End of the year, start of the decade!

It's the eve of the new year, but not only that it's also the end of one decade and the dawning of another, we are heading in to our own future! It's also this time of year we look back on some of those momentous occasion that have shaped the preceding 12 months as either an annus mirabilis or annus horriblis, and give thanks to those that perhaps have made the year a little more pleasant and if not pleasant at least a bit more bearable.

So, here, on this post I look back at some of the things that have shaped my year, rocked my world or shaken my lunch box up a little. Sit back and take a load off, lets share a year 365 days in less than ten minutes!

2009 started well, I was ensconced in my little Kemp Town flat with Matt, the America, the man of my dreams, although his 6months in England, living with me was rapidly coming to an end. Saying goodbye to him at the airport was one of the hardest goodbyes I'd ever had to say. As I read back that post just now, tears prickle the backs of my eyes, and that wasn't the only times my eyes spilled water over that boy!

I applied for a job, 6 months with a wage of £70,000, in Queensland, Australia, I had global competition for the job of a lifetime, which needless to say, I didn't get. But hey, it was a dream, ohh for at least ten seconds!! I put the following song on the blog, and at the time I so did want to be exactly what Jay Brannan sang about, really I did!

It's funny how things happen in life, what happens, I put that song back on the blog in January, little did I know then, then a few short months later, I'd be living as the little housewife in America for a little while. I so enjoyed that! I think my calling could very well be as a housewife, seriously, taking care of my man gives me such pleasure, only problem is that I lost my fella, careless of me I know, but there ya go, that's the luck of Jason Shaw!

Other news in January, Ulrikkkka became the winner of Celeb Big Brother, Illinois had an ice storm, I coped as bast as I could alone, Brighton was pretty cold. Oh and some bloke called Barack Obama came to power as the first black president of America, the World and his wife stopped to watch the momentous event, a change had come.

February is a strange month, I always think it's a flat dull month, sure it's got Valentines day in it which is great if you're with someone, hell on a rose stem if you're not, but apart from that it a dull old month. December has Christmas and all that joy, January is a month of fresh beginnings, the start of the year, what has February got? Nothing really, but I discovered a website called Twitter, which was fun and more recently has proved to be very very beneficial and has lead to some pretty darn decent online friendships! Twitter blogs back then were about the celeb tweeters, like the lovely Fry and Schofield.

Then we had snow, yes, snow, it settled on the beach, was pretty thick, we played in it after work, well when I say we- I do mean just me, as I was pretty much the only fool to go out an play in fresh virginal snow, which settled on the beach, first time for many a long year, it sure was pretty! There was some sporting event called the Superbowl going on, Matt was job hunting and missing me apparently, the recession was starting to actually take effect, rather than just being media hype. Matt wasn't just job hunting, he was also looking for an apartment, a home, for both, for the future. He found one too, it wasn't a palace, it's wasn't luxurious but home it was going to be!

March came along and was a month of change, I had my long leave confirmed, at least 17 weeks of it, and still getting a 1/3 of my normal wages, so I had to pack up the flat in Kemp Town, things went to storage along with the memories of happy times had there, noisy neighbours, not one of them. Matt moved in to the apartment in Carterville, Michael Jackson announced his long list of London shows and Comic Relief raised millions for those more needy than us and then that was it, the month ended.

April dawned with me looking forward to only one thing, reunion with Matt, I exited the Kemp Town flat for the very last time, I thought it would have been harder than it was to close the door on number two that it actually was. Perhaps bringing new, and honest meaning to the old adage 'home is where the heart is' The 8th saw the start of the epic journey to yankee land, a long trip of just under 24 hours door to door, I arrived in America to rain and Scott Mill's on the radio! I met Matt's parents for the first time, settled into the apartment that's was to be my home, for the next three months and then planned thereafter every other three months. Oh yeah, and Demi Moore via Twitter told me to look at a YouTube video of some fat woman singing a song from the musical Les Mis on a British talent show!

By the time May rolled in I was pretty much used to life American style, yes I missed Brighton, far more than I thought I would, I missed the freedoms of living in a city one takes for granted, such as walking places, the bars, the shops, the facilities, the free health care, but what I missed most of all was the actual seafront! But, I was getting used to live over there, I'd made friends with a couple of locals that helped make living at the apartment a less lonely experience while Matt was working. I found a new new of American day time telly, The View & Ellen, which became ritual daily viewing, and which I miss avidly each day now. Then there was a storm, a big lighting storm, which freaked me out, far more than I let on at the time, to Matt it was normal, but the day that followed was far from normal!

