[Rader] and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad [Year]

It’s been an absolutely shite year. Even positive developments were immediately countered by horrible, sickening anti-developments.

Last year was a year of build-up. I could feel the possibilities crackling in the air, the sense that great things were grinding towards their climax. Then, suddenly, everything came to a shuddering halt. Someone put the brakes on but hard. Forward progress wasn’t entirely halted but it moved at a glacial pace. More often than not, it seemed things were moving backwards rather than forwards, which made the whole affair even more distressing.

I’m early with the annual roundup. In my mind, today is the official beginning of the past year of horrors. I hope that the next two weeks will pass pleasantly and I can remember the end of ’05 as rather the beginning of a much better ’06.

January
– I unveiled an all new and far less pale-ratty-goth-kid version of the site.

– I bitched a little about my lack of a love life; a theme which sadly came to dominate the year.

– Any free man with a soul in him celebrated the “flying purple finger of freedom” with the Iraqi people.

February
– Sonsabitches Eagles get whipped in the Superbowl thereby dashing all hope. The Eagles’ year may have been as bad as mine.

– The site turned three! Damn, I feel old.

Sherman Tank. Even if it didn’t run. But it would better for Christmas shopping if it did.

– I went to that most Irish of American cities for St. Patrick’s Day.

Terri Schiavo died, presumably against her will. Christ, does anyone even remember how big a deal this is?

April
Opening Day! Nuff said.

Road trips. Many road trips. I think I spent the entire month on the road.

– Habemus Papem! The old Pope died. We got a new, German, doctrinaire Pope. About damned time.

May
– Around this time I made up my mind to do something about my increasingly miserable situation. The time between the deciding and the doing proved harder than I expected.

– I had my first stranding breakdown, followed by another very long, very entertaining road trip.

– Managed to stay awake through almost my entire first viewing of Episode III.

June
– Got to play an RAF erk in the heat of Reading. Very entertaining. Even if I didn’t get to shave in the rain again.

– Celebrated my mother’s birthday watching the Phillies play the Red Sox at Citizen’s Bank Park. Naturally the Phillies lost.

– Most of this month and the months to come were complete washes. I didn’t even post about the wonderful time at Mom’s 60th birthday party or the beginning of the end of this stage of my life. Pickings are going to be pretty slim from here on out.

July
– The end of one thing came “not with a bang but a whimper.” Losing all hope really is freedom as it gives you the freedom to start over without expectations.

– I started moving on.

– The Space Shuttle made it back into space only to be promptly grounded again. We haven’t been back to orbit since.

August
– I kvetched about designated hitters.

– I celebrated the end of the Second World War and celebrated the use of the atomic bombs that ended the conflict.

– Went to even more baseball games. Finally got up to Boston for my annual Fenway pilgrimage. Naturally the Red Sox lost.

September
– I packed up and buggered off to Nashville, Tennessee. Most folks never even noticed I left, which suited me just fine.

– I spent one night in my new home before heading back to my previous home. I have yet to break free of the iron grip of Pennsylvania.

– Fugging Red Sox.

October
– I did some exploring.

– Got very upset with the Red Sox, boycotted the World Series thereby got some sleep in October and began “The Missing Month.”

– Got some very bad news and some very good news on the same day as the year of horror rolled malevolently on its way.

November
– “The Missing Month” finally came to an end. Got back to Nashville no worse for wear and with all my stuff in the same place I left it.

– No more got back up south before I went north again for holidays and holy days.

– Spent the first of the winter battle anniversaries in the town of Franklin, Tennessee.

December
Celebrated the latest in an ever-lengthening series of birthdays. I get older every year. It’s nearly depressing.

– Paid tribute on the second of the two winter battle anniversaries hereabouts.

– Did some shopping, did some exploring, steeled myself to the weeks ahead and prayed fervently for this year to finally end.

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