A New Decade is Upon Us

It's hard to believe, but we will usher in a new decade after midnight tomorrow evening. And what a decade it's been, not just for you or I, but for the nation and the world. I remember when we were about to ring in the year 2000. There were a lot of concerns about technology and whether or not it would be able to handle switch to a new millennium. There was talk about the whole world shutting down because of the Y2K hype, and that was all it ended up being, hype. The transition from 1999 to 2000 was pretty much seamless. I do remember a planned terrorist attack against the LAX airport in Los Angeles being stopped. And there was absolutely no trouble with the world's technology when the calendar flipped to 2000. Now fast forward another nine years later, and here we are again. This time, we start an entire new decade. No, not as much hype or fanfare. Still, it's a pretty big deal, especially anytime we start a new decade.

2000 was also the year I graduated from high school. I can't remember when it happened, either kindergarten or second grade, but our class was interviewed by the local paper because our class would be graduating in the year 2000, and we were asked about what the world would be like then. I remember a bunch of other kids being interviewed and I wanted to be included in the discussion. So I blurted out that in 2000, many of the textbooks we used in school would become electronic. Mind you, this was the late 1980's when this interview took place and computers were pretty clunky and not very user-friendly yet. Heck, we had a lot of those old Apple computers with the green and black screens. Well, my vision of textbooks becoming electronic hasn't entirely come true even in 2009, but we're certainly on our way. How easy is it getting to download books to computers and small mobile devices? I wouldn't be surprised that within the next five years, each student will have their own laptop in grade school, and much of the textbook material will be stored on these laptops. Schools these days, particularly in Michigan, are hurting from a lack of funding from state levels. This could be one way to cut back on spending instead of replacing textbooks every five to ten years. Sure, the initial laptop cost for a school district could be pricey, but the overall benefits could outway the accumulated cost.

2010 will also be the year for my ten year class reunion. I know I've brought it up a few different instances in this blog, especially early on in its existence. In some ways, it's hard to believe it's been ten years since I graduated high school. Yet in others, it seems like a really long time. I attended a small school so our class consisted of barely 40 students. It was pretty easy getting to know everyone in our class, let alone our whole school. For the most part, I got along with many of my classmates. Does that make my decision to attend the upcoming class reunion that much easier? Maybe a bit. But I still have some reservations about going. Ten years is a long time not seeing all of these people. Not only will they look different, but I will to. And yes, you're not supposed to let physical appearance be one of the deciding factors in attending or not. But I'm pretty self conscious in my appearance and I hate people thinking negatively of me. I guess one way to look at it is this; you may look somewhat different, but they will too. Overall, I don't think I have changed all that dramatically. I just think interacting with these people again will be a challenge. Instead of being 17, 18, or 19 years old, we'll all be ten years older - more mature and sophisticated. I am still undecided whether or not I'll attend. I have eight months to make a firm decision at least.

The decade of the 2000's also saw me graduate college after five years, land a full-time job in the local area, and allowed me the opportunity to buy my first home, which I did this past year. Things haven't been completely rosy, however, as I lost my grandmother to a long-time illness this past year. I still find myself single, which I hope to rectify in the New Year. However, all in all, the positives outweigh the negatives of the decade gone by, and I really have very few complaints. Here's hoping that the New Year, and the decade of the 10's continues to bring positive news my way.