comparatively, the prospect of 2010 is a bit of a snooze.
except apparently everyone hated the 'aughts. it was the worst decade in decades, according to many. i've never liked year-in-reviews (or is it years-in-review?), or decade-in-reviews. i find them depressing for reasons i can't fully explain. maybe because they underline how fleeting time is? or because if it's time to rehash the year, it means a long, cold winter is ahead? not sure. and i was avoiding all decade-in-review material this time around until a week ago when i picked up AM New York on my way into the F train. a big chunk of it was devoted to timelines of what happened between 2000 and now. i have to say, most of it was pretty bad. with the exception of technology, nearly everything sucked. no wonder everyone i know is eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2010.
i can't say the 'aughts were all bad for me, though they did encompass the meat of my 20s, which were oh-so-painful and often times embarrassing. (the 1990s encompassed most of my teen years and while they had their equally tragicomic moments, i was just a kid—humiliation and confusion was to be expected.) i spent my 20s as a supposed adult, living on my own, starting my career. and also—many, many times—being a complete idiot.
except apparently everyone hated the 'aughts. it was the worst decade in decades, according to many. i've never liked year-in-reviews (or is it years-in-review?), or decade-in-reviews. i find them depressing for reasons i can't fully explain. maybe because they underline how fleeting time is? or because if it's time to rehash the year, it means a long, cold winter is ahead? not sure. and i was avoiding all decade-in-review material this time around until a week ago when i picked up AM New York on my way into the F train. a big chunk of it was devoted to timelines of what happened between 2000 and now. i have to say, most of it was pretty bad. with the exception of technology, nearly everything sucked. no wonder everyone i know is eagerly awaiting the arrival of 2010.
i can't say the 'aughts were all bad for me, though they did encompass the meat of my 20s, which were oh-so-painful and often times embarrassing. (the 1990s encompassed most of my teen years and while they had their equally tragicomic moments, i was just a kid—humiliation and confusion was to be expected.) i spent my 20s as a supposed adult, living on my own, starting my career. and also—many, many times—being a complete idiot.
anyway, against my better judgment i tried to recount the highlights from the last almost-10 years of my life. i came up with the following:
- i lived in six different apartments for varying amounts of time
- i lived in six different apartments for varying amounts of time
- i had a total of nine different roommates (one of whom i married, so perhaps he doesn't count) and managed to live on my own for a year and a half
- i had four different jobs, plus a few freelance gigs on the side; i got laid off from one and quit two
- i traveled to florida four times; california twice; boston, baltimore, montana, and aruba once
- i was in three weddings (four if you count my own)
- i witnessed two Yankee World Series victories, one heartbreaking World Series defeat, one epic collapse and many lackluster playoff losses; i also attended many awesome games in two different Yankee Stadiums—and ran a 5K in one
- i had four different jobs, plus a few freelance gigs on the side; i got laid off from one and quit two
- i traveled to florida four times; california twice; boston, baltimore, montana, and aruba once
- i was in three weddings (four if you count my own)
- i witnessed two Yankee World Series victories, one heartbreaking World Series defeat, one epic collapse and many lackluster playoff losses; i also attended many awesome games in two different Yankee Stadiums—and ran a 5K in one
- i started a blog
- i said goodbye to my beagle Breeze
- i turned 30
- i voted for Hillary
- i got a passport
- i got married
and that's all i could come up with. am i forgetting things? were my 20s that bleak? so now i hate the 'aughts, too.
no, not really. they're certainly ending much better than they started. (i distinctly remember spending New Year's Eve in 1999 at my parents' house, on the couch, just me and my dog—my parents had a party to go to—watching the Peter Jennings ABC News millennium special. i told myself i was content but really i was so lonely it hurt.) i have much to be happy about right now and, better yet, much to look forward to.
hopefully, we all do.
mbm
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