I became utterly intoxicated gradually and then suddenly as Hemingway might have said. Although we got to the venue at a very timely 9 p.m. we were thrown a dramatic twist. The guest list was not located at the venue, but instead 30 blocks away at 11th and Blane. Oh well, to heck with the guest list. We may as well pay full price and get to inside before it was too late, since driving 30 blocks to the guest list and 30 blocks back was going to be more stress than it was worth, and we had the cash. No reason to let a little money ruin new years eve 2010. Tickets in hand we went through the gen admin line, which was at least short. IOt was not about 11 pm and with plenty of time to spare we were in, enjoying the cool night air of the main outdoor area. we dressed appropriately for a night outdoors since we expected the indoor area to be packed to capacity and closed off, which it was. The next objective was to get some drinks. Christy had a silver VIP bracelet, but my wrist was completely naked, so I waited for her to bring me the first round. 37 minutes later, she handed me 2 Monster and vodkas, which I drank in 37 seconds. Now that we had at least gotten the night started it was time to try and get into the mix. Sadly, the vibe at this years event was hard to find. The crowd seemed a bit pissed, not at the party I think, but just mad at the year 2009 as a whole. I actually kind of liked 2009 and I even kind of liked that everybody was broke. It falls under "what does not kill you makes you stronger" in my book. Of course that is easy to say since I have not lost my home or my car or my income and I have an awesome puppy and Christy and many great friends. I believe that the best way to deal with the current economic situation is to just think the things are going to continue to get better for a long time, even if they are not going to get better quickly. To cheer you up immediately, here is THE RAVERS DIGEST BEST OF 2009 Genre of the Year: DUBSTEP - full of possibilities and just now starting to get really fucking awesome, dubstep is powerful, complicated, and soulful, and positioned exactly where Jungle/DnB was in the year 2000. Event of the Year: ETD Love by Skillz - of course this is 100% purely subjective and I only went to about 20 events all year, but I had more fun here than at any other party so big up to Skillz. Artist of the year: D:FUSE - with all of the classic skills of a house DJ, and the ability to infuse his own live set with live music, by playing the electronic drums while spinning, D:FUSE is very special indeed. DJ of the Year: Plastician - before you say "what?" or "who?" you simply must SEE the Plasticman behind the decks. Twisting and tweaking knobs frantically but precisely, I crown him "Dubsteps Greatest Hero" Up and Coming LA Production Company: FRESH Entertainment - its all about the music. US Production Company: Go Ventures - I went to Big Wig Shin Dig in August of 2000, and that was the Go Ventures 10 Year Anniversary, so that means that Go Ventures has been throwing parties for almost 20 YEARS !!! Go Ventures now throws events in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, (Love Festival and Fabulous) and will hopefully expand into San Diego in 2010.