Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008: Between Hope and Disappointment













Well 2008 went out gently for me, as if after taking me on the scariest flight I've ever been on, it just ran out of craziness and glided gently into oblivion.

But what a year it was.... so much hope and so much disappointment.The joy of the Obama victory. The bitterness of the Proposition 8 defeat.

The re-election of Stephen Harper's Cons, and the rise of the Coalition for Change.













That stopped the monster in his tracks.
















For now.

And then there were the other smaller stories that said so much about who we are. The Pope stepped up his crazed war on gays and lesbians.The bullies found new targets.....like redheads.

Omar Khadr remained in Guantanamo. Three Canadian soldiers got off lightly for beating an old homeless man to death.The Gay Holocaust Memorial was vandalized again and again.

So many sad stories to make me keep fighting even harder for a kinder, gentler, better world.

And to remind me how lucky I am to live in a country as big and as beautiful as Canada. To have a great family, a super companion, so many wonderful friends, the friendliest dog in the world.

And get to fight on the side of LOVE...




















That can't EVER be beaten.

So I'd just like to thank my readers and my blogging friends for their encouragement and support, and announce that whatever 2009 has in store for us I'm READY.

Beat the bullies, bring down the Cons. The Coalition LIVES !!!

2009 here we come ...


The future may be scary, but it BELONGS to us.

From me,Sébastien, and Kerouac....

10 comments:

ur merit said...

Everything's gonna be all right!happy new year!!!

Anonymous said...

You've done quite well for yourself in the past year Simon. In some ways (all) the tables have turned and you could mentor me now. You display a consistent passion, and a desire to better the world in a style that is uniquely your own. It would be hard to argue that your passion for humanity as expressed through your blogging hasn't paid off handsomely.

I give you an A+ with the confidence you will continue to show people a better way to see the world. You're a good man Simon.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Simon, and once again, some awesome posts throughout the year. I stop by on a weekly basis. Enjoy dropping a few "words of wisdom" now and again.:) Been a crazy year in every way shape and form, hopefully 09 sees a few corporate CEO's lose everything and the common man prosper.

Oh, and religion lose at least a few million Kool aid drinkers.

Cheers to 09

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year, Simon! And yeah, that was the unholy mess that was. The only thing cool about last year was my Che Guevara calendar. How we could use a couple of him this year, too...

JJ said...

Happy New Year, Simon. All the best to your and yours.

2009 is now upon us and it promises to be another challenging year -- keep on blogging and calling BS with that passion and humour and heart that's so uniquely you.

Simon said...

Hi ur merit....thank you...and the same to you. Although I know you have to wait until January 26th to ring in the Year of the Ox.
But I'm glad to see that you are feeling so cheery and optimistic. Are you in love?
I hope so... :)

Simon said...

Hi Bruce...and thanks for those kind words. But of course I don't deserve them and you can have only one mentor eh? :)
I do try to be as good a person as possible, and I do dream of a better world, but as the anger within me slips away I wonder if my passion is going with it. I've actually been feeling too despondent to blog. There are so many bad things happening I feel overwhelmed and I don't know where to start.
But I'll proudly take your A+ and try to do better.
Thanks Bruce and happy New Year !!!

Simon said...

Hi BC Waterboy....thanks and Happy New Year to you !!! And I share your hopes for the New Year....although I think the common man is in for a tough time. I keep checking your blog to see if you are blogging again *sigh* But you're always welcome to drop by this one.
As I was mentioning to Bruce I'm in a bit of a blogging trough right now.
But since as gay guys we just have to keep going...and there are so few of us...and you're on a hiatus ahem...I guess I can't retire... :)

Simon said...

Hi Bina...thanks and happy New Year to you!!! Yes it was quite a year wasn't it? And it's funny you should mention Che Guevara. One of the highlights of my year was visiting his mausoleum in Santa Clara...and travelling through the countryside on a scooter seeing his posters everywhere. I LOVED it... :)

Simon said...

Hi JJ....thanks and Happy New Year to you!!! How time flies. I remember telling you to keep on blogging and now I'm not sure I will.Although as you say 2009 promises to quite a year. I'm afraid that in the year 2040, the small group of human survivors will be passing around a new novel... carved on blocks of stone.... and the title will be 2009 The Beginning of the End...
On the other hand selling chestnuts in the street might be hard, but the blogging should be EASY.... :)