A Look Back Out The Post Office Window

Season’s greetings, and welcome to a winter wonderland here in Happy Valley. It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. (That reminds me of a song I know!)

If you are reading my column today, Dec. 23, you are hopefully enjoying my daughter Marykate\’s favorite day: Christmas Eve’s Eve. She thinks it’s fun to say and loves the anticipation of the days to come.

The University Park campus is very calm at this time. Only a couple squirrels visit the office these days, and I think that’s just so they can get warm. The undergraduates have all returned home, most of the faculty and staff are also away from campus. The only people I see are the graduate students because, as I am told by them, they \”never leave campus, and have no life.\” One of my Christmas wishes is that that is not always the case, as I am today anxiously awaiting the return of my own graduate student daughter, Michaela, from her school up in Boston.

As you have been told before and hopefully agree with, this is a very reflective time of the year. We take the time to take a look back at our year in review, and for me, some of the highlights of 2009 go like so:

• January: New Year’s Eve wedding in Connecticut with stunning fireworks to ring in the new year. 
• February: THON, Dream Forward 
• March: Penn State’s men’s Basketball team crowned NIT Champs
• April: My lovely bride’s 40th birthday, again… 
• May: My annual Cheer’s Bar tour (Have you all signed up for 2010\’s yet?) 
• June: I was asked to write this column. I definitely made the ‘write’ decision there! 
• July: My first trip to Las Vegas (I think) for a friend’s surprise birthday party. 
• August: Welcome back students! 
• September: My beloved Phillies clinched the National League East pennant. 
• October: Blizzard homecoming parade and Marykate’s 29th birthday, for the second year in a row.
• November: Michaela’s 24th birthday (This is her actual age.) 
• December: My 40th birthday, again, and the holidays! 

Come to think about it, this would be a good time to reflect on the first decade of the 21st century.

It certainly was not a boring decade, from Y2K to the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, to electing a new president, most recently. It was just as busy on a personal note, because of both of my daughters graduating college, the loss of both of my parents and the beginnings of entertaining the idea of retiring… in about 17 years!

Also, just think about the technological advances we’ve made, from cell phones and texting to the latest Internet phenomenons like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. I’m going to be honest; I caved on the cell phone craze only recently, and I still have almost no idea how to work the thing!

As far as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, I’m not even going to pretend to understand them but I’m told I’ve made some appearances on it, including most recently, the \”Happy Holidays from Penn State\” video. In it, obviously I’m requesting more cookies in 2010!

My daughter’s have discussed the idea of setting up a Facebook page for me. I will keep you \”posted.\”

This decade exploded with reality TV shows, and although I’m not very addicted to any particular one, I do believe a couple Survivor and Real World cast members have attend my annual Cheers tour upon their graduating year. I’m convinced that it launched their careers!

As far as sports go, from where I’m sitting, the best of the best of sports has to be right here in Happy Valley. From the year 2000 through the year 2009, one PSU team had played 348 games and have won 310 of those games — an astounding 81 percent! This team has won seven Big Ten Titles and have now won a never-before-done three straight national titles. My Santa’s hat is off to Coach Russ Rose, his staff and the wonderful women of the Penn State University’s volleyball team. Congratulations!

Finally, I hope that everyone has the quality time with loved ones to enjoy whatever holiday they are celebrating. May we all try to make the next decade one that we can be proud of.

News networks constantly report on the extremely amazing and horribly terrifying stories everyday throughout every year. I feel that if we all put forth a little more effort to be kinder, gentler, and more loving to ourselves, and each other, it may not make the news, but I know it will make a difference for the better.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I do know that a \”Thank you\” from a daughter or a customer, to an \”I love you\” from a parent, spouse or friend makes my world.

Cookies also are appreciated. Both by Santa and me.