2008, good riddance!
'Tis the season for top ten lists, and other unbearable retrospective articles about The Year That Was … and while I was rather tempted to write something along those lines, really, who needs to read another list of the best, or worst, or "most memorable" of anything?
Sure, we could rehash the US presidential election, and pat our liberal selves on the back for voting a black man into office (or curse those damn liberals for letting One Of Them into the fabled halls of power … whichever you prefer, I suppose). We could rehash the financial meltdown of Western Civilization. We could do one last retrospective of Bush's documented lies, or embarrassingly misspoken quotes, or 10 biggest crimes against humanity…
…or we could just not.
I know the whole "those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it" thing. Hell, Washington ought to be thinking about that one right now … "Gee, look what happened in less than 10 years after we gutted the banking/investing legislation they put in place in the 1930s to prevent another Great Depression! We're headed for another Great Depression!"
But seriously … it's been between -35ºF and -40 for the last week, and in the last couple days it's dipped far enough below -50ºF that I suspect we may actually have hit -60ºF while I was sleeping. My dogs have suddenly mastered the art of completing their morning bathroom break in under two minutes. I haven't tried to start my truck in about a week. Even the folks up here are bitching about the insane fucking weather. Actually, that's about the only thing anyone's talking about.
And frankly, in weather like this, it becomes difficult to give a fuck about dwelling on the past (unless you're talking about that one freaky winter when it barely even hit -20ºF). In some cases, it becomes the time to start planning how you're never going to spend another winter dealing with this shit … in other cases, like mine, it's time to thank god you weren't insane enough to move to Barrow or fucking Nome, thank god some more for the fact that you have an indoor toilet, and gloat to any visiting Anchorage residents about what pansy-asses they are Down South.
I'm feeling pretty good about 2009, really. If nothing else, I've probably already seen the worst of the weather for this year already, so there's nowhere to go but up. When the weather warms up, there should be some killer ice to climb.
Although I can't help but notice that it's up around +60ºF in northeastern Crete right now. I swear, I'd be out sunbathing in the rain in a fucking bikini, and all the locals would think I was insane.
That weather sounds simply painful
4th January 2009 at 8:03 am | permalink |Yeah, 2008 can kiss my ass. The part where the republicans got their asses handed to them was pretty good, the rest though.. meh.
5th January 2009 at 8:29 am | permalink |i was just kinda sad that i didnt get a white christmas. our snow melted the day before. sure, we're not freezing, but half assed weather kinda pisses me off.
on another note, it's fucking hilarious how there will be a half inch of snow on the ground, and people will be driving 35-45mph on the 65mph speed limit freeway. i mean, c'mon, everybody's going the same direction, unless of course they're doing it wrong. stupid drivers are annoying.
6th January 2009 at 11:14 pm | permalink |whoa, other end of the weather spectrum here (oz), 38 degrees Celcius (100.4 fahrenheit) nearly every day for past week.
great site alphabitch – made my night actually, wandering in here by accident…..
sad australian cunt that I am
7th January 2009 at 4:08 am | permalink |We've been cursing -10 here – though that is pretty extreme by UK standards
2008 was a pretty crap year – and hopefully 2009 will be better – its already looking up from my perspective. 6 days in and business looks good – we can survive at current levels, which is all I need out of life
7th January 2009 at 5:12 pm | permalink |Having thought about this – I"ll tell you what really pissed me off about 2008 – it was the growing realisation that the next generation 15-25 years olds (yes that's you, you lazy good for nothing fuckers) really hasn't done anything to improve the world – I just see total fucking apathy, a generation that hasn't got the balls to say or think anything for itself, or challenge what has gone before.
Your music is conformist middle of the road rock bollocks – your politics is none existent and freedom and individuality seem to have missed you out completely.
Please let 2009 be the year I see – a spark that will say the establshment has somthing to worry about, ideas that will shock those of us who are getting older and a spark of freedom of thought that might lead us to believe that the light of truth will still be carried into those places that fear its presence.
7th January 2009 at 5:50 pm | permalink |@Shakira: Well, it sure is when you stand outside for more than a minute or two with any exposed skin. heh
@DavidGX: Yeah, except for the election and a few personal things, 2008 can pretty much fuck right off for me too.
@grizzlybaer: Y'know, the funny thing is, people up here start driving like morons at -40 and colder. You'd think we'd have it down pat!
