Anything positive to say about 2006?

[Pab Sungenis]

Right off the bat, let's not bring up the election. I'm sure we all feel pretty good about that.

With that in mind....What can we say about 2006?

There's not a lot I can say positive about the year. We lost our 19 year old cat, T.C. I lost my friend Logan, one of the best songwriters I've ever known. I watched my friend Brett fight a fourth battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and celebrated as he came home from the hospital in tmie to be with his wife and son for Christmas.

I watched a family member suffer from heroin addiction, and am still helping pick up the pieces from that battle. I suffered a major financial setback that we are just now starting to dig our way out of, but it will probably mean the end of my business after six years in operation. I found out the hard way that you protest Wal-Mart coming to your neighborhood at your own peril. I lost the battle to keep a housing development off of land my family owned, but won the fight to scale it down and make it more eco-friendly as a result.

My back pain became chronic. My diverticulitis chose the least opportune times to remind me of its presence. My blood pressure is up. I had a cancer scare of my own, which fortunately turned out to be nothing. I watched my friends Kris and Becky divorce after eight years together. I watched my friends Terri and Russ divorce after 24 years together. I watched Britney Spears further threaten the sanctity of marriage.

2006 has been one of the worst years on record for me.

Is there anything good I can say about the year?

I finished my first play and my second novel. My comic strip has ballooned (thanks mainly to rave reviews from other creators) from 150 views a week to nearly 7,000. We got nibbles from Wachovia Bank that they're finally willing to stop stonewalling my lawyer and are actually interested in settling the cast they stretched out for over three years, which might help solve our financial woes.

My friend and former comedy partner Jeffe asked his girlfriend Amanda to marry him, and she said yes. My friend and former comedy partner Ronnie became the proud father of a baby boy, and got word he's in line for a long-overdue promotion. And, of course, we got word while sitting in a terminal in Orlando, making our way back from a long-overdue vacation (during which my back pain became chronic, I might add) that the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered full marriage equality, and Bryan and I talked about taking the plunge, which we finally are next year.

Next year, who knows? Maybe we'll finally settle one lawsuit in time for me to gear up for another one that looks to be looming. Maybe I'll get the time to finally shop around for a publisher and get these books in print. We'll finally be moving into our new home, which will have its ups and downs at the same time. Maybe I'll finally have time to pull a few of my irons out of the fire and sit back and enjoy middle age.

I'd love to hear anything positive that folks have to say about 2006; I hope that your year was better than mine was overall, and that your 2007 is magnificent.

[leftofthedial]

1. it's almost over

[Waya]

6. My sentiments exactly.........

[nealmhughes]

25. The first words to pop into my head, as well. Well, it has been a mild fall and winter

here on our mountain... The new bridge over the Tennessee River is finally open -- all 6 lanes of it. My friend Joe passed his Ph.D. exams. My first essay at Progressive Democrats of America is on line now.
The puppies have stopped chewing hands. I got a new floor put in and a new dining room table and chairs and a printer/scanner for my 45th birthday. That is about it. Everyone is in good health here.

[k_jerome]

2. saddam is dead. nt.

[Pab Sungenis]

4. And how does that make this year better for you personally?

I'm curious about the personal level.

[k_jerome]

15. justice for some people i know. nt.

[Pab Sungenis]

18. Then it is personal for you.

Hope the new year is as good for you, with less bloodshed all around, then.

[k_jerome]

21. that is always the goal...

really, more a positive because of their situation, rather than my own personal satisfaction.

[Pab Sungenis]

23. Were you the one last night who was concerned about family

in Iraq who might be in the crossfire if there are retaliatory strikes by Baathists?

[k_jerome]

24. no, but I know some people that are very concerned of just that...nt

[AlCzervik]

3. Thanks for sharing! I went to Europe for the first time and had the best vacation of my

life, my husband, daughter and i went to just about every museum in London and marveled at them, got to see a couple of Pollocks up close-that was really something. My niece had her baby on Christmas day so i am now a Great Aunt and my daughter is doing well at her new school after a bit of a rocky start.

[William769]

5. Yes.

It's almost over. Heres to a better fucking New Year!

[Pab Sungenis]

8. Amen.

Finishing up the bookkeeping at work tonight. Baking cookies for the big New Year's party tomorrow night. (Everyone insists on my bringing my cookies. Maybe I'll post the recipe tomorrow. The people on that other site seem to love when I post recipes; they insisted on my sharing the one for Chicken and Walnut soup.)

[William769]

11. Please do. I love cookies!

:P

[Starbucks Anarchist]

7. I had a great year.

I moved to NYC, lost weight, got a good job and my writing is getting increasingly better.

But I hope you and everyone else who didn't fare so well have better luck in 2007.

[Pab Sungenis]

10. I'm thrilled you had a good year.

I hope next year holds as much promise for you.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

12. Thanks!

And same to you. :hi:

[GeneCosta]

9. Cheney's near enrollment in the war effort

Now if W. could just properly point out where Iraq is on a map we'd be set.

[natrat]

13. freedom is on the march

[CrispyQ]

14. On a personal level it was a very good year!

We adopted a very needy six year old dog who has been a delightful addition to our family!!

Booyah, who has been returned to the pound at least 3 times & is 7 years old. An absolute delight!

