So, 2018 is almost over...

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Depends on the guy. Mr D and I knew each other and were in the same circle of friends in high school, but didn't actually get together until about a year after we graduated. Neither if us had really considered the other as a possible mate, yet here we are, decades lated, still together. Life is funny that way sometimes....

[Utrommaniac]

My thing was I knew this guy in third grade and we were fairly good friends. Then he moved near Houston. Then moved back in high school, but we didn't really reconnect until college.

And his self-esteem was a garbage fire on top of another garbage fire. Still is, but a little less so. And that's part of what made him realize we needed to be just friends.



The other guy I dated, I had dated all through middle school and high school. It wasn't until I was at least two semesters into college that I realized that we were not compatible at all and I'm super glad to be rid of him.

[Prowler]

Interesting story. Come to think of it, I don't think I know any couple with a similar story. Meeting someone when you're a kid but then meeting them years later when you're both adults and start dating seems a bit awkward to me. I don't think I'd do it.

I do know like two couples that have been together since their teens, though. One of them has been together since 8th or 9th grade even and both are 28 years old now. Must be tough, though, people can change A LOT from the age of 14 to 18 and from 18 to 25 as well. So that couple really is an exception that confirms the rule of "HS couples don't last forever".

Anyway, back to the topic itself, I still remember when 2018 was a very distant year. I remember watching live FIFA announcing the host nations of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups back in 2011, I believe? And me thinking they were both very far away still; but meanwhile the 2018 WC has gone by already. Am I'm sure 2022 will be here before we know it.

Euro 2016 was over two years ago already and I'm already mentally preparing myself for Euro 2020.

This decade has been... how should I put it? The decade of nostalgia, hipsters, identity politics, social networking, the burst of the bubble(it began in 2007-2008 technically but many places only began feeling it around 2010 or so), streaming services that changed our media consumption habits forever, etc.

In this decade, I also noticed the world became more homogeneous in terms of culture. Social networks and such made contact and spread of ideas between different people even easier and European cities are getting more plastic, expensive and gentrified. Honestly, if this is the future, every developed nations being the same and also getting more americanised then that's sad.

Globalisation only serves corporations at the end of the day.

[IMJ]

There is some really interesting personal stuff from everyone in this thread. Things that really mirror the concept of "an ending and a beginning" of a new year that are reflective in the many posts by people here. I appreciate reading a lot of this. I've had my own ups and downs too, but I think the thing that we are all always striving for is just to continue to move forward and grow.

I hate to draw this comparison, given the recent inexplicable actions by the fed, but life is like the stock market. It's full of these hills followed by dark valley's, but you hope that in the long run it continues to climb upward and that the next valley is still higher than where the last valley was.

Some of you guys write stuff I click with immediately and others don't, but that aside, I hope that the next year is a great one for all of us. Truth.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I've spent a majority of my life wanting someone special in my life. This year, it feels different. I just decided to stop caring as I was tired of trying too hard to show interest in someone because at that point, I realized that I would even settle for just anyone and that's the worst thing you can do. I guess I've just been focusing on myself and getting my life together so I can be financially stable. I would love to own my own house one day despite how expensive it is. But as far as relationships go, I don't care about this at the moment but if someone comes I'll leave the door open.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Anyway, back to the topic itself, I still remember when 2018 was a very distant year. I remember watching live FIFA announcing the host nations of both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups back in 2011, I believe? And me thinking they were both very far away still; but meanwhile the 2018 WC has gone by already. Am I'm sure 2022 will be here before we know it.

It was announced on 2 December 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9250612.stm

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

It was announced on 2 December 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9250612.stm

Oh, I could swear it was in the middle of 2011. Weird. Memory playing tricks on me, then.

[IMJ]

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

I've spent a majority of my life wanting someone special in my life. This year, it feels different. I just decided to stop caring as I was tired of trying too hard to show interest in someone because at that point, I realized that I would even settle for just anyone and that's the worst thing you can do. I guess I've just been focusing on myself and getting my life together so I can be financially stable. I would love to own my own house one day despite how expensive it is. But as far as relationships go, I don't care about this at the moment but if someone comes I'll leave the door open.

How old are you, LTLB?

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

Oh, I could swear it was in the middle of 2011. Weird. Memory playing tricks on me, then.

It was the drawing of the qualifying games for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. It was in late-July 2011.

https://www.goal.com/en-gb/live-upda...eliminary-draw

[Prowler]

You know, it's funny. Many people, myself included, sometimes complain or say that things don't seem to change much, but looking back at the past 8 years, things sure have changed a lot throughout this decade. It's like time and events go by and happen faster outside of our mind than in it. Then, by the time we realise those changes, it's already a bit too late.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

I've spent a majority of my life wanting someone special in my life. This year, it feels different. I just decided to stop caring as I was tired of trying too hard to show interest in someone because at that point, I realized that I would even settle for just anyone and that's the worst thing you can do. I guess I've just been focusing on myself and getting my life together so I can be financially stable. I would love to own my own house one day despite how expensive it is. But as far as relationships go, I don't care about this at the moment but if someone comes I'll leave the door open.

