I started the year with a story, thanks to the so called economic crises but came out with the better end of the deal. I got the opportunity of a lifetime, to telecommute and take a  “sabbatical” at the same time. I did not even flinch; I took it in a jiffy.

I was a tad apprehensive at the thought of being home “all day” but my moustache grew and I must confess it was the best thing that ever happened to me; I will not trade it for anything in the world. I was offered the chance of getting my sanity back and taking it back, I did. The gym had my name on it and I signed it.

The year went on with some excitement and misfortunes. There were births, there were weddings and there were deaths; there were accomplishments, there were milestones, there were disappointments; there were amazing stories, there were “what in the heck he/she was thinking” stories, there were “I could kill him/her” stories, I could line them all up. I am pretty sure it would have made a good bedtime narrative;

I thank God for my family, I have no words;

I celebrated my father’s special birthday, it was an amazing event;

I did not volunteer as much as I would have hoped and sang my lungs out more than ever;

I took time off (God what “sabbaticals” don’t do; they allow one to take extended weeks off in corporate America) to visit my family whom I had not seen in a quarter century, some I did not even know;

I thank God for my extraordinary circle of friends, made some new as others relocated to a new state and country;

After years of pulverizing my peeps with my observations and inadvertent grievances as I called them, I followed through with their suggestion and created a blog (https://ludlumdrive.wordpress.com) – I am exuberant by that; two of my poems were published in the Essence magazine and others in poetry.com – hurray to me; and was more creative than ever – my new child for the incoming year;

All in all it was an extraordinary year, capitalized by the elections, one that a lot of us will never forget.

The elections, what else is there to be said? The results, it happened and it is here to stay for the next four years whether you like it or not – one is still undecided in Minnesota, until the cycle commences again but I do not believe it will ever be duplicated, at a minimum not during my lifetime.

We have a black man in the White House – no folks, the house still white and it will never go chocolate or ghetto, the Cosby Show has established that- who would have thought?  We had two amazing women, yes they are both amazing and exceptional in their own right, running for the highest office in the land. Granted, one gave us a good month and half of animated tales but it was all right, we dug her and she will be cashing in soon but that’s what personalities are all about and this is what makes us human; and one extraordinary man who almost tarnished his watertight nonconformist reputation in the name of politics.

During the exciting phase, my republican friend’s told me like it is, my democratic friend’s told me like it is and I told them like it is. Some got in the bandwagon, others got to see it for what it was, politics and sign of the time – opinions that were ravaging everywhere, and others got it way too personal – touché, life goes on. If you take comments amongst friend’s way too personal then life is not worth living – just kidding. It is a political observation; if you don’t have the balls to take it, then move out to the living room, cookies will be served. The good thing is that we are still friends, at least I hope as some pills are hard to swallow. My back aches.

We were bombarded by the iPhone as it was suddenly the gadget du jour, the must have – too bad I was not so keen on switching to AT&T, the new T-Mobile/Goggle venture and the new gold Blackberry, what don’t we do to be in “communicado” and look cool; Britney got her mojo back and Paris who, she got robbed who is next?

So 2009 is upon us. I am looking for more exhilarating moments and extraordinary things but less headache – can’t help there, it is out of my control; I am looking for good things, good health for my family and friends, camaraderie and kindness everywhere, and since I decided not to have a list this year, I plan to continue talking to my imaginary friend – hope he will answer me back. Last but not least in the world of pop culture, I look forward to Whitney Houston new CD, Mariah Carrey baby and J-Lo 3rd divorce. Perhaps, Michael Jackson will finally decide to come out of his moribund state and join the club of the living. Not!

And oh! George Bush is finally going home to Texas!