WHAT
WILL
I
remember
about
2007?
What
are
my
thoughts
about
the
year
ahead?
Well,
I
turned
50
in
2007.
This
means
I
can
barely
remember
what
happened
yesterday.
Or
where
the
car
keys
are.
So
I
thought
I’d
better
write
a
few
things
down
before
I
forget.
I’m
going
to
make
everyone
I
know
promise
me
that
they
will
never
hire
a
pollster.
I’ve
learned
that
I
need
the
people
in
my
life
to
say
what
they
mean
and
mean
what
they
say.
Should
I
expect
less
from
my
presidential
candidates?
Absolutely.
Should
I
stop
hoping?
Never.
Our
three
kids
have
grown
up
in
a
world
filled
with
terror
and
natural
disasters.
And
24-hour
news
reminds
them
of
this
incessantly.
It’s
always
been
hard
to
be
a
teenager
but
chaperoning
our
oldest
through
her
high
school
career
made
me
realize
that
attention
must
be
paid.
I’m
not
just
glad
I’m
home
when
they
come
home
from
school.
It
feels
really
important.
The
ENDA
debate
reminded
us
all
that
there
is
an
elephant
in
the
middle
of
our
community’s
room.
We
do
not
all
agree
about
the
“T”
in
“lgbT.”
Some
of
us
understand
the
value
of
incremental
gain.
Some
others
of
us
seem
to
be
missing
the
lesson
that
gender
difference
is
a
key
driver
of
the
discrimination
we
face
every
day.
This
lesson
will
carry
over
into
2008
and
beyond.
I
learned
that
taking
my
mother
for
a
check-up
to
the
cardiologist
is
simply
an
excuse
to
go
out
for
a
really
nice
lunch.
My
mother
makes
80
look
like
great
fun.
In
the
span
of
two
weeks,
I
admitted
two
of
the
people
closest
to
me
into
psychiatric
facilities
for
alcohol
detox.
We
delivered
Thanksgiving
dinner
to
the
hospital
for
one
friend
and
sent
art
supplies
to
the
hospital
for
my
brother
John.
Their
addiction
to
alcohol
led
them
to
jeopardize
everything
and
everyone
they
hold
dear.
I
know
I
want
to
remember
this.
I
was
told
this
year
that
there
are
no
gay
people
in
Iran
but
there
are
at
Hogwarts.
There
are
in
public
office.
There
are
on
television.
There
are
even
gays
in
Hollywood
(note
to
self:
send
Jodie
Foster
a
toaster
oven).
This
lesson
I
have
committed
to
memory.
I
will
do
whatever
I
can
do
personally
to
make
sure
that
a
Democrat
wins
the
White
House
in
November.
I
promise
not
to
behave
like
a
really
smart
victim
(gays
have
this
tendency)
but
to
realize
that
with
my
right
to
vote
comes
power
and
responsibility.
Absolutely
no
snarky
comments
about
the
Democratic
nominee.
And
I
will
have
zero
tolerance
for
any
snarky
comments
I
hear.
I
promise
to
stop
talking
about
Mike
Bloomberg.
He
has
many
qualities
I’m
looking
for
in
a
presidential
candidate
and
he
may
be
the
Democrats’
worst
nightmare.
I
promise
that
our
family’s
new
kitten
(arriving
today)
will
never
replace
any
of
my
children
or
my
spouse
as
my
favorite
living
thing
at
my
house.
(Gays
have
this
tendency.)
I
will
work
hard
to
be
in
a
real
relationship
with
my
kids
and
my
spouse
—
even
when
our
13-year-olds
no
longer
want
to
be
seen
with
me.
And
last
but
not
least,
I’ll
do
my
best
this
year
to
be
part
of
the
solution
rather
than
part
of
the
problem.
On
New
Year’s
Eve
of
2008,
I
hope
I
am
celebrating
the
upcoming
change
in
Washington.
I
hope
that
my
family
will
be
healthy.
I
hope
that
my
mother
will
be
enjoying
being
81.
I
hope
that
my
brother
realizes
he
has
demons.
I
hope
my
friend
wins
his
battle
against
his
demons.
I
hope
to
see
an
overall
decrease
in
demons.
And
I
hope
that
in
all
things
personal
and
political,
I
can
be
articulate,
clear
and
powerful.
Because
I
should,
because
I
can
and
because
I
care.