@james: "sad australian cunt that I am"
Funny thing that. Even though I'm born and raised in the US, it seems to be folks from everywhere else that "get" the site better than my fellow "countrymen".
But surely you weren't implying that liking the site makes you a sad cunt?! heehee
@ian: I'd been checking the weather in London too, and thinking everyone there must be dying with all that sub-freezing business. lol
As for the serious stuff … on the one hand, I think this generation has a seriously uphill battle to shock "those of us who are getting older", so I'm not holding my breath for that. But yeah, it'd be nice to see a sign of an approaching critical mass point of anything but apathy.
7th January 2009 at 10:42 pm | permalink |@ alphabitch – yes, it's strange phenomenon, but probably fairly common for 'locals' of whatever territory to want to get outside their own little box.
probably part of the 'grass is always greener….' phenomenon on a personal level – people often feel their own locale is too limited, frustrating, retarded or whatever. seems natural for people to want to reach out beyond their immediate physical environs to join a conversation, step out of the physical to the metaphysical……..(blahdy blah, as i am currently without weed, alcohol or even bananas i might condense those thoughts at a later juncture….)
always makes me think of the title of Milan Kundera's novel 'Life Is Elsewhere'…
and no ! – only positive implications for your site – 'sad australian cunt that i am' – just a weak attempt at self-deprecation……and a personal embrace of cunt-ism !
as a lovely ex-girfriend (still a very good friend) always used to say – 'Never Shut Your Cunt Up'.
(I didn't understand her back then…..)
8th January 2009 at 2:02 am | permalink |Happy new year everyone! and please, do behave
8th January 2009 at 6:21 pm | permalink |@ian: because, obviously, no-one born before 1984 listens to pop music, or is uninterested in politics or personal freedoms. And they certainly don't sit in front of their TV's eating fatty snacks not caring about the world beyond their fridge.
I'm 22. I don't listen to conformist middle of the road rock. Since before I was 15 I've raised my voice against injustice and selfishness. In 2003, tens of thousands of students lined the main street of my home town and told our government to shove its illegal war and Dubya up its arse.
I'll be the first to admit that I've never like teenagers much, even when I was a teenager. But bitching about how all young people are useless and apathetic is just going to discourage the ones that *do* care. Youth apathy is obviously a problem. But so is any other age-group's apathy. And honestly, I see far more 25-45 apathy than 15-25.
8th January 2009 at 6:23 pm | permalink |@grimbles
No offence meant – I was in a real rant mode – having just been in the company of some A&F wearing zombies who were introducing me to some of their music.
Middle of the road rock was what they were playing, but it was more that I don't see any 'we're going to change the world' lyrics in any kind of music which is popular with young people at the moment.
"Since before I was 15 I've raised my voice against injustice and selfishness." – if everyone was as committed and passionate as you obviously are the world would already be a better place.
"But bitching about how all young people are useless and apathetic is just going to discourage the ones that *do* care." – this comment interests me and worries me, one of the things I have learned over the years is that when you are trying to change people's views and attitudes you will have many more failures than successes. Perseverence is needed to get the message to those whose minds are closed, appeal to their self interest, show them how standing against an injustice is to their benefit or getting them to think about things in a slightly different way is good.
"But so is any other age-group's apathy. And honestly, I see far more 25-45 apathy than 15-25." – I totally agree and those over 25 are much more set in their ways, which makes it even worse.
13th January 2009 at 5:59 pm | permalink |Granted, the mega-popular stuff is mostly crap. But there are acts that are big enough to qualify as 'mainstream' – whatever the hell that is – that do actually write intelligent music. Maybe it's something about Australia's music market. Silverchair and Powderfinger – basically the kings of 'modern' Australian rock – have a strong political bent to much of their music, along with being publicly vocal. Michael Franti and Spearhead were pretty big over here too.
Hell, one of the biggest songs of the last year, by a dance act of all genres, was about detention centers and refugees.
13th January 2009 at 8:09 pm | permalink |Will have to check silverchair and powderfinger. From my era Australia provided us with The Saints and Midnight Oil, neither of whom were overtly political but both whom had political agendas.
16th January 2009 at 5:30 pm | permalink |Midnight Oil were very political… although it was focused on Australian political issues which may have meant nothing to outsiders.
16th January 2009 at 6:07 pm | permalink |Midnight Oil – enough of the message got through to enlighten the outside world. (Well at least a few bits that could be enlightened)
16th January 2009 at 6:26 pm | permalink |