Her name is 2010 and boy am I ever happy to meet her! She has that sassy look about her that promises lots of adventure and I eagerly await the chance to really get to know her better.
2009, it’s been a good ride but you know, you really pissed me off - heaps. You maligned my President (and Prime Minister) with petty untruths and outright malicious lies. You elevated mediocre people (like the secessionist Palins from Alaska) to stardom, showering them with undeserved fame and fortune on the backs of hard-working folks who could have used some of that cash to just stay warm or feed their families.
You graffitied all over a perfectly good healthcare reform bill.
You went too far with the far-right and now the Republican Party is a complete mess. (And guess who’s going to have to clean up after you eh?)
You took a good friend of mine, causing another, unspeakable sadness.
You brought the word carbuncle into my life. (And I had to look it up!)
On the other hand, you brought me closer together with my family here in Aus, and made it easier and cheaper for me to chat with my family and friends in the US.
You let me sit back and watch an intelligent administration move into and de-hillbilly The White House. After eight long years of dreading every time my president opened his mouth in front of a camera, you finally made presidential speeches a pleasant experience.
You made environmental change a reachable goal in Australia, and at the very end, gave us enough water to use in the gardens again.
Oh and I almost forgot! You made it socially acceptable for members of parliament to breastfeed during session! How cool is that! 
Plus, (and this is big), you brought me stacks of new friends, right here, through this blog so I’m more than just grateful for our time together. I am forever grateful.
But 2010 is here and I’m just a one-year-at-a-time sort of person so we need to say good-bye.
Oh, and 2009 as long as you’re going, would you please take Sarah Palin with you? Thanks
Happy New Year to all You Wonderful Readers out there – may 2010 bring you unending joy and immeasurable happiness! -OzMud
January 2, 2010 at 9:10 am
Happy 2010, OzMud! I, too, am very happy to see the back of 2009. And feel that way about Sarah, also too.
January 2, 2010 at 10:00 am
Looking forward to 2010 and all the good that it can bring! Thank you for your writing.
January 2, 2010 at 10:57 am
Thanks Ozmud – may we have more good things happen in 2010 and less SP than in 2009. Well, maybe more SP as long as it is karma-type stuff
This should be a great year and it will be fun sharing it with all the great people on these blogs.
Keep up the great work!
January 2, 2010 at 11:25 am
Happy New Year, Ozmud!
January 2, 2010 at 11:43 am
2009 brought me to you Ozmud and I give thanks for that! Love your blog and I wish you (and all of us) a wonderful, peaceful, and Happy New Year.
January 2, 2010 at 12:28 pm
No one could not have said it any better.
This expresses a beautiful sentiment and an idea that seems to be forming in my head. It is partly a belief that 2010 will definitely better, but partly because of sassiness — a trait associated with strong and smart women.
Yes, 2010 is a feminine year. All men and women can and should experience that sassy feminine instinct in going about the business of making our earth a more humanitarian and loving place. I think we’ll all be pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
Why have a sassy attitude?
Sometimes it takes a bit of sass to gin up courage, to use it to walk into a cold and hard room knowing that a battle lies ahead. But the sass is also a tactic to hide a silent but strong feminine guile.
NO, not manipulation. That’s too base. Simply a smarter approach, and one that might not be easily grasped by the audience. An approach that could be soft or loving, but always smart.
January 2, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Happy New Year, Ozmud!
May the sassy new year be better for all of us, everywhere!