Ringing It In

The very fact with a little more than three hours to go in 2008 and I am sitting here writing up a blog entry probably means that the partying days of my youth are nearly over.  Or not.  It could be that after passing age 30, there is a certain amount of comfort in knowing that I am no longer obligated to go out, drink, be loud and nurse a headache in the morning.  No, it doesn't mean I'm old.  I've just realized that celebrating doesn't always mean a crowd of friends and strangers.  Some of the better new years I've been a part of had no more than a few people around, and as I have gotten older, that kind of setting is sometimes preferable.
ESPN is blaring on the television in front of me, and the sports journalists and commentators of that network are calling 2008 the best year in sports...ever.  At this rate, having developed preferences for different sports than I had at a younger age, I am not really prepared to argue that.  But whether one follows sports, politics, music, or movies, some years tend to be more full of memorable moments than others, so I won't begrudge anybody who might want to say the outgoing year was the best year ever for some reason or other.
I will personally always look at 2008 through the lense of change.  I say that not just because Barack Obama got elected, but because if anything enough happened in 2008 that many of us can sit back and say "Yes, things will never be the same again".  Yes there was an economic recession that trickled down not just to auto-makers and huge corporations, but to our own Tribe, forcing us into the first major year of deficit spending.  We saw absolutely no change whatsoever during the Tribal Council elections, which in itself is change because that hasn't really happened before, at least not while I've followed the Tribe.
We saw a shoe get thrown at our president, a presidential election which revealed our country is incredibly divided, and in the Willamette Valley of Oregon saw a snow storm that happens once every decade, maybe.  We also saw China like we never have before during the summer Olympics.  And in those Olympics Michael Phelps won the most ever gold medals.
I could write this post forever, but have promised others I'd meet them for a drink.  I look forward to 2009.  Not sure why.  I just do.  History awaits.