2008 will be immortalized as the year I saw grown men fall to their knees as portfolios crumbled and 401k’s vanished. 2008 will be recalled as the year I saw America show the world we were a country of people that could be fooled once, falter twice, yet still demonstrate resiliency and innovation through a defining election. 2008 will be seen as the year I felt capital punishment fitting for white collar crimes (Bernie Madoff). 2008 will be known as the year I saw Tiger woods sink that ridiculous 15 foot putt at Torrey Pines and a tall lanky swimmer named Michael Phelps become a national hero. 2008 will be remembered as the year I officially became obsessed with a television show called Mad Men. [continued after the jump]

Despite the soap opera that was 2008, we will enter a watershed in 2009-2010. This will be the year(s) that men work harder for their paychecks or that next promotion. We men will appreciate the first sip a bit more after each long day. We’ll not just keep our ducks in a row, but we’ll become ever-vigilant. We’ll trim back our excesses and not persist in the “buy now, think later” mentality that every blog seems to want to brainwash us into. Oh, and maybe, just maybe we’ll look for the things that help us do something we’ve lost sight of this past decade - evolve into better men.

Gear Patrol’s Watershed

Gear Patrol will be going through a watershed itself. If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been adding a lot more men to the crew. Why? Because we firmly believe the people best qualified to give you advice are those that are passionate about something, not those who are paid to do so or who only write because they found something on another site or they got something for free.

In 2009, we’ll be bringing you an entirely new way to experience Gear Patrol (something we’ve been hard at work on in 2008). You’ll see new features such as intimate insight detailing how a man earning that coveted $100,000 salary lives in today’s economic climate, as well as a daily upgrade (yes, some of which may require purchasing). You’ll see more original features like our Gear Burger, exclusive interviews, and, of course, you’ll continue to see the same great gear. Gear that’s researched, procured, and tested by the very same men the products are intended for.

Happy holidays men. Here’s holding a humble glass of Malbec to 2009.

Normal publishing will resume next week.