better, and then worse, and then better, I think. Saw liberty get bogged down in 3 ounce bottles of liquids. Saw my government get choked in appeasing a group of people that readily accept the name "Tea Baggers"

I saw the death of $deity

In five years, maybe I'll get to look back at 2009 and say "Hey, that was the year I got things under control". Or maybe I'll look back and say "That year was a mess. Glad I survived it."

You, I hope you're doing well. Be awesome.

Goodbye, 2009.