Another New Year

I don't know about you but I was never so happy to see a year come to an end as I was with 2008.

Was there any good news from this past year? Oh sure there was but it was overshadowed by all of the bad news...and there was plenty of that.

Among the highlights of 2008 for me was the birth of my first Nephew Noah in Florida, my parent's 45th wedding anniversary, the Beijing Olympics and Canada's impressive showing and the U.S. election coverage finally coming to an end on CNN. Talk about overkill!

My health and that of my family and friends was good during the year and I'm happy about that as well. The other great news was seeing the price for a barrel of oil drop from around $140 each to about $40 and the drop in gas prices along with it. Too bad it didn't happen in the summer and fall when I was driving a lot more.

I also enjoyed watching U.S. President George W. Bush bring his dainty cheerleading manoeuvres out of retirement as he dodged a couple of shoes of mass destruction in Iraq. Where the heck did that guy learn to throw? He must be an Argos fan.

The year did have some major downer moments and it seemed like a never ending cycle of one bad news event after another at times.

In politics, the brain trust in Ottawa thought it would be a good idea to have another election. The people voted the same group back into power but then the losers didn't like the outcome so they decided to try and oust the Conservatives. Of course this story is still in limbo after they just decided to take a long break. I used to like the Liberals and also Jack Layton...but not any more. As for the boneheads from Quebec...I just wish they'd do us all a favour and either get out or stop bitching.

I also heard that the United States had an election this past November. In an historic decision, Barrack Obama won and will now get the worst job in the world at one of the worst times in history. Lucky him! Good luck on bringing change in your first four years buddy.

I'd also like to thank John McCain for asking Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Seriously....wouldn't you have liked to see her stick around a little while longer? She was hilarious.

The stock markets decided to take a cue from the Olympic divers and plunged until it hurt...a lot. The whole world is in crisis. The banks are crying for money because they only made billions of dollars. The auto industry mismanaged their money and paid too much to their management and workers so they came crying for a financial hand out. The only people who aren't getting any help are the average citizens who are suffering the most. That seems about right doesn't it? Instead of money, we just had to be satisfied with eating tainted meat from Maple Leaf Foods. Mmmm.... delicious listeriosis.

When did Mother Nature get pissed at us? The weather in 2008 was atrocious. Hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, strong winds, record rainfall and more snow than any previously recorded year. And it seemed like all of this happened in my yard.

With each passing year we also lose some wonderful people who help to make life a bit more enjoyable. Here are a few that I'll miss. Roy Schieder from "Jaws" who uttered those famous words, "We're gonna need a bigger boat". Heath Ledger left us all too soon but saved his best role for last as he was amazing in "The Dark Knight" as The Joker. Harvey Korman who always made me laugh regardless of whether he was on the Carol Burnett Show or in the movie Blazing Saddles. We also lost Allan Melvin. Who was that you ask? He played the Sam the Butcher, Alice's long time on again off again boyfriend on the Brady Bunch. Paul Newman a legend, George Carlin and Bo Diddley will also be missed.

No, 2008 was not the greatest year for many reasons but at least we made it to see 2009 and hopefully it will erase all the bad memories and bring peace and stability to the world. But don't count on it.