Another Year Goes Bye Bye

Tis The Season
Originally uploaded by *Bundy*

Another holiday season has crept up on us quicker than usual. It still feels like just yesterday I was sitting in front of a campfire next to the lake swatting mosquitoes and swapping stories with friends and family.

Alas, that is not the case and Christmas lights on the houses, freezing cold temperatures and snow on the ground are a clear indication that Santa and his reindeer will be embarking on their annual journey very soon.

This also means another year has almost been completed and what a year it has been.

It seems only appropriate to take a moment to reflect on the year that has flown by in the blink of an eye.

I think we can all agree that 2013 has been interesting and quite a successful year for me personally. No I didn't get a big raise or change jobs although I won't lie, both of those things sound pretty good to me but in this economy, any year where I'm not standing in line waiting to be fed, out looking for a job or waiting for a government assistance cheque to arrive is a good one in my books. Sure things could always be better but they can also be a lot worse as well.

I could sit here and reminisce about all of the big news stories from 2013 but I'm sure others will delve into those things in greater detail. Certainly in Canada the big stories of the year were Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's admission of crack use and the Canadian Senate scandal. Both of those stories will continue into 2014 no doubt.

In sports I'm happy to see my Montreal Canadiens playing and competing much better this season. It has been a pleasant surprise. I wish I could have said the same for the Toronto Blue Jays who reached a level of disappointment usually only attained by the Leafs and Raptors. But as they say, there's always next year. My own golf game was equally depressing in 2013. I was tempted to call the cops to help me locate my missing golf swing but instead I just continued to struggle and work on my foul language vocabulary.

The world lost some pretty great and interesting people this year. Among those that left us were Nelson Mandela, Musician Lou Reed, Actor James Gandolfini, Canadian actor Cory Monteith, Annette Funicello, Roger Ebert, Margaret Thatcher, Jonathan Winters, David Frost and Tom Clancy just to name a few.

My own family had some issues this year with both my parents having visits to the hospital but fortunately they appear to have recovered nicely.

The rest of my family is doing well so I'm pretty blessed in that department.

By far the most enjoyable event of 2013 for me was my continued efforts to improve my health. In a little over a year I've lost 155 pounds through exercise and changes to my eating habits. Basically I'm getting off my ass a lot more and shoving food down my throat a lot less which seems to be working to this point.

I'm hitting the gym up to five times a week since joining a little over a month ago and I'm noticing a change to my appearance as my muscles which were ignored for so long start to bounce back into shape.

The best part for me is regaining my life and eliminating the aches and pains I struggled with on a daily basis. It's amazing the things that thin and healthy people take for granted that obese people struggle with every day. I'm happy to say a lot of those issues have been eliminated for me finally. Every day is a challenge but after years of failing, I now know that I have it in me to succeed.

I could go on and bore you to sleep (if I haven't already) but I wanted to make this quick. I'm going to be very busy over the next several weeks and likely won't be updating my blog again until later in January.

Most importantly I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has supported me over the last year and been so encouraging. From the people I talked to almost daily to old acquaintances I've passed in the street, every compliment and congratulation has meant a great deal and has been very much appreciated.

My hope is that all of you have a Merry Christmas and a Safe and Happy New Year. See you in 2014!

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.

Bundy's Look Back at 2006

Holy cow...can you believe that another year has come and gone? It's true what they say; the older you get the faster time goes by.

The past year wasn't the most memorable...or was it? I'm sitting here typing this and trying to think about the different events and moments that took place this year that are worth looking back on. Let me see what I can think of and we can decide together if it's worth remembering these things.

The FIFA/World Cup Snore-fest took place in 2006. I still can't figure out how soccer became the most watched sport in the world. It just goes to show you how many mentally unstable people live on this planet. I'm kidding of course but until they allow body checking, fighting and shrink the field, I'll stick to watching other sports for my entertainment. I have to admit that at least the head butt by Zinedine Zidane was fun to watch.

JonBenet Ramsey's killer was finally found and he admitted doing it. They he denied doing it and was released. So I guess that story is still looking for a conclusion.

Our suspicions about Belinda Stronach being a sleazy home wrecker along with being a sleazy politician were confirmed when we found out she was sleeping with a then happily married Tie Domi. I don't know what's worse, the fact she got horizontal with the ugliest man in professional hockey or....no...actually that's bad enough.

Kim Jong Il proved he's also mentally ill when he decided to contaminate some underground real estate in North Korea by testing some nuclear bombs and guaranteeing a spot on Santa's Naughty List.

Saddam Hussein was found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging for crimes against his own people...namely killing a whole crap load of them. His family reunion with his sons can't happen soon enough.

Cindy Klassen became the latest Canadian Olympic sweetheart after winning a fist full of medals at the Turin Winter Olympics in Italy. She was also the winner of the Lou Marsh as Canada's Top Athlete in 2006. While I respect her and applaud her for her success...I don't think she deserved the Lou Marsh award. That clearly should have gone to Tie Domi. Come on, he slept with Belinda Stronach for crying out loud.

Bill Gates retired. I hope he has enough money in his pension to survive.

Dancing With The Stars was one of the most popular television shows in recent memory. What the hell has happened to TV? Someone give them a shake and wake them up, and while they're at it, bring back WKRP in Cincinnati and Baywatch.

Paris Hilton was still wearing as little as possible and keeping herself in the entertainment news. What has she done other than being born into a very wealthy family and star in a home porn video. Actually...it was an impressive movie.

Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin was tragically killed in an underwater attack by a stingray. I don't know what was more shocking about this...the fact he was killed or the fact he wasn't killed by a crocodile. I didn't see that one coming.

Britney Spears finally came to her senses and kicked out her baby making partner Kevin Federline. I can't trash K-Fed too badly...afterall, he did get to sleep with the hottest woman in pop music before she got fat and ugly.

Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes (TomKat) were finally married. So it should be a few more years before they get divorced and Tom falls in love with someone else and gets the chance to jump on Oprah's couch again.

Mel Gibson ruined his golden boy persona in one quick drunken police stop. How is it possible that the man who brought us The Passion of the Christ could hate the Jewish so much. I guess that means that Mel isn't a happy drunk.

In Tech News, 2006 saw the popularity rise for items such as the iPod, Playstation 3, X-Box 360, Nintendo Wii, the Blackberry and other items that are too expensive for me to afford.

The popularity of Cartoons on primetime television continued as The Simpson's, Family Guy, King of the Hill and South Park stayed strong. Long live Homer, Stewy and Cartman.

And finally, 2006 saw the passing of some great people from all walks of life. Here are some of the more notable folks who are no longer with us:
Red Buttons, Mickey Spillane, Aaron Spelling, Kenneth Thomson, Bernie "Boom Boom" Geoffrion, Kirby Puckett, Dennis Weaver, Don Knotts, Al Lewis, Coretta Scott King, Shelley Winters, Chris Penn, Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett, Billy Preston, Jack Warden, Bruno Kirby, Ed Bradley, Jack Palance, Robert Altman and Peter Boyle. A lot of great people will be missed.

So that's my brief look back at 2006. I'm sure I've missed a lot of obvious events or happenings but my memory isn't what it used to be. All the best to all of you and may 2007 be more memorable for all of us.