Matt went to work, I cleaned the apartment and somehow, we both managed to live through a tornado the ripped through Southern Illinois! That was an experience that I will not forget, for as long as I live, the colour of the skies, the wind, the sound, the fact that a single leaf can dent a car! It was darn scary that's for sure! Five days without power, was pretty hard to take, but at least we were still alive. After that everything was pretty easy, like coming with an influx of mice in the apartment, took a while for my friends to come back.

June, well that was the month of road trips, Kentucky, the Cape, Metropolis, all over that part of America. It was also the month of Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in the US, of gay rights, Obama made June gay, I had my first taste of the Jonas Brothers, Sonic ice creams, and temperatures of 104! It was also the month we said goodbye to Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, tears before bed time.

I was dreading July, after the joy of Independence day on 4th, my time of being and honorary American came to an end, and England bound I was on 6th. When I left American soil I knew not when I'd be back, when I'd see the face of the man I loved in the flesh again, my heart cried tears as pain, sorrow, sadness and regret washed through my entire being. I met up with Jo and Carolyn, visited a posh hotel in London, went cycling, enjoyed historic Sussex countryside, I enjoyed them all, yet deep inside my heart was aching for Matt.

I reached a milestone of a birthday in August, I cycled more, the weather was nice, but that's basically all I can say about the month that was August. So on to September, this was the month it was revealed that lil pot bellies were the fashion in New York, just a pitty I don't live there, or I'd have been the height of fashion! The world got ready for the iTable or iSlate, that Apple were going to announce, but then didn't. The UK's population was counted as 61 million, Ellen was announced as the new judge on American Idol. The X Factor started and Patrick Swayze departed after a long battle against cancer. I returned to work, cycled to Redhill, missed Matt more than ever!

October was a month that the course of my life, my year changed, I had the email from Matt, that basically said I was ermm dumped, surplice to requirements, down the dumper and on the scrape heap of relationship central. I jumped on a passing 777 and headed Stateside, but that didn't do any good, winning back my lovers heart was apparently not an option, it was the longest goodbye, my heart had such sorrow, the like of which I'd never known, nor will I ever know again!

It took me a great deal of time to come to terms with the fact that the person I knew was the one, wasn't! My faith in love and happy ever after was shaken to the very core, and I guess even now I'm not sure I believe in love and that sort of thing. I started to write about things I know - being a gay guy growing older, heading in to the gay abysses that middle age, or talking about the gay scene - becoming invisible. Susan Boyle released her debut album, which stormed the charts here, there and everywhere it was released!

November was a time when nothing much happened, my grandmother became 100, I came back online, trying to get my head back into the world of the living, and before I knew it, December came knocking at the door of life, of the world. A friend committed suicide, and other sudden and sad news has been received. I am moving onward, rapidly, my heart wont break any more. Creation is the word of the seasons for me, I've taken this month by complete whirlwind storm, writing more and more for Best Gay Blogs and Gay Agenda. I've opened up the old fiction folders and started to create the resurfacing of the book, the short stories and the friction fiction. For more on those, you'll have to watch this space, wait and see, who knows that the future brings.

New Year is also a time to say thanks, thank for those that have helped you along the way, passed the time with, eased the pain, shared the laughter, made the joy, ceased the tears, so to those people, I thank you, thank you all. Special mentions and words of thanks to - Anne Brooke, you've inspired and you sent the message of friendship and hope when it was most needed. Jo and Carolyn as always your friendship is beyond value, even if I don't always show it, I always appreciate it. Chris, he loves a good cycle, and is a good brother. There's Mo who makes the best veggie bakes my tummy has ever known.

There's also the twitter buddies, that help forge a positive present - yes I can enjoy the present, notable mentions to Mr H, for chats beyond words, deep and meaningful in 140 or less! Anthony the sweetest and gayest straight boy I know. Mark & Stu so nice to know that I'll be seeing you on 2010. Then there is the sweet and lovely Grant & Alex, Johnny & Mikey too hot to handle. There are more and I send my new year greetings to them, both here and on twitter. Oh and then there is the lovely Adam, cant forget that smile, nor do I want to, captivation.

Connor, my sweet lil cub, special mention for you, all on it's own.

This life is short, make the most of this decade, this life, it's yours for the taking.