Its December! 2009 Isn't Over Yet.

However, judging by recent status updates on Facebook, people are already looking to 2010. I have stuff to look forward to in 2010--like my first full year away from prison...ahem...college.

I wonder what people look forward to in a new year? Is there something tangible and definite you are looking forward to in 2010? Are u turning a certain age, say 21? Are you getting married? Divorced? Graduating? Having your first child? Attending the World Cup? etc. What is going on in 2010?

With all this looking forward, let us not forget that 2009 is not yet over. Since 2004 I have never made the mistake of dismissing a year simply because it is "almost" over. I shall now relate why:

In December of 2004 I was filling out college applications with all the optimism & excitement of a high school senior with kickass SAT scores (if I do say so myself). High school was out for winter break, and I was working on finishing my application essays. The reason I had so many application essays to work on, was because most of the schools I applied to were located in cities like Cambridge, Princeton, New Haven, Ithaca, etc. Anyone who has ever filled out applications for non-state schools understands the massive amount of essay writing and application padding that these schools require. It is as if they are doing it to see just how much headache you are willing to endure for an acceptance letter and the joys of private student loans.

Anyway, to put myself in the mindset to attend interviews at these "institutions of higher learning", I was spending my days watching CNN in an attempt to increase my general knowledge database. It was close to the end of December, so there was a lot of "Year In Review" bullsh*t that these 24 hour cable networks LOVE to do. I was sitting through yet ANOTHER recap of the 2004 Presidential election. I remember feeling depressed that Bush had won again despite Democratic Party pleas for Americans to use their brains--as opposed to their bibles & terrorism alert monitors--for voting. The CNN commercial that played during the break showed a montage of notable events from 2004: the Athens Olympics, the US elections, Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, etc. Everyone was already looking forward to 2005 and commentators were speculating on what great news the year would bring. (If only they had seen Katrina coming).

Then, there was an interruption of our "scheduled programming". All of a sudden we were being told of a massive tsunami in southeastern Asia. I wasn't even sure what a tsunami was (except that the word bore remarkable resemblance to "Toonami" on Cartoon Network, but we will talk about that later). But I was watching CNN to learn, right? So I focused on the news. Within hours every channel had tossed aside the "Year In Review" shows and had focused solely on the tsunami.

Everyone had been so sure that the year was over. Most of the visitors who died at those expensive resorts were there to CELEBRATE the New Year.

It is just one of those events in your life that may not really matter to anyone else, but that you always remember. I am not going to go far enough to say that this has changed my life forever--I wont be that dramatic--but it definitely drove home the old adage "don't count your chickens before they hatch".

So, everyone, enjoy 2009 while you can. 2010 isn't here yet. Remember what a difference a day can make.