In a previous life--the one in which I was a political operative--New Years Eve was always a busy a stressful day as I furiously raced around collecting the last contributions that had been pledged to the campaign.

A tradition developed between myself and one a key donor in which I had to physically track him down, make a few social and business calls with him, then go to his office get the checks (which were already made out) then have an early evening dinner with his family.

I then raced to the last bank branch open and made the deposit.

A new holiday tradition has developed to replace that. 

For the past three years, in early December, I drive out to Home Office in Ottawa County, KS and drop off a large hard drive with the new documentary digitally encoded on it.

My friend and business partner David Chavarria then cleans up the audio, graphics and does a bunch of other things I swear are magic to turn it into the final DVD.

Here's a little snippet of the new movie, which is unlike any Iraq documentary ever made:

As for predictions, I am a horrible prognosticator, but a few of these are dead certain, which will bring up my average:

--I will release another documentary

--I'm going to publish a book that has its roots in my work in Iraq, but is actually about something else entirely

--Michael Yon will find himself in the most precarious situations imaginable and live to blog about them

--The SOFA agreement with Iraq will be broadly interpreted to keep US Forces in most Joint Security Stations

--I will finally beat 'Redacted'

--Glenn Reynolds will use the term "heh"

--Uncle Jimbo of Blackfive will not get married

--More media companies, especially newspapers will flounder

--Advertisers will discover that most advertising does not convert to sales, which, when combined with the recession, will be death of many media companies

--In the cattle markets Steers and Heifers will bottom out at sixty-five cents

--Oil will creep up to $65/barrel

--Kansas State, under the leadership of the returning Bill Snyder, will make it to the Alamo Bowl

--Leftwing groups like ANSWER, MoveOn, CodePink, etc., flush with electoral success and without an enemy will suffer mass psychosis

--I will not get shot at in Iraq, but I will get shot at in Afghanistan

--Blackfive actual will declare that I am nuts

--In December 2009 I will drive out to Ottawa County and drop off a hard drive that contains what will be my last documentary

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