The Year You Were Born

I have recently come across a website that helps parents "fill" their kids baby books with the little things that new mom's have no power of remembering. I do have actual hard cover books that I have been trying to keep up as well, but I definitely have trouble doing it. I do plan to turn this blog or parts of it into a book some day as well. Maybe I will do each year separately even!  It is actually easier than it sounds due to technology and awesome websites.

I just have a hard time trying to think of what a loaf of bread costs, a movie ticket, etc.. Just for fun, here is what the handy website said for the year 2009!  The twins were born at the tail end of 2009, so I am sure a lot of the stuff I remember on TV from Maternity leave is from 2010. The main thing I remember is the Terrible Earthquake in Haiti happening shortly after the twins were born. I sat on the couch and watched hours and hours of the coverage while keeping the two, fed, diapered, and as happy as I could (with the help of my weekly rotating, nannies)

Cost of things (averages):

Gallon of Milk~ $2.69

Dozen Eggs~ $1.34

Loaf of bread~ $1.45

U.S. Postage Stamp~ 42 cents

New Car Price~ $28,400

Gallon of Gas~ $2.51

Movie Ticket~ $7.18

Price of new house~ $232,880

Top Celebrities:

• Michael Jackson

• Sandra Bullock

• Susan Boyle

• Jennifer Aniston

• Adam Lambert

• Kobe Bryant

• Chris Brown

• Johnny Depp

• Chuck Norris

• Joe Wilson

• Tiger Woods

• Christian Bale

• A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez)

Top Music Albums:

Lil’ Wayne, Tha Carter III

Coldplay, Viva La Vida

Taylor Swift, Fearless

Kid Rock, Rock n Roll Jesus

AC/DC, Black Ice

Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift

Metallica, Death Magnetic

T.I., Paper Trail

Jack Johnson, Sleep Through the Static

Beyonce, I Am … Sasha Fierce

Top Television Shows:

American Idol

Dancing with the Stars

NBC Sunday Night Football

Dancing with the Stars – Results Show

NCIS: Los Angeles

NCIS

NFL Regular Season ESPN

Sunday Night NFL Pre-kick

The Good Wife

Top Movies:

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Avatar

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Up

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

The Hangover

Star Trek

The Blind Side

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Top Books:

Going Rogue: An American Life- by Sarah Palin

‘Have a Little Faith: A True Story- by Mitch Albom

True Compass- by Edward M. Kennedy

Arguing With Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government- by Glenn Beck and Kevin Balfe

Open: An Autobiography- by Andre Agassi

The Lost Symbol- by Dan Brown

I, Alex Cross- by James Patterson

Under the Dome- by Stephen King

Pirate Latitudes- by Michael Crichton

U is for Underflow- by Sue Grafton

Top Fashion Trends:

Ruffles – it seems that this feminine look was all the rage.

Transparent, gauzy fabrics – but not see through.

Bold, graphic patterns

One-shouldered dresses

Jumpsuits

Shorts as evening wear

Leggings

Sequins and Glitter

Leather Jackets

Hats

World Leaders:

President Barack Obama– USA

Prime Minister Gordon Brown – UK

President Hu Jintao – China

President Pratibha Patil – India

Prime Minister Kevin Michael Rudd – Australia

Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy – France

President Horst Kohler – Germany

President Dmitry Medvedev- Russia

Major Events:

Barack Obama, the United States first African American President was sworn into office on January 20, 2009.

Michael Jackson, the self-described “King of Pop” died of an apparent heart attack on June 25th. It was later found out that he was under heavy sedation at the time his heart stopped in a controversy that will surely continue for the next year. Jackson was one of many celebrities who passed away in 2009 which was included other high-profile deaths including: Farrah Fawcett, Natasha Richardson, Bea Arthur, Dom DeLuise, Karl Malden, David Carradine, Patrick Swayze, John Hughes, Ed McMahon, Walter Cronkite and Don Hewitt, Senator Edward Kennedy, Britney Murphy, Authors John Updike, Frank McCourt and Dominick Dunne, blues legend Koko Taylor, Ventures guitarist Bob Bogle, Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary, guitar innovator Les Paul , Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein. NFL players Steve McNair and Chris Henry, veteran basketball coach Chuck Daly. Former U.S. Housing Secretary Jack Kemp, Oxiclean pitchman Billy Mays and Gidget, the Chihuahua best known for hawking Taco Bell.

Bernard Madoff was convicted of a operating a “Ponzi Scheme” which duped many people out of their retirement money. He will serve 150 years.

The World Health Organization declared the H1N1 Virus, otherwise known as the Swine Flu, a pandemic. By the end of the year, the predicted vaccine shortages and potential large death toll proved not to be.

Pop Culture:

In February we listened to a leaked audio tape of Christian Bale unleashing a torrent of verbal abuse in the direction of the happless director of photography on ‘Terminator Salvation’ who apparently got in his line of vision as he filmed an intense scene. Chris Brown was involved in a brutal altercation with then-girlfriend Rihanna, earning himself a community service stint and five years’ probation for felony assault. Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie had their highly-anticapated ‘Oscar Showdown’, which involved Jen looking very uncomfortable as she presented an award on stage, while Angie looked angelic and laughed in all the right places from the front row.

In March, ‘Octomom’ Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies and a reality TV show concept, Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer split for the third and final time. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was among those who paid tribute to ‘Big Brother’ star Jade Goody, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 27.

In June the king of pop Michael Jackson died, Charlie’s Angels beauty Farrah Fawcett lost her long battle with cancer at the age of 62, and the tragic death of Mike Tyson’s daughter.

August; after a tragic 2008 which saw the murder of her mother and brother, Jennifer Hudson celebrated the birth of her first child, a baby boy called David Daniel Otunga Jr. DJ AM tragically died from an accidental drugs overdose, just eleven months after he and friend Travis Barker survived a horrifying plane crash.

September; Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Nicole Richie gave birth to a little boy called Sparrow.

December; Tiger Woods’ squeaky clean image was shattered by tabloid allegations of infidelity, which grew by the day as more waitresses, hostesses and porn stars were linked to the married golf superstar.

Technology and Science:

• Twitter
• Smart phones
• Google Wave
• Macbook
• Ebooks
• Mobile apps
• Snow Leopard
• Tweetdeck
• Facebook
• Smart-grid energy 
• Windows 7
• CES
• Palm Pre
• Google Latitude
• Macworld

……………………..

-Several vaccines for dengue fever, a disease that strikes roughly 230 million people each year, showed promise in preliminary human trials.

-Researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa built a sensor that can smell cancer.

-In the first major pharmaceutical extension of lifespan in a mammal, scientists gave elderly mice Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant used to slow cell growth in cancer patients. After taking the drug, the rodents lived a mouse equivalent of 13 extra years.