Happy 2013 to one and all...Here is hoping that this year is
your finest year yet! But before we get
too far involved with the New Year, let us deal with the “hangover” of what was
2012. The Mayans may have been wrong
about December, some of the political polls may have been wrong in November,
and several calls made by substitute referees in the NFL were just plain wrong! But what we still know to be true is the
Earth is still turning on the same axis, north is still north, Obama is still
president, and we still can’t seem to rid ourselves of those pesky Kardashian
people. Anyway, as people look ahead to
2013 and once again vow to lose weight, quit smoking, get a better job, or
spend more time with their families, I wanted to take just a quick look back of
some of the events that shaped up the year.
And maybe to do that, I thought I would approach it “spaghetti western”
style…the good, the bad and the ugly...but in reverse order.
“The Ugly”- The ugliness of 2012 was just that...ugly.
The “Batman Killings” in Colorado, the "Sandy Hook Massacre"
in Connecticut, and “Superstorm Sandy” on the East Coast. I merely mention
these events rather than comment on them, because really, where do you start and
where would you end on these topics?
It’s just too sad.
“The Bad”- Not to dwell too much on the bad either, however, I
did want to mention the following:
The passing of singer Etta James- The only thing bigger than
her personality was her voice. Her version of the song “Ball and Chain” is a
must have for any MP3 collection of good music.
The sinking of the Italian cruise ship “Costa Concordia”- Not
only was the loss of life bad in itself, but knowing that the idea of a captain
“going down with his ship” being totally lost on the cowardly skipper was almost too much.
The passing of CBS newsman Mike Wallace- He was one of the
last great journalists whom you could actually believe when he reported a news
story.
Political ads- Watching these made me want to vote “NO” on
all politics and most politicians in general.
Tim Tebow…enough said.
“The Good”- There were some really good things that
happened in 2012.
Farmers experienced another great orange crop in California,
which is always a good thing.
The Mars rover “Curiosity” landed on Mars for further
exploration of the “Red Planet”- Maybe now we will learn the truth.
The end of the presidential campaign- Regardless of whom you were
pulling for, the end of the non-stop campaigning, “glad-handing”, and “I’ll say
anything (no matter how ridiculous) to get your vote” couldn’t come fast enough.
Americans “cleanup” at the Summer Olympics in London- As if
we wouldn’t have.
Skydiver Felix Baumgartner safely free falls some 24 miles
from space- Sure the guy has rocks in his head, but you have to admit, it was
pretty cool to watch.
The end of the “Twilight” series- Finally an end to all the
brooding, “sparkly” vampires.
…and last but not least,
The Mayan calendar/doomsday prophecy was off-The whole
doomsday scenario was kind of depressing to even deal with during the beginning
of the Holidays. And as for the end of
their calendar… personally I think the Mayan calendar makers union finally just
called it quits after a prolonged labor strike (upper management demanded too
much of a “sacrifice”).
So, was 2012 just another year? I didn’t think so. Besides,
is any year just another year? To me, I thought it was filled with some
definite “highs” and “lows” with just enough “weirdness” to make it interesting.
And now as we move forward, we look to the future of this new year in hopes of
it being packed with wonderful, and exciting adventures for all of us. May all your dreams be realized in 2013. And
if anything bad has to happen, may it be as simple as the t.v. show “Here comes
Honey Boo Boo” getting cancelled. Oh
wait, that would be good thing. Anyway, I
think you get the idea. Happy New Year!
Thanks for reading...I'll see you in the groves.
-Tony
