Bakersfield Life

I have a feeling that while most of us would love for our lives to be as smooth and enjoyable as a trip through It's A Small World at Disneyland, the truth of the matter is that our lives can probably be more realistically likened to a raging roller coaster, with all the twists, flips and turns that go with it.
In any roller coaster, there are moments of enjoyment and thrills, moments of sheer terror and fear, and the sense of accomplishment when the ride is over for surviving something so scary. Sound familiar? Like it or not, that roller coaster ride is more similar to our lives than we probably like to imagine.
Let's be fully honest here. If life is like a roller coaster, then 2008 was like Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., the tallest, fastest roller coaster on earth at 45 stories tall and 128 miles per hour. Few could have imagined the $3 swing in gas prices per gallon, the banking collapse, and houses – worth hald of what they were worth two years ago – sitting empty by the hundreds.
Just like everyone else, I personally had a bit of a roller coaster year as well, maybe similar to Colossus at Thorpe Park in England, the world's first roller coaster to turn its riders upside down 10 times. I certainly had my good times with an amazing trip to Yosemite, celebrating my first wedding anniversary adn my golf game slowly but surely getting better. But my broken leg, and more recently my surgery that left me with a grossly swollen face and tow black eyes certainly sent me flipping through life as often as a ride on the Colossus.
Maybe best of all this year was my becoming the editor of Bakersfield Life and watching the growth of the magazine. Of course, we are the most read local magazine of any kind in Bakersfield, and while we have evolved dramatically, we're not satisfied. We are looking to continue to grow and expand in 2009 to bring you an even better product each and every month.
One of those exciting changes will begin next month when we will begin to publish our magazine on the last Saturday of each month, as opposed to the arbitrary third Saturday of the month that we publish currently. By coming out on the final weekend of the month, we will more effectively be able to preview the upcoming month while keeping our topics timely and fresh. So be sure to look for that new publish date next month on Jan. 31.
That, however, is just a look back at my year. In this month's Bakersfield Life, take a closer look at 18 of Bakersfield's movers and shakers from politicians to athletes and everything between for a look back at 2008 and a look ahead to the new year.
So while roller coasters can be exciting and fun, let's try to leave them for weekend thrills while settling for the more smooth sailing of the Disneyland classic in our everyday lives.
Have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve and we'll see you next year.