My Mid-Life Awakening: Ring out the old, ring in the new...

Well, here we are again. Another new year. I am not sorry to see 2008 go. It was quite a bad

year for me on a personal level, and it seems as if I am not alone. I am going to give you my opinion of the best and worst of the year. The winners and losers and my thoughts of 2009.

First, the winners:

I still can't believe the NY Giants beat The Patriots. That was a great way to start the year. I also can't believe the NY Mets collapsed for the third year in a row, but I have to hand it to The Phillies. They proved their worth. Michael Phelps made me like swimming.

Way to go all. What an inspiring year in sports.

Speaking of inspiration. Like him or not, the man of the year has to be the one and only Barack Obama. I have to admit, I was a little afraid of him for a while and was pretty outspoken about it. However, I applaud his tenacity, grit and focus. He deserved it. In a few months a lot of people will be asking only one thing of Obama.

HEY, where is my check?

Now, the losers..and there were many:

Rosie O'Donnell tried a variety show. Kerplop!! I couldn't be happier. I don't hope people fail, but I am not a fan of Rosie. She is an arrogant bully and a joke thief. Karma sucks.

Ron B-LEGO-jevich, Governor of Illinois. I don't care if they haven't proven his guilt yet. He has lego man hair. Look at him.
LOSER!!

Biggest pair of losers goes to this team. I have never seen a more botched campaign than this one. History may be kind to them when people look back and realize what the media did to these two. It was ruthless. I have never seen such a display of character assassination. Some say it was justified, but I am not so sure. However, the big bad press and SNL skits did not lose them the election. Obama won. End of story.

I am not a George Bush fan, but the days of making the president a punching bag are over. Bush has been blamed for everything. Some of it, deservedly so, but I think it got a little out of control. I sincerely doubt anyone will be beating up Obama, except maybe the folks on FOX. What will Jay Leno and Letterman talk about every night? Let's hope Obama moves us forward and doesn't fall into the "the last guy did it" trap. I hope so.

The biggest loser of the year?

Unemployment rates rising. Stocks dropping. Prices rising. Bankruptcies. How could WE not be the biggest losers of 2008?

AND NOW:

The BEST of the year:

Album of the year. One you probably never heard, but should. Brian Wilson - Beach Boy, genius, legend. Brian released an album called Lucky Old Sun. It's sort of a concept album and mostly autobiographical. This is a guy who had several nervous breakdowns and literally spent three years in bed. He was as crazy as crazy gets. Now, he has made one of the biggest comebacks in history. If that isn't inspirational, I don't know what is. This album is so wonderful. It's brilliant pop melodies took me away from the horrors of the news this year. Take a chance on this one. It's worth it.

My OSCAR pick for the best movie of the year:

MILK. I forgot to mention in my list of losers of the year. The gay community. The proposition 8 vote banned gay marriage. Bad year for gay rights. This movie is about Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to hold a political office. I have not seen the movie yet, but trust me, it's going to win big this year. Kind of a pity win for the gays, but still a good movie to be inspired by.

Although I hate to admit I watch television,
Best TV show of the year:

Fringe. Tuesdays at 9pm. It's the only thing that I don't fall asleep while watching. Although it doesn't fit in with my "inspirational" theme here, its just a great show. Check it out. It's worth it.

A lot of people died this year. Heath Ledger, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Harvey Korman, Roy Scheider, Tim Russert, Eartha Kitt, Odetta, Yves Saint Laurent, Bo Diddley. many more.

But, for me, the biggest loss on a personal level was this guy:

Genius. Innovator. Inspirational. More than just a guy who said dirty words.

So, what will 2009 look like?

More deaths, more headlines. More bad news about the economy.
One thing is for sure, Barack Obama will be tested. Hopefully we will escape any horrible incidents. The economy is the big issue. Obama's big idea for restoring the economy is to work on the infrastructure. The roadways and highways. This is not a new idea. FDR did the same thing.

It's a good idea. I may never recover the losses in my 401k, or feel secure at my job, or be able to recoup the value of my house but at least there will be less potholes.

So what will 2009 look like?

Something like this: