New Year's Eve: A Year in Review

2016 has come and gone.  Good riddance.  2016 was a trash bag and train wreck of a year.  This post is a look back at the horrible loss and general distaste we experienced but I think it will also be a hopeful look forward to 2017...

Bye bye!

George Takei said it best:

I've lived through nearly 80 years, and I must say: 2016, I'm not sad to see you finish.

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) December 9, 2016

There is no denying it.  2016 sucked for a lot of reasons.  Let's look at a few, shall we?

We lost so many talented people this year. Seriously, it feels like the number was so much higher than years past.  I could give you a shockingly long list to read but there are hundreds of websites that have done that.  Some of the big names include David Bowie, Van Williams, Florence Henderson, Ron Glass, Gwen Ifill, Leon Russell, Robert Vaughn, Leonard Cohen, Arnold Palmer, Gene Wilder, Steven Hill, Kenny Baker, Garry Marshall, Anton Yelchin, Christina Grimmie, Muhammad Ali, Prince, Doris Roberts, Patty Duke, Nancy Reagan, Garry Shandling, Glenn Frey, Vera Rubin, Zsa Zsa, Dr. Heimlich, Alan Thicke, George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and Alan Rickman.

OK, that turned out to be a shockingly long list but that's a small fraction of the deaths this year.  Just look at those names!  Terrible.

On a personal note, I also lost my grandmother, Barbara and my dog, Sozo.

I had the pleasure of taking my grandmother to San Manuel about a week before she died and she had the time of her life...as did I.

I wrote a Eulogy for Sozo if you want to jump over and read about her.

America lost a lot too with the election of Donald Trump.  In that, millions are now fearful for there lives including Muslims, LGBTQ, Mexicans, African-Americans, and Democrats.  Why?  Because Trump promotes hate and his followers are morons that exercise that hate in the form of violence.

2016 saw the need for Black Lives Matter, terrorism, protests, riots, mass shootings, a skyrocketing murder rate in my hometown, vile mistreatment of peaceful protesters, the complete step backwards for equality (See previous paragraph), and the beginning of the next Civil War.

I want to just hope 2016 was a bad dream we can all wake up from on January 1st.  It won't be. But that's ok.  Some good came in 2016...

I had positive interactions with a few idols and one dump truck on Twitter.

My wife started a new job she loves!  Our bills are paid. We got some of the best comic book film adaptations.  I had a surgical procedure to give me my life back.  I celebrated my 1 year anniversary to my amazing wife.  I took her on her first cruise with my parents and yes, we had a blast.  We vacationed in Temecula and we joined a few wine clubs with two of our best friends.  We vacationed in San Diego with my family and yes, we had a blast. We went to Magic Mountain and Disneyland and the Safari Park.  We hiked.  We threw parties.  We laughed.  We're healthy.  We're working.  My oldest son got his driver's license. My youngest son found a new passion for video game design.

As a country, we will come together to get through the next 4 years. (assuming Trump makes it that long.)  It's nice to see some of his supporters starting to realize he is a liar and a moron.

I made new friends and new enemies in 2016.  I saw life and I saw death.  I saw love and I saw hate.  That's life though.  You take the good.  You take the bad.  You take them both and there you have the Facts of Life.

I end 2016 with a hopeful feeling in my heart for 2017.  I hope America can be a better place.  A place of less hate and anger and divisiveness.  I hope Americans can recognize that EVERYONE deserves life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not just the rich, straight, white men.  I hope that you find something new to entertain you.  I hope I don't lose anyone in my life.  I hope to make new friends.  I hope to continue blogging.  I hope to work more and earn more.  I hope to smile and to laugh and to love.  I hope to travel.  I hope to drink and dine and dance.

I end 2016 with a hope that the darkness of this year will fade into memory and that 2017 will be a shining beacon for the future.

2016 can suck it because it's over.  I will not be held captive to it any more.  I embrace 2017 with open arms and I toast it tonight.

I toast you, my friends, my family, my clients, my readers.

May your 2017 make 2016 wish it never happened.  May you find peace and joy and happiness.

May we meet, at least once, to share a sip of bourbon, a laugh, and a hug.

2016 is over now and in 2017, I promise you this:

I will continue to be an ally.  I will continue to be a safe place.  I will continue to be honest with you.  I will continue to strive forward.  I will continue to fight for what is right.

Do you hear me 2016?  We're over!  I am moving on.

From my family to yours, we wish you the happiest of new years.