It's 6:30pm New Years Eve(ning) and I have showered and put on my pajamas. I am enjoying a cup of cinnamon coffee with my Christmas lights blazing and the iPod streaming on shuffle. I'd say I'm in full celebratory mode at this point.
As I review the year of 2008 I can honestly say it is the year in which I have shed the most tears. Only once were they tears of joy when Barack Obama swept the Presidential race, a pivotal change to this nation. I can also say that standing in line for over two hours to vote early and seeing/hearing Obama speak downtown at a voter rally were the highlights of my year.
Other than those two aforementioned events, this year sucked ass. Between personal and professional losses, it's a wonder I am still here.
The most unexpected and devastating loss was that of Dr. J, an avid contributor to the West Five Two. She was an amazing person. I respected her and looked up to her as a role model, and I enjoyed her friendship. I could always count on her to meet me at the Parkview for the annual reggae brunch or to see Lost State of Franklin. And she would surely cause me great laughter at any event.
The second loss came when Raja left this earth. In March her fate was sealed with the diagnosis of kidney failure. I did everything I could to make her comfortable during her last months, and I'm proud to say I did a damn good job with her. We were both strong until the very end. I put her first before anything else, making sure she was happy. It was a selfless and compassionate act that took a great amount of patience that I didn't think I had in me. I suppose that is what unconditional love feels like.
I can go on for days about my professional life, but I will not. I will say that through 2008 I have learned that incompetence rules. The dumber you are, the poorer judgement you have, and the higher your inability to effectively communicate will get you further in life than you would expect. Perfect examples include, George Dubya Bush and Sarah Palin, amongst millions of other people in charge. Now, what will I do with this new found knowledge you ask? I will take it with me when I leave the Cleve and implement it in my next place of employment. I will do my job half-assed, give two flying fucks about being productive and/or efficient, ignore emails and voice mails, make impulsive decisions with the least amount of judgement as possible, give two shits in the wind regarding any and all safety procedures, take an ample amount of days off, plead ignorance at every opportunity all the while keeping a bright and sunny disposition, and make my way into administration within a year of employment.
It's official.....I have turned into Debbie Downer....WAH WAH!!!! I usually like to give a title or theme to the upcoming year, but not this year, 2009, it's just a different year. I am looking forward to a trip to Hawaii in February, otherwise I'm going to take it one day at a time.
Change gonna come,
Medusa J
