As the ball drops on channel 27 (rebroadcasting the scene from New York, where the ball dropped an hour ago already), I find myself thinking about the events of the past twelve months and how much things have changed in my life, the experiences I’ve had, and the friends I’ve made.

Starting in January with the fateful decision to go along with the Campus Antiwar Network to Washington DC to protest Captain Idiot’s troop surge, which propelled me into a whole chain of events of meetings, greetings, protests, and eventually me being put in charge of the entire national group’s website from top to bottom…this year has really been eye opening in helping me find what I want to do and want to be. From all of my years of feeling helpless against the onslaught of blind, slavering patriotism to finding a group where we can work towards the elusive goal of peace and freedom. It’s not going to be easy, but the more we can work to getting the word out, to educating the public about what our corrupt and criminal government is doing…it does my heart good to see the dawning passion in peoples’ eyes when we all stand shoulder to shoulder in a march for justice. I’ve made so many unforgettable friends and comrades in the antiwar movement that I’m proud to clasp hands with.

I’m entering my final semester at the University. The last semester was the hardest I’ve ever had, but this next one guarantees to be even harder. I’ve never had an 18 credit semester before (the maximum that UW-Madison allows an undergrad to take) but I need it to graduate in this last semester! I have about 3 weeks now before the term starts again, and there’s still a lot of work to be done – work at my job that is, since I’ll be putting in far fewer hours than previously with my monumental class schedule!

2007 has also awakened my love of travel. After a decade of infatuation with circuits and electronics, I’ve decided to expand my horizons in ways that technology can’t bring me. My solo journey to Britain this past summer was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, and now that I’ve started, I can’t imagine staying in one place this coming summer. Hopefully, Derrik and I will be able to work our plans together for our trip to Germany (where neither of us has been before) in summer of 2008. My parents bought me the Germany 2007 travel guide book for Christmas which I know I will be putting to use (like the Britain 2007 travel guide they got me for an early birthday present).

What will 2008 hold for me? I have a graduation in the next 5 months, then hopefully a trip to Europe, and then, if I play my cards right and find an organization that will have me, to the Middle East as a relief worker for Iraqi refugees. I don’t have a clue yet about how to go about doing it, but I still have several months to figure that out. Other than that though, there’s no telling. There’s still a war going on, and that war is a symbol of my country’s corruption and tyranny. It’s not going to be over any time soon, and I want to work as hard to fight the horrific lies that the administration and its media puppets spew out.

I’ll never forget 2007 and all of the new experiences I’ve had. 2008 will hopefully continue this trend. Happy New Year!