I decided it was time to get off my fat lazy butt & get in shape. I've lost 25 pounds (another 25 to go), started weight training to get strong & am already loving the results I've seen in my body. I have really cleaned up my diet (too much vegan junk!) & have radically reduced my drinking. I voted, I helped GOTV, I was happy with the re-take of Congress & hold my breath to see if the Dems will listen to We the People. But overall, the most progress I saw was in my private life. Oh & we celebrate our 20th anniversary in January. Our marriage & relationship just gets better & better.

I'm sorry '06 wasn't better for you. I can appreciate back pain & how it impacts every damned minute of your life. But, wow, you finished a play & a novel?????? Kudos to you! I hope you find a publisher! I dream of writing a sci fi story but only have about 12 pages that I wrote several years ago.

The best to you & yours for a prosperous & happy New Year!

[Pab Sungenis]

19. Yeah.

The play took me three years to finish. The first draft of the novel (once I had my characters and plot in mind) took one month of steady writing, and is now in the hands of critics I trust to find the weak spots for the rewrite I'm planning for February.

I need to find a publisher who specializes in controversial stuff. My first novel was a dark comedy about four boys planning a school shooting and everything that goes wrong for them on the way there. Sort of "Bang, Bang, You're Dead," meets "Wonder Boys," meets "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."

[sandrakae]

16. We are only 2 years of getting rid of the Bush's for good.

It is clear witht he mess that Junior made of everything this country will never put another Bush in office.

[rox63]

17. The Dems won back Congress!

That's pretty friggin' wonderful! My state elected their first Dem Governor in 16 years. And I've lost nearly 60 pounds this year.

[Nicole]

20. It was a wonderful year for me

I overcame some health issues, thanks to early diagnosis I should be o.k.
I welcomed new babies into the family.
I was able to be with a loved one as she left us.
I had old friends move back home so we get together more often now.
I'm better off financially than I was at the end of 2005.


The good definitely outweighed the bad for me and my loved ones.


Here's hoping everyone has a better 2007. :toast:

[starbux by IV]

22. One word: majority. NT

[seabeyond]

26. my kids are in a terrific school, settled and doing well

hubby doing well in business letting us feel safe and secure.

and i am happy, as usual and always

[Pab Sungenis]

28. Good to hear.

Nice to see some people are picking up on my intent to keep this a personal topic.

[Synnical]

27. Dr. Strangelove (Rummy) is gone

Science Advances:

http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleid=3FE89A86-E7F2-99DF-366D045A5BF3EAB1&chanId=sa027

Offerings to a Stone Snake Provide the Earliest Evidence of Religion

70,000-year-old African ritual practices linked to mythology of modern Botswanans

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleid=CF07E844-E7F2-99DF-32E785A201E2A60A&chanId=sa017

Genes Expressed in Brain Evolving at a Medium Pace
Even mice brains evolve faster than human brains, and our complexity may be the culprit

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?articleid=CB7B8238-E7F2-99DF-3C6B2388EF9992EA&chanId=sa011

Children Took a Toll in Pre-Industrial Societies, May Have Driven Evolution of Menopause
The high costs of too many offspring may have shaped the psychology of women and could explain plunging modern-day birth rates

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=CDCC3E05-E7F2-99DF-3B7C143967CC31FA&sc=I100322

The Red Planet's Watery Past
New observations by rovers and orbiters indicate that liquid water not only existed on Mars, it once covered large parts of the planet's surface, perhaps for more than a billion years

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy New Year - I'm feeling good about it, if that counts for anything.


:)

[AnnieBW]

29. People Finally Woke Up

Or at least started to.

[mnhtnbb]

30. I'm with you. The theme of my Christmas newsletter was it was tough

to think of good news, so it would be a short newsletter.

Here's my favorite paragraph:

The good news is that between Betty and Clay we also made trips to New York, Panama, back to L.A., Boston, South Dakota (for Clay to hunt with an old friend), and neither of us was on the no-fly list despite Clay’s professional collaboration via e-mail with a psychiatrist in Iran, or our transfer of funds to Panama for our place at Red Frog Beach, or Betty’s known association with left-leaning websites. That was really good news!

[Hekate]

31. The election. So there. It was my happiest 24 hours all year, by far.

Sheesh, Pabsun, for some of us that IS the good news for the year. I did my patented Schadenfreude Dance all over the house on Election Night, and only stopped for the night when I fell into a planter on the patio.

I am happy to report that my bad news was in no way equal to yours, but watching my Mom's life become a train wreck over the past year and a half was no picnic. She got paranoid and she got mean (she's everyone's favorite aunt though, so apparently she was selective). Finally in September she consented to move into assisted living near my youngest brother (she still liked him) but by then was willing herself to die. When she did pass on after a only few weeks there, we all understood that sometimes Death comes as a friend.

There's more where that came from, literally, but enough said. With my kids grown and out of the house I chose to not decorate for Christmas this year, and since I was with my sibs cleaning out Mom's condo in another city, my husband went to the neighbors for Hanukkah too.

2007 will be much better. My country may not lose its soul after all. My antidepressants kicked in. I am still the doting grandmother of the most charming 2-year-old boy ever created. My daughter is finishing a program to become a drug and alcohol counselor and was tapped for a coveted internship this past semester, so no matter what happens in the future she will be able to support her little boy. My son is rising in his tech field and happy with his work. My husband's health is stable. My mood is improving.

2007 will be much better, but nothing beats Election Night 2006 for sheer thrills. :-)

Hekate