Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish, 2024 Edition

I've been posting variations of this cartoon for well over ten years now (since at least 2011). Oh, how I'd love to someday be able to skip a year, or retire the cartoon altogether. Sadly, the message it conveys continues to be relevant.

2024 was without a doubt one of the worst years of my entire life. I won't bore you by whining my reasons why-- your year was no doubt a bad one as well. Let's just say I can't take another year like this one.

Looking back, I think the best thing that happened during the entire godforsaken year was the total eclipse that happened in my hometown in April of 2024. I'd seen numerous partial eclipses before, but never a total one. It was one of the most awesome things I'd ever seen in my life. Unfortunately it only lasted for two minutes.

Two joyous minutes out of a total off 525, 600. Now THAT'S a bad year!

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish, 2023 Edition!

It's that time again, when we all say a welcome "Good Riddance" to the current corn-studded turd of a year.

I dunno about anyone else, but I won't be sad to see 2023 go. It was a particularly bad year for me, in every measurable sense— personally, professionally and financially. I honestly can't take any more years like this one.

Anyway, here's just a sampling of the treats 2023 had in store for us:

• So many mass shootings (a whopping 632 in total) that the media eventually just stopped reporting them.

• Covid cases continued to kill thousands across the country, while an indifferent public simply shrugged.

• Numerous corporations demanded employees return to the office, despite the fact they could do their jobs just as well (if not better!) at home.

• Gas prices fell from their peak in 2022, but were still too damn high.

• Inflation allegedly lessened, but you'd be hard-pressed to prove it, as prices in my area remained at all time highs.

• trump refused to go away, as he was indicted numerous times and racked up a record 91 criminal charges— embarrassing our country even further. Inconceivably, he's somehow still the front runner for the GOP presidential candidate. He's like a bad rash that just won't go away.

• Biden's student loan forgiveness program was overturned.

• Our government became a global laughingstock, as Republicans couldn't settle on a speaker of the house and had a revolving door of candidates.

• Elon Musk did his best to become a second-rate Bond villain, much to the world's annoyance and boredom.

• Disney continued their campaign to destroy the MCU, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and even Doctor Who, with their insistence on promoting ideology over entertainment.

• Bruce Willis was diagnosed with an aggressive and fast-acting form of dementia, losing the ability to even speak.

• The Titan submersible imploded on the ocean floor, causing the violent deaths of several citizens visiting the wreck of the Titanic.

• Our shithole of a planet tried its best to wipe us out with hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, quakes, heat waves, blizzards and more. This is not a nice planet.

• The world experienced its hottest summer on record.

• Wildfires decimated Maui, Hawaii.

• A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio— releasing toxic chemicals into the air and into the Ohio River.

Whew! And that's all just off the top of my head! I'm sure there were even more atrocities I've thankfully pushed from my mind.

It's an exercise in futility, but I'm gonna say it again— let's hope 2024 is a better year for us all.

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish, 2022 Edition!

It's that time again, when we all say a welcome "Good Riddance" to the current corn-studded turd of a year.

Here's just a sampling of the treats 2022 had in store for us:

• Vladamir Putin ordered his Russian troops to invade Ukraine. Fortunately the Ukrainians have put up quite the resistance, but... they shouldn't have had to.

• Covid cases continued to kill thousands across the country, while an indifferent public simply shrugged.

• Our shithole of a planet tried its best to wipe us out with hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, quakes, heat waves, blizzards and more. This is not a nice planet.

• Monkey Pox cases began soaring.

• There were over 600 mass shootings, causing our leaders to wring their hands and offer thoughts and prayers, but no definitive action.

• Putin threatens nuclear war when his invasion doesn't go the way he wanted (bring it on, I say).

• The Supreme Court decided they were in charge of the country, and overturned Roe vs. Wade.

• Gas prices soared to record highs.

• Inflation rose across the country, hitting food prices in particular.

• Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated. 

• Queen Elizabeth II died, allowing Charles to become king.

• England went through THREE prime ministers in just two months.

• It was revealed that trump stole thousands of top secret documents from the White House and flung them into a closet in Mar-A-Lago. Much was made of this highly illegal and possibly treasonous action, but as usual, he faced zero consequences.

• trump announced he was running for president again, proving we really are living in the darkest timeline. That f*cking orange asshole's like a bad rash that just won't go away.

• Elon Musk did his best to become a second-rate Bond villain, much to the world's annoyance and boredom.

• Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, and we had to hear about it every day for the next three months.

• Marvel Studios did their level best to destroy the MCU that they spent ten years creating.

• The world population topped an astonishing 8 BILLION people, which is just way too goddamned many.

Whew! And that's all just off the top of my head! I'm sure there were even more atrocities I've thankfully pushed from my mind.

It's an exercise in futility, but I'm gonna say it again— let's hope 2023 is a better year for us all.

Goodbye And Good Riddance To 2011!

Dear Lord, what a steaming turd of a year this turned out to be. I bet I can count the number of good things that happened in my world in 2011 on one finger– and I bet you can guess which finger I mean.

It seemed to me that virtually every day of 2011 was just a little bit worse than the one before. There was the Japanese tsunami and subsequent nuclear power plant disaster, severe flooding in Thailand, the death of Steve Jobs and Elisabeth Sladen, and the continuation of our miserable, stagnant economy.

In my little corner of the world things weren't much better.  There were lots of minor annoyances, like crippling computer problems, my favorite store Borders filing for bankruptcy and closing, a part time job that became more trouble than my full time one and various and sundry other irratations.

Then there was the big bombshell that 2011 dropped in my lap: I lost my job. The bank at which I worked had been having financial trouble for a couple of years and at the end of July they finally threw in the towel. The FDIC swooped in like the vultures they are, closed us down and put us up for sale. If they'd have sold us to a bank with no presence in town, things probably would have turned out OK. Instead the FDIC sold us to the highest bidder, which was a rival bank with branches next door to every one of ours. It was the absolute worst possible scenario. The rival bank swallowed us up like the Borg, wiping us out as if we never existed.

I guess in a way I was lucky– unlike many of my fellow employees, I was allowed to stay on in my position from August until the end of December. As part of the deal though, I had to help my old bank merge with the new one. Staying on kept me employed for an extra five months, but it was like my executioner forcing me to dig my own grave. I was very literally being paid to eliminate my position and place of employment. Not a good situation in which to find oneself.

I did manage to find a part time job at the end of December. It's not a bad job, but it's a significant pay cut and of course there's no insurance, which is a big worry to me. I'm hopeful that more gainful employment will come along soon.

I'm also hopeful that 2012 will be a better year for me and the world at large. I mean it has to be, right? Please tell me it has to be. I don't see any way it could get any worse. Unless that Mayan thing turns out to be true...