Saturday, December 29, 2012

What Amazed Me In 2012…

This is the time for the end of the year ubiquitous lists. You know - top news stories, best movies, celebrity deaths, etc. Since everybody and their brother are doing that sort of thing, I have decided to do something a little different. I have come up with a hybrid list.

The “From The Booth” 2012 list will include aspects of the conventional lists. However, every item on the list will have a common feature – they all amazed me in some way. Some are tongue in cheek, while others are quite serious. I will leave it for you to decide which each is.



It amazed me that the World didn’t end and I am here to write this. I guess we all got the whole Mayan Calendar thing wrong. Thank God.

Speaking of God, it amazed me that so many people are now interpreting the Bible so literally. Well, only those parts that apply to their argument or cause. The parts that don’t are usually overlooked and ignored.

In 2012, it amazed me how passionate the people of Great Britain were about the Summer Olympics. Granted, they hosted the Games and I do have over 20 Facebook friends from England, but their pride was astounding. Way to go Team GB!

Since we are talking about sports, another thing that amazed me was that the old gunslinger, Brett Favre, was a non-issue. No crying, no comebacks, no sexting and no retirements in 2012 for number 4. Quite amazing.

Did I just mention guns? I was truly amazed how popular guns are in America. Even assault weapons and high capacity clips are gaining in popularity. Really? Man…

Something else that both amazed and sickened me was that weatherman Scott Steele is still doing that moronic, vaudevillian spin on TMJ4’s Daybreak News. If it wasn’t for Susan Kim and Vince Vitrano, I would be tuned into Fox6. At least I could have the sound on during the weather forecast.

Another irritating person that amazed me this past year was Donald Trump. Why is someone so ignorant, loathsome and repugnant so very wealthy? You can rest assure that I won’t be watching the new season of Celebrity Apprentice. Unless, of course, RC from Survivor is a contestant.

On the topic of Survivor, was I the only one that was amazed that the award-winning reality show completed seasons 24 and 25 in 2012? Wow, what a run. I am eagerly looking forward to season 26 kicking off in February.

Something else that amazed me was how god-awful the Seattle Seahawk uniforms are. Now that Nike is responsible for outfitting the NFL, I expected some putridity, but this is ridiculous. These garish costumes make my eyes hurt.

Sticking with the sports theme, I was amazed that the Chicago Cubs did not win the World Series. Or did not win the National League Central Division. Or did not qualify for the playoffs as a wildcard team. They did lose 101 games, so I guess I shouldn’t be so amazed.

Even though I’m not much of a political wonk, I was amazed at the number of elections in Wisconsin. With primaries, I’m pretty sure the final count was six. Yes, that’s right, six. I was pleased with the results of the April and November elections. The one in between, not so much.

Something that totally pleased AND amazed me was being able to enjoy all-time greats like The Who, Rolling Stones, Springsteen, Clapton, Waters and McCartney performing in a concert at Madison Garden. They were among those helping to raise money to benefit the Robin Hood Relief Fund for those who were impacted by Superstorm Sandy.

And finally, in 2012 we lost many of our finest musicians. Among those passing on were such greats as Donald “Duck” Dunn, Robin Gibb, Levon Helm, Whitney Houston, Etta James, Davy Jones, Donna Summer, Adam “MCA” Yauch, Bob Welch, Dave Brubeck, Scott McKenzie, Jon Lord, Bob Bobbitt and Ronnie Montrose.

It wasn’t the passing of these musical stars that amazed me. Death is inevitable. It’s something we all have to deal with. What genuinely amazed me was that, while these talented people went on to meet their final reward, Keith Richards did not. Rock on, Keith!

What amazed you in 2012? Until next time…from the booth.

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