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Anno Domini is a term applied to our Gregorian calendar by the lovely Christian Church to define an "era" representing the time after the birth of Jesus Christ. I've mention this before: Atheists like me who do not recognize this defining moment are kind of screwed, aren't we. I mean, I cannot just create my own "Jesus Who? Calendar". Luckily, many academia now use the neutral and agnostic term Common Era, or CE, concurrently with Anno Domini. So here we are, in the new year of 2009 CE, and the time has come to reflect upon 2008 CE— one hell of a roller coaster year for America, but one that offered me a lot of personal growth. As everything (and everyone) crumbled around me on all sides, I remained uncorruptible, and that is no exaggeration as you will see.
A Journey through 2008 CE
| January: | The clunky corporation I worked for moved our division into a brand new $3,000,000 office in downtown San Francisco. One week later, over half of our division got bitch-slapped with layoff notices, including me. It was an overdue departure, since the company was a toxic dead end with its fucked up cult-like atmosphere and creepy puppet managers. Also this month, winter storms pounded California, causing millions in damage and several deaths.
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| February: | I turned 38 years old, and I ended my job at the clunky corporation on the same day. The next day, I co-founded a new Internet startup with a few business partners. This was the month that officially made me an entrepreneur, and my life changed in the most amazing way. Also in February, the presidential primaries for the Democratic and Republican parties swung into season.
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| March: | I found a lot of strength and motivation in March, which gave me everything I needed to begin our new company. We each invested our own money into this fledgeling venture. To make March more interesting, I joined the Socialist Party USA, making me a citizen who believes in equality for every human being on the planet. Consequently, the Socialist Worker's Party in Spain won the general election, giving Spain more opportunity for gender equality and gay/lesbian rights. |  |
| April: | I worked harder than I have ever worked in my life for my venture, deciding to dedicate all of my time to it, and delaying a hunt for a salaried job until 2009. On a stranger note, I somehow made a mortal enemy out of a snotty gossipy jackass named Ren Park for my posting of a bad restaurant review of Zuni Cafe, his employer. This wacky tale is worthy of a separate blog entry, so I will divulge the full details of Ren's messy and vengeful antics in an upcoming entry. |
| May: | I embarked on an adventure to Peru with a friend, passing through Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and the Amazon jungle. Also in May, a gay Korean by the name of Andrew connected with me out of the blue, for no apparent reason, and he suggested that we attend an opera together. I thought it very strange that he randomly contacted me, but I accepted his offer. |  |
| June: | My business partners and I made great progress with our tiny company, and we decided to outsource parts of our business to give us a speed boost. I also noticed that Andrew, my new acquaintance from May, was rather moody and bipolar, and since he told me about his recent drug problems, I let him drift away. Also in late June as the stock markets cavitated, ready for total collapse, Bill Gates finally stepped down from daily duties at Microsoft after three decades. |
| July: | I met so many new friends this month and realized that my growing circles of friends meant that I could not devote much time to anything meaningful. I made a decision to trim the excess fat out of my social life by the end of the year, so as to focus on my dearest friends. In late July, stock markets around the world began to crumble, and Iran test-fired several missiles to assert its position in global war games, after which Israel and the U.S. condemned the missile tests. |  |
| August: | I met two classical musicians this month, and I decided to spend some time getting to know them. I finished up a long protracted mess involving the IRS, and my business partners and I prepared for the launch of our Internet company's public beta website. Also, Democrats chose Obama as their nominee to defeat the Republican nominee John McCain. |
| September: | My partners and I launched our beta website, and we get a very positive initial reaction from audience that we were targeting. Also this month, I decided to call the owner of Zuni Cafe to report some idiotic and unprofessional behavior of Ren and his co-worker. It was no laughing matter, as they soon found out, since both of the jackasses were reprimanded. I then posted another restaurant review of Zuni Cafe. Read it by clicking here. |  |
| October: | Stock markets around the world collapsed, some to their worst levels in decades. Our company's website gained a little more popularity in the dance community around the world, even though we're still a very tiny website on a shoestring budget. Halfway through the month, that new "acquaintance" from May (Andrew Lee), who happened to be friends with the Zuni Cafe jackasses, turned nasty on me and tossed verbal and written insults in response to my getting his friends reprimanded. This also deserves a separate blog entry, since Andrew's socially retarded behavior was something that I predicted three months beforehand. |
| November: | My business partners and I began research for investor funding for our new startup. My friend composed an opera and dedicated it to me, and I took one of my best friends from Berkeley on a semi-romantic evening to see it. In other news, an acquaintance named Johanes who recently moved to San Francisco, turned out to be a foul-mouthed drug addict in serious need of rehabilitation. It only took me three weeks to realize this, and I ended the friendship when he went psycho and ballistic on me (a typical symptom of out-of-control drug abuse). Typical and predictable. But on a much more positive note, citizens of the United States elected a new president, Barack Obama. |  |
| December: | The holiday season somehow attracted some new friends my way, and to my surprise, I discovered a whole new social scene. Also throughout the month, I worked continuously with my business partners on our company, and in between, I somehow managed to attend seven holiday parties— a record for me. |
The year two thousand and eight of the Common Era. It's one year that most of us would sure like to forget. But for some reason, although bittersweet, I found 2008 to my liking. It represented how resilient I am in a crisis that deeply affects the whole city, and it also reminded many people around me of my ice-cold stance on drug abuse. It also brought me new friends and a few sinister enemies; so I adored the good quality men/women, and conversely I countercharged and fought the jackass druggies right out of my life.
And for the second recession in a row, I anchored myself to the ground in San Francisco while hundreds of other gays and lesbians fled permanently to L.A., New York City, and elsewhere. I couldn't care less, and actually the exodus might make it even easier to find contract work, if I really need extra income.
As far as my treatment of the year to come, well I never bothered with New Year's resolutions like most people of the Earth. But I always try to predict my own future, which often times turns out to be accurate. This year, I see myself giving up every bit of fear in my personal and professional life, and I see some great opportunity for our Internet company around mid-year as a reward for all of our hard work. All this work, however, puts a damper on relationships, so I don't see one blooming until the next year.
Regardless of how these predictions unfold, I am sure that 2009 CE will be a year I will want to remember, always.
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| | Posted 1/7/2009 3:22 AM - 169 Views - 20 eProps - 13 comments
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