WE'RE COMING to the end of the first decade of what we once referred to as the new millennium.

Did these past 10 years (well, almost 10 years, it's only November) slip by rather quickly? Maybe it's because I'm getting older and the years click off like a Gatling gun, but I swear it was just yesterday we were all worried about how that Y2K virus thing would end the world as we know it.

I think it might have been the most eventful 10-year period of my life. At worst, it's been one of the most interesting. Here are 10 items that have helped define the decade for yours truly:

* The recession: I think it's safe to say all of our lives have been touched in some way by the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression.

* The ongoing war on terrorism: The fact that there is no end in sight is disturbing. I'm afraid I'll still be reading about this 10 years from now.

* Social networking: The rise of Twitter, Facebook and similar outlets have changed how we communicate -- just when I finally felt I had e-mail mastered.

* Hurricane Katrina: This was a wake-up call for our nation and some of its antiquated infrastructure. It will be interesting to see what ultimately rises from the ashes of this disaster.

* The Flood of 2008: I have written several times that this was my first up-close-and-personal with an act of nature of that magnitude. I'll never forget those months of traveling through Northeast Missouri and West-Central Illinois, seeing the devastation firsthand.

* Global warming: For years I have gone back and forth, trying to decide if global warming was more fiction than fact. I still don't know, but I'm worried when I see the reports about all those glaciers and other big chunks of ice melting.

* "American Idol": Whether you are a fanatic (raise your hand and join me) or a critic (shame on you), no other show this decade has captivated American audiences like this one.

* The death of Dale Earnhardt: To me, it is so ironic that in the decade that saw NASCAR finally achieve parallel status with the other major sports, it lost one of its all-time greats in a crash on its most-hallowed track in Daytona. Earnhardt's popularity remains as strong as ever among the turn-left crowd.

* HDTV: The latest generation of television viewing is truly spectacular. The high-definition technology amazes me. And no, I'm not one of those who yearns for yesterday. I grew up watching a black-and-white TV with three channels.

* The death of Michael Jackson: The worldwide effect and response were rather overwhelming. I had always wondered what the aftermath of the death of Elvis Presley or John Lennon might have been in today's world of the Internet and instant information. I think Michael Jackson's death answered that question.

Think back 10 years. Were any of the aforementioned items on the tips of our tongue, either as a reality or a possibility? I don't think so, and that's what makes these 10-year increments so interesting.

-- seighinger@whig.com/221-3377