Kind of spooky how this echos exactly the same perspective I've come to over the last number of years. Hopefully you're younger and will find those things in your life in due time.



Definitely one of the things I've learned, that life just is what it is and it's not always going to turn out how we wanted, but there's really only two choices... a person can let themselves be miserable over what they're lacking, or find and focus on the happier parts of life. And personally I'd rather not be miserable.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

streaming services that changed our media consumption habits forever, etc.

I'm tankfull scheudled television was finally killed off for good. These days, I mostly watch live broadcastings of sports competitions as scheudled television.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Originally Posted by IMJ

How old are you, LTLB?

31, birthday's in May. Born the year of the FW toon.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Now, 2018 is over.

[Prowler]

Indeed. It was an average year. Not too good, not too bad.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by Prowler

In this decade, I also noticed the world became more homogeneous in terms of culture. Social networks and such made contact and spread of ideas between different people even easier and European cities are getting more plastic, expensive and gentrified. Honestly, if this is the future, every developed nations being the same and also getting more americanised then that's sad.

Globalisation only serves corporations at the end of the day.

I like American culture, because its mixes elements from all over Earth. The only similair countries (historical) are Australia, Canada and New Zealand and, to some degrees, the United Kingdom. South Africa would probably also have been if it wasn't for the National Party.

American culture has always been popular in Sweden, but customs and culture from Canada (ice hockey), China (rice), Germany (Advent star, Christmas tree), Italy (Lucia, pizza), Japan (manga), Mexico (taco), the Netherlands (Santa Claus), the UK (pop music, soccer) and many, many many other countries have been adopted too.

These days, any custom can be easily adopted in any country. Can you imagine how boring countries would be without that?

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

I like American culture, because its mixes elements from all over Earth. The only similair countries (historical) are Australia, Canada and New Zealand and, to some degrees, the United Kingdom. South Africa would probably also have been if it wasn't for the National Party.

American culture has always been popular in Sweden, but customs and culture from Canada (ice hockey), China (rice), Germany (Advent star, Christmas tree), Italy (Lucia, pizza), Japan (manga), Mexico (taco), the Netherlands (Santa Claus), the UK (pop music, soccer) and many, many many other countries have been adopted too.

These days, any custom can be easily adopted in any country. Can you imagine how boring countries would be without that?

Not all elements and stuff is good. I don't feel like extrapolating on which, because that'd mean derailing the thread into possible political discourse.

Besides, no culture is as hegemonic as American culture is. Even the UK and Japan don't seem like they're forced upon us as much.

And some European countries are more americanised than others. Germanic speaking nations seem to be quite americanised.

Countries like mine, Italy, Greece, France and Spain; while obviously we get American content and such, their culture and such is still somewhat alien to us. The way their society and culture is is WAY different than our ways of life and our cultures. In Portugal's case, we're still a quite traditional country. And the fact we weren't in WW2 also meant no Marshall Plan and no highly significant influences from American culture and society in our culture, society, legal system and architecture like countries like Germany got. Ofc we get their pop culture, but so does everyone else. It's simply what it is. Doesn't really influence our way of life and our culture. We also love Japanese animation and our country certainly doesn't feel Japanese/Asian at all.

You mentioned sports, well we only like football here and then futsal(indoor football) and roller hockey. No one plays ice hockey here, baseball or american football. And the ones who do are prolly like 0.00001% of our population.

Interesting you also mention food. In Portugal we're very proud of our cuisine in general and most Portuguese people will tell you their country has the best food in the whole world. Foreign food we eat here is mostly Italian(that one hardly counts as foreign cuisine anymore, tbh), Chinese and Japanese. We mostly eat our own stuff or ordinary food. There's not this habit of eating foreign food on a weekly basis like people in many other industrialised countries do.

And lastly, USA has a very low Portuguese diaspora in comparison to countries like France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Brazil or even Canada have. Adding to the fact we've never colonised territory that's today part of USA that means our culture didn't influence theirs at all nor is there much contact between citizens of both countries, meaning American culture is quite alien to us in comparison to what it is to Brits, Irish, Scandinavians and Germans, for example.

So yeah, I guess I can see why a Swede like yourself would be more familiarised with American culture and be more willing to adopt many of its customs than someone like me would, for example.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Portugal and Sweden both took Marshall aid, even if none of them fought in the war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan