The Year in Review 2014

As 2014 wraps up, I want to go over what has happened, what I learned, and/or what did not happen or I did not learn (actually I can't go over what I did not learn as I probably not aware of that), so in no particular order here it is….

Personal-

• I started this blog. I was not sure if I could write well enough, write enough, and have anyone follow my gibberish. Still don't think I write well enough, and probably I do not write enough, but at least I am following through with it and I have a very small following.
• I also started a handle bar mustache, which I have wrote about numerous times in this blog. I kind of did it as a New Year's resolution, and it has lasted the whole year.
• I am also approaching the one year date of my divorce. I am not sure how I feel about that, but it is still a civil relationship and the kids are doing fine, and that is what is important. You can outgrow or grow apart from someone and it is alright and still maintain a relationship.
• I had two major surgeries on my kidneys and have recovered from them both. Only the good die young or so I have been told.
• I am back to having short hair.
• I turned 50, I still have my hair, it is not even starting to recede nor turned grey. The rest of the body is aware that it is 50.
• I still enjoy wearing a kilt and I have lots of responses to the obvious questions, some of them quite witty.

Societal-

• Robin Williams committed suicide. It affected me deeply and made me more aware of mental illness and it effects.
• Grand juries no longer work under the law, two decisions in particularly have demonstrated this with the Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo decisions. No matter what the evidence and witnesses say.
• Civil rights has taken a step backward, or maybe it never advanced and it is just back in the closet again or maybe the racists are out of the closet.
• You can skip paying your taxes and arm yourself against the government and that is ok. If you sell untaxed cigarettes, they will kill you in the streets.
• Voters are stupid and can be bought, and elections do not matter. Proven by the way people do not bother to show up to vote.
• This was a bad year for movies, with the award season coming up, I can not think of one movie that blew anyone away.
• ACA was a success, in spite of how those opposed tried to squash it. The 'job creators' were required to provide coverage and still kept or hired workers.
• The economy continues to rebound. The Party of No still has not passed a budget, a jobs bill, increased minimum wage, or done anything to help this country, including helping the veterans they created.
• Drinking water and voting are not for all citizens.
• People care more about a genetic disease then what is in their food and will waste water and energy raising money for it. And then shame people into becoming zombies and following their "moralistic" ideals.
• Americans care more about their rights then they do about human life. (Of course I have known this for a while, not just this year.) Everyone becomes a constitutional law expert about this. 
• It has been two years since Sandy Hook and we have had an average of a school shooting per week since then.
• Parents are more concerned about how their kids are taught math then they are in keeping them safe in school.
• Industry leaders have more knowledge of science and engineering then scientists and engineers.
• The average person (even those that claim they are above average) still does not understand Climate Change and/or Common Core, but this is also not something new to me, just still dumbfounded that people still don't get it. 
• More people are interested in Kim Kardashian's ass, then of anything else of substance. (double entendre intended)
• Lionel Messi still can not perform in the big game (neither can Kershaw and P. Manning), more people care about a has been shortstop then anyone else in baseball, and the behavior of those that play in the NFL warrant more attention from Congress then the passing of any bills.
• We can investigate the death of 4 Americans protecting an embassy after budget cuts to security, get the same result each time, but continue to call for another investigation. I think Mark Twain is credited with a quote about this. How does it go again?
• History repeats itself, constantly….
• Musically, I know I will be "happy" to "shake it off" because "it is about that bass" to get these ear worms to of my head.
• We have a pope finally that cares about the people and is actually a humanist first and a religious leader second.
• It rains in California.
• Torture is a way of life in America. People are more upset with a movie being cancelled then how we treat others.
• Any kind of publicity is good. Just ask the makers of the movie, "The Interview".

What the future hopefully will be and possible resolutions

• The economy will continue to get better.
• People will but their difference aside (one can only hope, right?).
• My HBM will be the envy of everyone, as I continue to grow and groom it.
• History will stop repeating itself, or at least take some time off of repeating itself.
• The sports teams I support have better seasons, one championship would not hurt anyone.
• Ok, so I really do not have a resolution for 2015, besides it will hard to top last years.