This is a huge day for many of us, the day we get to slam the door on 2010 with a sigh of relief and start the New Year praying for something odd ... BOREDOM. I would like to look back on 2011 in a few years and be able to remark that absolutely nothing notable happened. Health? Just a routine check-up here and there. Family? No job losses, no deaths, no divorces, no terrible accidents, not even a random bankruptcy. Weather? Nothing special. Economy? Steadily improving. Politics? Too boring to remember. Friends? All alive and happy.
But before we slam the door on 2010, let's spill our guts and rant about this shitty year that just ended. Pour it all out here and let's try to heal.
WYFP (What's Your Fucking Problem) is our community's Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else we think might help. Everyone, and all sorts of troubles, are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won't you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?
Among other things, 2010 was a year of dental hell ... and it all started in January when I lost a tooth. The extraction was so traumatic I lost most of the hearing in my right ear for weeks and had to spend money I didn't have finding an ENT and having an MRI. I couldn't afford an implant, but at least it was an upper molar so the gap doesn't show, and I learned to chew on the other side. Until September. Until the matching molar on the other side decided to join its brother in sudden death. That root canal - that fucking $1300 root canal - was so brutal that the ligament around the tooth has never recovered and I am going to lose THAT goddamn tooth as well. 2010 cost me two teeth with the bill already at $5,000 before any restorations.
Let's get the eyes out of the way while my blood pressure is still elevated, shall we? I couldn't see very well as the year began because of cataracts, which I wrote about here, here, here, and here. I'm out $1,375 so far, I can't drive at night because headlights and taillights put on a laser light show, the implanted lenses reflect sunlight off their edges with an effect much like nystagmus, and I'm just generally pissed off and disappointed about the entire experience.
My spinal stenosis is not a new problem, not something I can blame on 2010, but it got so much worse this year even after several epidural spinal injections that I went back into the scanner to see what was going on ... and discovered it has progressed quite a bit since my last MRI, thank you very much. I wasn't able to play with my grandson this past week because of the pain, and I'm sure you remember my rant about NN10 being such a trial. You might also remember how much fun I had reporting for jury duty.
August brought the worst headaches I've ever experienced, the kind that make you think you should call 911. It took a nerve block and multiple visits with my chiropractor to get that 2010 fun under control.
Despite all these health problems and expenses, the thing that nearly undid me last summer was having one of my pooties, Tommy, almost die. Diagnostics costing over $1,000 never revealed the cause of his dramatic weight loss, but a couple of steroid injections and a complete diet change eventually, thankfully, turned him around. He's only five. That was a terrible stretch.
In August, our beloved exmearden began the decline that ended with her death in November.
I spent Thanksgiving in mourning, without family or turkey, waiting for the next day's phone call telling me she had passed away.
Another dear Kossack, willb48, lost his battle with cancer.
BFSkinner had to move into assisted living.
ulookarmless, a man who puts the stars in the sky for me, had a bad year.
Stumpy died.
And that's just the personal side of 2010!
I can't possibly cover all the fucking problems our country, party, and world experienced in 2010! It began with Haiti in January and never seemed to get better. The same month brought us the Citizens United clusterfuck decision and the state of Arizona wasn't far behind with its "papers law". We saw the rise of racism and rightwing radicalism. British Petroleum created an economic and environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Gay teens were bullied and committed suicide. The mid-term elections were a disaster for Democrats and didn't bode well for the survival of the Republican party. It was a bad year to be miner, a job-seeker, a home-owner, or a poor retiree.
Even the good news was watered-down (healthcare reform) or late in coming (DADT repeal). I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted! I could use some rest! 2010 stunk the place up and I'm gonna be one raging, ranting Daughter of Texas if 2011 isn't a great improvement!
Imagine, if you will, that 2010 was a year designed by Sony:
How was 2010 for you?