2009: the Year In Ron

Another year is coming to a close and I must confess that for a good part of 2009 I felt like I was on the MOTHER of all Roller Coasters and the ride would never end!  Still, now that the ride HAS come to an end I'm still unclenching my hands, stomach and jaw.  (I'm gettin' too old for this stuff!)  Even so, I've decided to put forth a list of things large and small that I found important or at least interesting.  The fractal is New Year's Eve 2 and it was chosen because I put this post up on New Year's Eve.  How's that for a reason?
Now--without further ado I give you--the Year in Ron!
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On a personal level, this year...

• we got our very first brand new car.
• that car was bought was Korean (a Hyundai Sonata in case you've forgotten) and we're ridiculously happy with the choice we made.
• I had to take a step back to preserve my own sanity.
• I really started missing Greg Kirby as a Choir Director.
• I reconciled myself to living in Riverside County (and I'm actually happy about it).
• I made my "Bucket" List (and published it on my blog!)
• I culled Christmas Music from my too extensive library.
• I self medicated with food WAY too much.
• I went to Laughlin Nevada for the first (and probably last) time in my life.
• I learned to love and hate my iPOD.
• my tolerance for "chaos" reached new lows.
• I let Robyn wear capris (and they didn't look totally awful on her!)
• I had to grovel my way out of a ticket.
• I quit caring what most people tought about me.
• I proved I had grace under pressure more than once.
• I gave up on the newspaper.  (There's only so much of the ceaseless crapfest of the Press Enterprise I can talke and I'm well past my limit.)
• we still haven't found a decent Mexican Restaurant in Riverside County.  (Oddly enough we've found two pretty good BBQ places...)

In the world of entertainment...

• J.J. Abrams took gave Star Trek the good swift (re)boot it needed to become great once again.  Zachary Quinto was BORN to play Spcok!
• I became a total "Gleek."  How did this weird High School musical fantasy become the best new show in years?
• I totally gave up trying to figure out Lost.
• Avatar was the biggest movie disappointment since the sequal to Romancing The Stone (for me at least).
• I mourned the loss of Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Eli Stone--three shows that got canceled way to soon.  At least they kindasorta got a chance for abreviated send offs.
• I avoided hearing Christmas Shoes for the entire holiday season!  Now if only I could say the same for Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer....
• I watched with a certain sense of schadenfreude the fall and rise and fall again of Miss California Carrie Prejean.  I'm not the least bit impressed by Perez Hilton but I worry about people who say God talks to them.
• I watched Tiger Woods become a national joke.

This year in Politics

• I watched a black man become President--and inherit the biggest mess since I don't know when.  Poor Barak Obama has to deal with an economic meltdown of truly epic proportions and a mess of a war to boot.  There's no way out of either mess and anything he does is sure to be criticized: wouldn't want that.
• I watched "Ahnold" prove he nothing more than a cheap politician.
• I wished I could bring up the entire State Legislature on charges for malicious stupidity.
• I watched a juicy sex scandal involving a senior Replican fade into nothing.
• I was surprised (but pleased) that our country got back a little respect in the eyes of the world.
• I was surprised to watch immigration virtually disappear as a hot-button issue.
• I still know nothing about RivCo politics (and don't care either).

So there you have some snapshots of my year.  Hope yours was wonderful and that next year is better than the last.  Thanks for reading my blog.
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'nuff said