Greetings, Gentlemen.  The new year is upon us and 2012 is a soft flour tortilla, waiting to be filled with the good stuff.  Prior to recent times, I had never been asked to write a prediction of things to come.  Let’s be real; you can always pay attention to the clues, but short of Marty McFly and his Sports Almanac, it’s impossible to predict the future.

I’m not into futures speculation and I know just enough about the world to fill a bucket.  Instead of forecasting some things that may not come to pass or regurgitating the ideas of other fortune tellers, I thought I’d list the things I’d like to see take place in 2012. Enjoy.

Tuxedo Night – Unless you’ve been living in a hole throughout the past decade, you’ve probably noticed that jeans get along now with suit jackets, ties and dress shoes.  This year, I’m thinking packs of gentlemen will pick random nights to rock shiny lapels and bow ties.  Why wait for a special occasion?  Life is short; every night should be a special occasion.

Senor Coston, if you’re reading this, I think it’s time for the Vertigo Suit to make a comeback.

Skynet – I’ve been saying it on the bird (Twitter) for months; I think Apple’s Siri will eventually become self-aware and start a war with humankind.  Yes, this is a nerd reference for anyone who’s ever watched a Terminator film.  Of course, I’m joking and do not think this will actually happen … or do I?

Love Hangs On – I believe that the confusing relationship that rages on between men/women, men/men, and/or women/women will improve … marginally.

Football and Baseball Will Rise – This is a bit of a gimme, but I think we’re looking up in this department.  As I write this, the Bengals have clinched a Wild Card spot in the playoffs (as a team that some predicted would be an utter bust this season) and the Reds have made some aggressive off-season trades that look promising.  Starting this year, I see both clubs continuing to reverse the trend we’ve trudged through as fans for the past decade.

The Term, “Boyfriend” Becomes a Verb – Using nouns as verbs isn’t a new trend.  I see the term, “boyfriend” getting its turn this year.

Example 1:
Matt: So, you like this girl?  What are you going to do?
Tyler: I’m going to boyfriend the hell out of this situation and send her a pile of flowers.

Example 2:
Christina: Philip told me that he would rather watch football than have brunch with my family.  I told him he needed to boyfriend-up and get in the car.

Laptops?  What Are Those? – I think everyone and their mother received an iPad, Nook Tablet or a Kindle Fire over the holidays.  Sooner or later, they’ll outnumber the laptop computers you see at your local coffee shop.

What are some things that YOU think we’ll see this year?