The Year of Perpetual PMS

It seems like a lot of people had a bad 2006. I met up with an old friend for coffee just after Christmas. She had moved down to Oakland, and I hadn’t seen her in a couple of years. And gradually, as we talked, we both realized that the past year had been exceptionally bad for us both. Relationships, alcohol, family, friends, career — everything that COULD go wrong did.

Then, on the 2nd of January, I got my usual cup of coffee at my usual coffee shop. The owner, a nice guy with whom I’ve rarely exchanged more than a sentence, asked how my new year was going. “GREAT so far,” I replied. “I’m glad 2006 is over!”

He looked up and asked if I was being sarcastic (a reasonable assumption from someone who knows me, but he doesn’t). I said no, that last year really sucked for me, and he smiled broadly and nodded and said it was really bad for him too. Apparently really bad: He actually high-fived me for being glad it’s a new year.

And then my horoscope! The true test. This week’s Free Will Astrology began ” Sagittarius: If 2006 sometimes felt like the Year of Perpetual PMS….”

So it wasn’t just me.