Clean Slate

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Well, not exactly clean - still some remnant of '08 in the system - went to a house party with my good friends - stunk at billiards, worse at fooseball, but left the place happy (beer and shots do that) and intent on starting clean in '08.

Not that there's a tremendous amount to clean up, but the New Year does bring that feeling of cleansing the system, which is always good, I think. I'm not sorry to see '08 go, but I'm ready to begin again.

Caught a show on lifetime today that showed prisoners in their jail cells and how they mark time away, thinking about their crimes, trying to rehab, and just whiling away. One of the gentleman was in for manslaughter and they were quizzing him about his two children and how he explained his actions to them.

The prisoner was extremely reflective explaining that it was still important for him to be a role model for his kids. He explained his crime to the youngsters by saying that he wanted them to pretend they were seeing a movie where the bad guy has a gun and does something to the good guy.

"I'm the bad guy, understand," he told his kids.

The interviewer asked him if his kids understood, and the prisoner laughed, saying he has the only kids in the world who root for the bad guy when they watch a movie.

Yet I think of all those people who are waiting for days to go by, wishing and hoping they could change their bad decisions around, and hoping that tomorrow brings them peace and comfort.

I suppose that is what New Year's is all about. It's just the flip of a calender page - it's just another day in a succession of days where we strive to be better people.

Yet there's that feeling of starting over.

I haven't screwed up too much yet in '09, but the late night and the re hydration battle has me worn down a little too much to get in anything too heady.

Here's to mine and your kids always rooting for the good guy.

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