2008 Is Over!

I was thinking that it only seems like a year ago it was the start of 2008 and so another year is gone. I won't bore your with tales of my travels and pictures of far away places. You see, I pretty much stayed in my 'hood all this year. I did take lots of pictures and you can see those at my photo website www.ronscott.com.

I started the new year off with a bang... well, more of a bam! On the way back from toasting in the new year with some bubbly at my favorite restaurant Divino's I stepped into an open water meter hole (the cover was missing) and went down on the sidewalk like a sack of rocks. No major damage (except to my ego) and I escaped with a few scrapes and a sore shoulder. Now if you were the uncharitable type you might suggest that the consumption of adult beverages in pursuit of New Years eve revelries might have contributed to my fall, but I hope not. Gravity is gravity and surely that was the main culprit.

2008 was not without its moments for me even though I did not travel afar. I had an exhibit of my work displayed as part of FotoFest 2008 as well as a new batch of my work on hanging at the aforementioned Divino's Restaurant. Another birthday came and went and many enjoyable hours were spent with friends at various parties, pubs, bars and restaurants. I logged six pool parties at me casa last Spring and Summer plus a post-Ike party in the Fall for added measure. Oh yeah, almost forgot old Ike (the hurricane, not the President). I escaped any major damage at my place but much of Houston and all of Galveston did not.

My dog Boo got a year older too. He had a couple of expensive visits to the dogspital but is on the mend now. I did not escape this year without a medical malady either. In mid November I was diagnosed with a detached retina and underwent surgery the next week. I seem to be mending from that episode too. Fortunately I was able to put all the expenses for Boo and me on the Amex card and rack up some reward points which I hope to use for some travel in 2009.

My end-of-year rant would not be complete without a mention of the events that shaped 2008. We elected our first African-American president following an election that gave us some memorable moments and great fodder for pundits and comedians. I am going to miss Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin. The sub-prime mortgage meltdown sucked the life out of our economy and the stock market collapsed. The CEOs of the Detroit Big 3 automakers flew to Washington in separate private jets to beg Congress for a bailout and erstwhile financial wizard Bernie Madoff scammed a lot of rich people out of billions. Congress voted 700 billion dollars to prop up the financial sector and now that they have burned though half of it nobody wants to say where it went or how much wound up in the pockets of the guys who got us in this mess in the first place. The governor of Illinois was caught scheming to turn his appointment to fill Obama's Senate seat into his own payday and the one to be vacated by Hillary may go to a princess who can't stop saying "you know". Oh what fun and I am sure there is more to come in 2009.

Happy New Year y'all!