I was waiting in a car with my friend, listening to the radio. We were waiting for her husband and another couple, about to go out to dinner to celebrate my 30th birthday (a day early). I thought, "I hope this isn't an omen of what "being over 30" will be like.
I was approaching 21 when a friend's family suffered a murder-suicide attempt, which had never happened to anyone I knew.
And, another crappy"landmark" birthday memory, the one where I turned 50, this was happening:
<snip>
The very next day, Saturday 9 December 2000, according to CNN:
"... the U.S. Supreme Court ... voted 5-4 to stop the recount ordered Friday <8 December 2000> by the Florida Supreme Court ...
Chief Justice William Rehnquist
and Justices Anthony Kennedy , Antonin Scalia , Clarence Thomas and Sandra Day O'Connor voted to halt the recounts. Justices John Paul Stevens , Stephen Breyer , Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented. ...
As a practical matter, the 9 December 2000 ruling of the US Supreme Court indicated that Bush was winner of Florida and therefore President-Elect of the USA.
http://www.tony5m17h.net/DJgb.html#electoralvote
Sometimes I just want to cry.