there are 2,013 other things I could say

At this time of year it's customary for a social commentator (I'm just borrowing the title for this post) to come up with a best-of list, summarising the past year's good, bad, wins and woes relative to their area of interest.

As I haven't yet chosen an area of interest for this blog it may be a little ambitious to cherry pick the best of 2013 relevant to the universe. And I don't wish to alienate my readership by detailing only personal highlights...although Mariah Carey's Fly Like a Bird performance in Melbourne would top anybody's best-of list - I'll take no arguments on that!

New year's resolutions? Michelle Bridges and I agreed that she would cover weight loss and positive thinking. Instead, I've been tasked with gathering just three observations of 2013, in no order of importance, to set the foundation for the ideal 2014.

1. Let go, Ley-Ley
It's not really Lleyton Hewitt's fault that he's still our flag-bearer on court; Stosur's too afraid the flag will fall on her head, and Tomic can't fit the flag in the back of his M3. But c'mon! Entering his 80th year on the tour, Ley-Ley deserves a break. And I deserve to watch one tennis match without interruption from the little Aussie battler and his sycophantic sensei John Newcombe.

2. The vile-high club
I've been fortunate this year to have travelled frequently interstate and overseas. I've been unfortunate to have always travelled in economy. Cattle-class? Ha! I wish I was surrounded by leather. No, the jet set are well and truly bed-set now. The airways are open to every flea-bitten 20 year-old who can locate the $39 in the hollow of his track pants. Smarten up: there's no excuse for such dishevelment - you haven't all flown in from Mackay.

3. A return to family values
Kim Kardashian is about to be married, again, this time to the father of her child North West. A husband and wife in rural South Australia have just welcomed a ninth child to their ever-growing brood, giving him a name with more consecutive consonants than the English language allows. Yet marriage is their right. Take note my gay friends: since nothing else has worked thus far, perhaps attach a promise of cruelty-free child-naming to your next petition for marriage equality.

Farewell to the eventful 2013. As always, I'm aiming to be the best looking I can be in 2014, and wish my readers the resolve they pledge themselves when the clock strikes 12.

Til next year!

Justin