It will shortly be the 13th year of the new 2000 millennium, and there’s a lot to celebrate tonight, New Year’s Eve.

I won’t delve into the political realm, so let’s just be grateful for what we have in the United States of America, specifically in Tucson, and Southern Arizona.

Here’s my list of resolutions for the New Year:

– be more patient

– be kind

– be compassionate

I hope I have the patience (Resolution #1) to practice my resolutions beyond tomorrow, but I will try to be kind and compassionate (Resolutions # 2 and 3) to those I encounter in the new year.

And so we end the powerful Year of the Dragon and enter the enigmatic Year of the Snake. I have several “snakes” in my life — three friends and a niece, so it should be an interesting year.

Happy New Year to our readers and fellow bloggers at Tucsoncitizen.com! And if you’re wondering which were my top 5 stories of 2012, four of the five were election news: two on the General Election results (candidates and propositions), the Primary Election results, the list of who was running for 2012 Pima County offices, and only one non-political post about the Powerful Year of the Dragon.

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year in Hawaiian)!