Umbrella's New Years Thread

With less than 5 hours left in this year I find myself sitting here, perhaps like many others around
the world, reflecting on the past year. But I find myself not only thinking about 2010 but this
decade as a whole. I'll have spent 10 years on the interwebs this coming spring. I'm not the same
person that I was that day, hell, I'm not even the same person you all first met back in July of 09.

It boggles my mind at how much has changed in the past year after nearly a decade of no real
change at all. This past decade has been one of the best in my short life on this planet, and I
suspect that it shan't get much better.

Pro's of 2010
* I got my GED!
* Lost a lot of weight
* Went to my first Anime Con
* Met lots of new people and made new friends
* Became a little maturer and wiser
* Got to enjoy some great games I've been dying to play for so long!
* Read a lot of good books and watched some good films, too.
* Gained some much needed independence

Con's of 2010
* My closest and oldest friend, my nephew Nicholas passed away.
* My P.C quickly becoming a loathsome piece of junk
* turned down by my crush and lost a few mutual friends
* Went to my second Anime Con, it fucking blew. D=<
* Became a little more mature and wiser /=<
* Still don't have a driver's license
* Or a job >=\

And what of the decade as a whole? Well, lets look back and see here.

2000-2010 Pro's
* Discovered th Pokemon TCG. fuck yea!
* Got my first pc and taught myself to be proficient with it. Also, Got the internet, boredom all but evaporates
* Found absurd amounts of porn. Also, 4chan
* Found a great deal of my bestest friends
* Survived every would-be-apocalypse (Y2K/The Rapture, 6/6/06, 9/9/09) and I
suspect I shall survive this "2012" when it rears up, too
* Cultured myself with the vast stores of knowledge on the internet (yes I literally lived on the net >.>)
* Met all kinds of wonderful people

2000-2010 Con's
* 9/11/2001 What can I say that hasn't been said? Shit got real when the trade center came down.
Our nation is in debt, too many people are in between or without jobs. The safety and security we
once enjoyed is now but a fading memory, what with the TSA molesting us left and right, and constant
threats by terrorists left and right. We live in a world of fear these days, and the media LOVES IT.
* Every natural-near-apocalyptic event: Seriously man, nature had a hell of a vendetta on us this decade.
From any number of flue variants, to Katrina, the 04 Tsunami, The Chille and Haiti Earthquakes and many
more like them, and though it counts as man-made, I'm adding the deep-sea event horizon to it, too.
* Lost many people close to my heart, both family and celebrity. My mother, my nephew, my uncle
and aunt. Some of my favorite pets, Steve Irwin, George Carlin, and so many more. D: R.I.P guys...
* George Bush .Jr
* The fucking economic collapse

So all in all, 2010 was a pretty good year for me. And the decade as a whole, while turbulent wasn't that
bad. We've seen worse, will probably see worse in the years ahead. but I look forward to what 2011 has
to offer. I won't be making any foolish resolutions that I won't be completing, no, I'm going to make
resolutions I will keep. This year I'm going to get my driver's license, and I'm going to get me a job,
too. I'm going to continue losing weight and strive for a healthier lifestyle that I can manage. I'm going
to be a happier person this year, and I'm going to spread that cheer with my friends whenever possible.

So to all of you out there, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Years!

Ya, 2010 has been mostly good for me. Can't think of a whole lotta cons, cept for the the usual senior worries.

As for the past decade, though, it's been alright. There was of course 9/11, though I didn't really understand it at the time. About 2 years after that my parents divorced, which caused a shitton of stress in my 12 year old life. Overall, it was pretty good though.

Especially when I discovered their was Pornography on the internet.

Fucking fuck. Too many things to consider, and I'm far too tired to come up with a good WOT.

Therefore, I'll just count off some blessings.

Pros of 2010
- Made a 29 on my ACT. Tempted to take it again to hit 30 or higher, but it's unnecessary.
- Got a good scholarship because of it.
- Graduated High School with the highest GPA in my class.
- Moved into an apartment with two good friends
- Our fourth roommate turned out to be pretty cool
- Survived my first semester of college with a 4.0, despite unexpected setbacks
- Got to keep my scholarship
- Got into Phi Theta Kappa, which will give me loads of cash when I leave the junior college and move on to university
- Got a shitload of cash as a graduation present
- Got my dream laptop
- My drawing skills have improved
- My writing skills have improved
- My book is finally coming together in my head. Been trying to "write" it for the past several years.
- I discovered the secret to happiness.
- Despite heavy drinking, nothing bad has come of it.
- Despite heavy marijuana use, nothing bad has come of it.
- I don't have to pay for gasoline.
- I don't have to pay for groceries.
- I don't have to pay for college.
- I don't have to pay for my apartment.
- My apartment is the shit.
- I didn't have to pay for my second car.
- That car is the shit.
- I got my second 99 in Runescape.
- I got quite a haul for Christmas.
- I got my hands on two Corpse Blasters, which I hope will make me rich.

Cons of 2010
- Was in a month-long depression for stupid reasons, but it made me wiser. I was rather mean to a number of people during this time, especially Syn.
- Currently have the System Tool spyware on my laptop. Got it right before leaving for Vegas, so I had no time to remove it. Luckily, it's easy to get rid of, and I didn't fall for its scams.
- Fickleness led to a great deal of time-wasting on every MMO I take part in, except RS.
- Wasted money on Xbox Live, which I can't hardly connect to.
- I scratched my car up. Twice. Damn I suck at parking.
- Despite having the highest GPA in my graduating class, the fact that I failed Trig meant I couldn't graduate with honors, doing away with a few scholarship opportunities.
- Tore up my console (the thing between the driver's seat and passenger seat that holds stuff)
- I still don't have a job. I want one. I'm going stir-crazy with all this free time.

