Happy New Decade!

Well, the decade of the aughts, the ohs, or the zeroes is now history, and we never even really decided on which one it should be. Following, some hightlights and lowlights of the decade that was:

January, 2001: George W. Bush sworn in as US President. As my friend Jeff remarked, riffing on Gerald Ford, "Our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."
September, 2001: Surely you know.
March, 2003: After sixteen years at the School, I am told my contract would not be renewed.
April, 2003: Offered a contract doing essentially the same work at a very similar school, with a slightly easier commute than the old one.
Summer, 2003: Playing the trivia contest at Purple Possum, I walk away with $875 cash winnings, singlehanded.
December, 2004: "Lights! Camera! Christmas!" published in Games Magazine.
March, 2005: Mark McGwire refuses to answer questions regarding steroid use before a congressional committee.
August/September, 2005: Hurrican Katrina exposes vast government incompetence--which is what you should expect when you let your government be run by people who doen't believe in government.
August, 2006: Pluto is no longer a planet; Pluto remains, however, Mickey's dog.
April, 2007: My boss asks me to take over the position of Athletic Director, with the promise that I could return to my old job if either one of us didn't like the new job.
April, 2008: My contract as AD is not renewed, nor am I offered my old contract.
July, 2008: I accept a position teaching English for SMOE in Seoul, South Korea.
August, 2008: I come to Korea for the very first time; after training, I am shown my school, my classroom and my apartment on a Saturday, and I start teaching on Monday.
January, 2009: Barack Obama is sworn in as the first Arfircan-American US President. Happily, the campaign is hardly about race at all; unhappily, political discourse in America degrades quite rapidly afterwards.
March, 2009: I get a new classroom and office in the "English Only Zone" with a new computer and SmartBoard style TV screen.
May, 2009: DPRK conducts second nuclear bomb test.
August, 2009: I visit New Zealand, an exotic land of sheep and hobbits, a place I've long wanted to see.
October, 2010: I visit the Shanghai World's Fair, something I've always wanted to do. The Expo was a disappointment, but the city is a gem.
November/December, 2010: Begin a streak at 3AP's trivia contest that lasts to present date, winning second place once, and taking first five times! Here is a photo of the four-peat team:

December, 2010: I win TOTY honors from SMOE.

Keep watching this space for Decade of the Teens timeline, coming in due course.