Goodbye, 2009...

...And Good Riddance!

We ring out the old year tonight with a heaving sigh of relief that this year is over. 2009 was not a good year, for the Gnu Herd or many of our friends and loved ones. The year took a terrible toll, economically, emotionally, physically and personally. Most everyone we know agree, 2009 will go down as "The Year That Sucked."

It truly did. Starting off with a trip to the Emergency Room, continuing with the death of a beloved uncle, and climaxing in the sort of professional betrayal that no one should have to endure from a colleague I trusted implicitly but who proved himself unworthy of any esteem. You may have noticed I don't write about work too often here, and for good reason. I discovered too late that the career advancement I thought was a good idea turned out to be hell in disguise, a dysfunctional, maladjusted daycare for overgrown babies who need a hard spanking and time out in the corner until they learn to act like professional adults.

Two notable exceptions, however, to The Year That Sucked, but I had to wade through a year's worth of crap raining down on my head to get to them:

I finally graduated from The Graduate School with a Master of Science in Information Technology. Hallelujah! Two long, hard years of learning and slogging through long hours of studying, writing, reading, and at times, weeping. But I finally did it, realizing a decade-old goal - and I did it with a perfect 4.0 GPA! On top of that, I was honored to be inducted into the Honor Society and was also awarded the Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year. The Skating Gnu took notice and has been keeping pace with me in her own studies. It's good to know that being a positive role model can have a payoff every now and then.

The second good point from this past year took all damn year to get here, all the way till the last day. Today marks 15 years of our marriage. Ask Mrs. Gnu and she'll agree, what a long, strange trip it's been. I remind her that behind every successful man stands an amazed mother in-law. She reminds me that no one else would put up with my crap for so long, so I'd better not take her for granted. As always, she's right. A saint walks among us, folks!

I'm glad to see 2010 come and take its place, but I hope the next year is better than this last one. I don't think the country - or our circle of family and friends - can take another bad year.

So to all our friends we wish the very best for 2010. We pray for health, happiness and prosperity for everyone! We pray for our country and for those who defend her. We pray for those who are less fortunate that us, for in spite of the trials and tribulations we suffered through this year, there are those with even less to be thankful for. We pray for those people and give thanks for our blessings.

Happy New Year!