Mmm, that's about it. Now for a brief analysis of the past decade.




2000 - Teacher was a bitch. She kept paddling me for bullshit and sending me to detention.

2001 - 9/11 was pretty gay. Also, I got in trouble for my first rape comic. My great-grandmother died.

2002 - Teacher was a bitch. The girl that sat next to me was a bitch (she had a baby recently, BAHAHA). Severely injured my right arm in a water-skiing accident. I still have a massive scar there, with no feeling.

2003 - We moved to Maryland, which was pretty cool at first.

2004 - Made a really good friend. I miss him. Almost got in trouble for inappropriate comics, but I had a really cool teacher. People were mean to me because I was from the south, and talked with a funny accent. Eventually, I decided that if people weren't going to accept me no matter how much I tried, then I would do my best to be as different as I possibly could.

2005 - I was emo this year, only I dressed in bright clothes, with as many purple accessories as I could find. Middle school wasn't fun. Tried to kill myself, but failed. Therapy. Got in trouble when a teacher found my folder with 200ish highly disturbing comics. I started drawing manga-style. Got laid for the first time. Smoked pot for the first time. Got drunk for the first time. Explored the possibility of my bisexuality. Became rather infamous, acting out whenever and wherever possible. People started bullying me for my behavior, and not just my accent. Thinking back on it, I would have bullied me too. ((A few traits remain from this period, such as my love for inappropriate and unusual things, and the color purple. But as a person, I have moved on by leaps and bounds.))

2006 - I partied a little too hard, but I grew as a person... sort of. I cut my ridiculous hair, and stopped acting like a homosexual goth. I bulked up, both in muscle and fat. I became a bit of a bully, if only to ward off potential bullies. I decided once and for all that I was most definitely straight. Went on an AWESOME road trip.

2007 - Got in a fight with a sophomore. Nearly killed him. (Nobody messed with me again, though I wasn't around for much longer) On top of that, they found more comics when they searched my backpack. They were worse this time, and much more vivid. More therapy. Finally, we moved back to Mississippi, when my grandmother died, and my grandfather needed looking after. School was just as I'd left it, only most of the girls in my class had kids. Nobody tried to bully me here for being a "redneck southernfag" Discovered DF this year. Joined STARS. Made friends with you guys. Discovered Maplestory and Runescape and the internet in general. Discovered that Mississippi parties were better than Maryland parties.

2008 - I retreated inside my head, after burning out on partying and keeping up appearances. I no longer wanted to be the bully, or the attention whore. I just wanted to exist, and enjoy life. I thought and thought and thought. UC became an important part of my life. Beat up a guy that called me gay, which opened up old wounds. Vowed never to hurt someone again unless I had to. Actually that might have been in 2009, but whatever. High School was a bit of a blur. I decided that owls were cool.

2009 - I continued to enjoy life, becoming more and more mellow. My increasing insistence that I live in my head resulted in my social skills falling to zero, leaving only my best friends. I realized that I liked to think more than I liked to interact with actual people. This lead to an explosion of my interest in writing, drawing, philosophy, and internet gaming. Got in a horrible wreck that destroyed my first car. Luckily, neither me or my mom was hurt. I got a whole lot maturer and wiser.

2010 - I graduated and moved out. I began partying once more, but in a controlled environment with people I trust. I took steps toward my future, and though the ground was rocky in some places, my footing was steady. I put all the pieces together in my head, figuring out exactly how I'll achieve happiness. I enjoyed life. I got a whole lot wiser, but my maturity might have fallen a bit. Life is where I want it to be.

2011 - All signs point to kickassery.

Pros of 2010:

Graduated College
Got a well-paying job
Got to move to North Carolina

Cons of 2010:

Grandma Died (on new year's eve)
Had to move to North Carolina
Brother proposed to a whale of a woman


I'm sure I could itemize that list further, but meh.

Note: this is the first new years day in 8 years I have spent without a hangover.

My New Years resolution is to kick more ass than I did last year.

Pros of 2010:
o Graduated high school
o Got to get out of my hometown and move in with two of my greatest comrades.
o Passed my first semester of college with a 3.3GPA (*Glares at Trig* my two B’s, low B’s at that, were math and chemistry. In some ways you are luckier than you can imagine)
o I made a 26 on my ACT giving me a good scholarship for community college but nothing towards a University. (Tempted to retake it)
o I found out alcohol is a good thing… an exceptionally good thing.
o I’ve mostly come at peace with who I am.
o I’ve matured mentally and grown emotionally.
o I’ve gotten most everything I’ve wanted out of this year (Games, A new phone, etc.)
o I’m slowly learning how to enjoy a pointless existence.

Cons of 2010:
o My parent’s divorced (The divorce didn’t bother me. The discovery that before the divorce my mother had been having an affair with another man, however, did, and has since distanced my relationship with her.)
o My grammatical abilities are still disappointing.
o Because of a 3.3 GPA I didn’t get into phi theta kappa (an organization that would have made life easier)
o Still have a shitty job that barely earns me rent.
o I have to pay for gasoline. (>:0)
o I have to pay for groceries. (>:0)
o I have to pay for college. (>:0)
o I have to pay for my apartment. (>:0)
o My apartment is most certainly not the shit. (>:0)
o I found out drugs aren’t everything their cracked up to be.
o I contemplated suicide a few times
o I dealt with a massive depression due to confusion. (Still deal with it)
o I hate the community college I go to.
o I’ve come to fear that I’ll be a failure at whatever I try to be. (Career wise)
o I started smoking. (Tobacco)