LOOKING BACK AT 2006

Upon reflection, this has been one wonderful year in respect to my desire to become more connected to my environment and a terrible one in respect to those new connections to the part of my environment that is the political, social aspect of mankind in general, if I don’t just ignore it. Rather than rant, I’ll just make a year end best and worst list.

Best Discovery - tie: Howard Zinn and Amy Goodman. The only parallel I can make to how they fit into my world view is like the relationship of Firefly / Serendipity to Star Wars by how Zinn / Goodman relate to every other Western, USA History / News Program. Amy’s Democracy Now webcast one hour each weekday makes all the other media, with the exception of Keith Olbermann, look like they should have a banner disclaimer reading, “Biased on Real Events”

Worst Discovery - tie: Howard Zinn and David Icke. The thought that the conspiracies evident in my lifetime were connected to an ongoing economic manipulation by the earliest wealthy families in western civilization since well before the establishment of the USA had been one I had not let myself entertain with any more than theoretical speculation until I ran into these guys. I appreciate the increased awareness while growing more convinced that the power in such vampires resides in the veins of the addicted masses and learning to live without elite leaders from on high is the only way out of the “invisible prison.”

Best Book - tie: Beyond Civilization by Daniel Quinn and The People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. The latter details the failings of the United States’ ability to live up to the popular history of its evolution or find satisfaction as the empire it really is and the former is a damned good solution to the problem.

Best Movie: Off the Map. Just my point in blogging

Best New Habit - Blogging. It is something I may never have even encountered had my friends not begun one as a way to keep their friends in touch during a year of living in India. Rather than just comment anonymously I went the whole Blogger route and am now airing a new mind fart every two or three days. I have met some talented writers, dedicated socialists and interesting pen pals who keep me on my toes as well as anchor my fantasies about utopian alternatives to the shit pit of life under Bush and the system that spawned him.

The not quite realized potential of the internet for borderless, classless communications between the people of all strata and stripe to nullify any necessity for elite power government as we know it, through open ended dealings being enforced by people who refuse to purchase from or be governed by secret keepers. National security has always been a blatant culpability dodge.

Best Old Habit: Caffeine and Cannabis. Nature’s best to you each morning.

Worst New Habit - Sausage. Nature’s wurst to you each evening. It’s just too easy to fix in the toaster oven.

Worst Old Habit - Wanting to crew the big boat before learning to sail the small boat. Another case of pushing the chain. I think it may be a process of purposeless simultaneity.

Year End Census at Green Gardens:
Humans - 1
Cats - 3
Fish - ~259
Garden Use- 80%
New Pond Dug- 75%
Off the Grid:
Financial - 75%
Food - 40%

Purposeless Probabilities for 2007
Full Tilapia pond with stock by end of year.
Better than 70% food from next summer’s garden.
The girl of my dreams realizes I’m the boy of hers…