Predicting, er, Guessing 2010

As I say goodbye to 2009, and look ahead to the rest of my life (the teen years all over again!), it's time to take stock of last year's predictions I made.

Sure there's one more day left in the new year, so these predictions could change, but with one more day left in the decade from Hell, as Time magazine labeled it (very fitting)

At this time last year, I was working for a newspaper in Conway, writing a column similar to this one. Probably the most fun thing about that job (mostly due to the really awesome readers, including one woman who tried to set me up with her granddaughter). Needing a column idea, I went with the very cliche New Year's Predictions. It was probably the worst column I wrote in Conway.

So what am I doing this year? The same thing? No not writing a terrible column, but using that cliche once again because, quite frankly, I'm out of ideas again. Must be something about the end of December that makes my head go blank.

So how'd I do? Here were my "Four Possibilities"

1. I will get a second tattoo. I wrote that I was happy with the one I already have (two cherries on a stem), and that I wanted to get a 5-6 inch tall celtic cross on my let arm, with the date of my confirmation (April 11, 2009) into the Catholic Church, along with my  saint name (Saint Linus).

How'd I do? No tattoo. Any money I had planned to use to buy it (would probably cost $300 easy) was used when I moved from Conway to Mansfield. Wrong, oh so wrong.

2. I will have a date. I wrote that I would snap out of my losing streak of unpleasant female duds.

How'd I do? Well, there were some nice ones, including one that turned into a short relationship, but ultimately failed to stick. So I'm going to give myself a barely passable grade on this one.

3. The eight season of the sorely underrated Scrubs will be the best in a few years. I wrote that the cast's renewed motivation should make 2009 a great year.

How'd I do? Season Eight of Scrubs was indeed my favorite since season three. Awesome shows, with a tear-jerking finale. Well, it was supposed to be the finale. Scrubs came back for season nine in the late fall, and it has been surprisingly good. Big Pass to me on that prediction.

4. My uncle, Staff Sgt. Brett Cherry, will get home safely. I wrote that Christmas wasn't the same this year without him, and that the house just seemed a little empty without him. Brett was serving overseas in Kazakhstan with the Air National Guard.

How'd I do? Cherry came home safe and sound. He was home for Christmas with the family. The only thing I got wrong about the prediction is that I wrote that we'd go see G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra when it came to theaters this year.

We did not go see that film. That looked like the worst film made in the last 20 years. There's no way I'd give Paramount my hard-earned cash to see that crap. Talk about a disappointment: It was an action movie which showed a glacier sinking. Ice sinking. That's all you need to about the intelligence of that film.

Allright, now that I've graded myself (one fail, one borderline pass, two big passes), it's time to roll out this year's four predictions.

1. The new football field in Waldron will not be ready in time for football season. Call me a cynic, but I just don't see it being completed in time for the first game of the season. Hopefully I'm wrong about that, but Sawyer-Wright will live to see another high school football game.

2. No major businesse will close in 2010. Sadly, we saw the demise of the Corner Mart and the closing of Epperson's Auto Parts in 2009. I've got so many fond memories of Corner Mart (for years, my number one stop for Caramello bars and chocolate milk!). But I don't think we'll lose any more major businesses in 2010. Call me naive, but I think the economy will improve enough to for local merchants to stay afloat.

3. The school will install it's new ID system that checks for sex offenders in 50 states. At the last school board meeting of 2009, officials discussed implementing an ID system that would scan sex offender databases in 50 states. If the person isn't found, they are issued a hall pass. If not, they aren't allowed into the rest of the school.

I know there are some issues that will have to be sorted out (parents, for instance, without proper ID, and concerns about invasive background checks). But for the relatively low cost that this system has (a few thousand dollars, and about $40 or so per month), who could argue against it? If we really want to keep our children safe from potentially bad people, enacting this system would be a no-brainer. I'd rather be short a few thousand dollars and get some sleep at night instead of wondering just what kind of people could be getting into our schools.

Our children's safety is worth the cost of that system.

4. Another election year will pass without any changes to Scott County's liquor laws. That's an easy prediction to make. Despite the ridiculousness of a "dry county," I don't think anyone supporting liquor sales in Waldron will be able to secure enough votes on a petition to put the decision on the ballot.

It's a shame too: Someone wanting to buy alcohol has to drive to Fort Smith to purchase it, giving another county tax dollars. And since it's such a long drive, they'll probably stay in Fort Smith to go shopping and buy products they could have purchased locally. If we sold liquor in Scott County, there would be less trips to Fort Smith. Officials could put a one cent sales tax on all liquor purchased and use that money for roads, schools, local law enforcement, and so on. Selling alchohol in Scott County would keep money circulating locally, which would help all local businesses.

I'd be willing to bet that very few people choose not to consume alcohol for the sole reason of having to drive to Fort Smith or Oklahoma to get it (given that fact, it's unfair to say that crime and drunkenness would shoot through the roof in Scott County, since people are already purchasing as much as they want). And while I don't think any of this will change in 2010, it's a change we could really use in this county.

And number five, after a decade that saw financial meltdowns, terrorist attacks, two highly controversial conflicts with Iraq and Afghanistan, Hurricane Katrina, and the Lakers winning four championships, I predict that the next 10 years will be much better than the last 10.