I was fairly healthy the first 10 months of the year but so I guess l was due. First a cold in late November, then an upper respiratory infection around December 10; and then while in Minneapolis for the holidays, a bad case of bronchitis, which I brought back with me to Seattle and still suffer from. Three sicknesses in six weeks.

All of which puts a cap on a year most of us are happy to see leave. Hell, I almost feel like giving it a swift kick as it exits. Take that, you little f--ker.

Some bright spots (Pres. Obama) but otherwise a lot of noise and short-sightedness, entropy and quick, unprecedented collapse. Nobody I know is hurting yet, but some are pinched, and everyone’s wary. We’ve been feeding on stuff we know is bad for us and now comes the price and the wrong people will probably pay it, as wrong people often do.

It’s an arbitrary point we’re crossing, but it doesn’t mean we can’t feel new. So wave good-bye (or swift-kick) 2008. And hello gorgeous.