Back in early January, I posted a blog titled "2010 events I can't wait to witness." With a mere 47 days left until the end of the year, I thought I'd look back what I most anticipated to see what lived up to the hype -- and what didn't.

Interestingly, I have something new to say about every event I looked forward to. Please take a moment to get yourself up to speed by rereading (or reading for the first time) the original list. Here are my takeaways, nearly one year later:

Apple tablet event (Jan. 27) -- I thought it might be called the iSlate, but Apple named its tablet the iPad. Like many others, I got swept up into the hype and bought one right away, but now, my iPad is a glorified paperweight, taking a backseat to my trusty laptop each and every time. Between its awkward touch screen keyboard and its inability to display Web sites like its desktop equivalent (and I'm not just talking about Flash), I remain mostly unimpressed. While iOS 4.2 will go a long way toward fixing the iPad's many shortcomings, I reach for my MacBook first, my iPhone second and my iPad a distant third.

"LOST" premiere (Feb. 2) -- Months removed from its conclusion, I can now say the final season of "LOST" lived up to its expectations. Questions were answered, and I left feeling mostly fulfilled. I worried that J.J. Abrams would leave me confused and angry, but I finally get it. And I loved the ride.

Daylight Saving Time (March 14) -- Long summer days that stretched late into the evenings ... ah, what I wouldn't give for a year-round Daylight Saving Time. I shudder to think that we're in for four more cold, dark months until I see the sun again at 6 p.m.

Opening Day (April 5) -- I was there, of course, and what a letdown. Not the event, mind you, but the entire depressing season. I had such high hopes after Spring Training, but the 2010 Brewers were a forgettable disaster of underachievement. Blech.

Smoking ban (July 5) -- I love the smoking ban. Everything about it (other than the discomfort for shivering smokers). I've been in two bars since July that have completely ignored it, though, and it's remarkable how much you forget what I smoky bar smells like. I'll be interested to see if the ban has hurt bar business; empirically, bars appear to be doing just fine.

Storm the Bastille (July 8) -- In my second showing, I was hoping for a time under 30 minutes. Instead, I finished with a personal record of 31 minutes, 37 seconds. While that's nothing to brag about, it's still about six minutes faster than last year's time. Next year!

AT&T contract end date (July 11) -- I said it was a virtual certainty that AT&T would lose its iPhone exclusivity last summer. Well, that didn't happen, and like a heroin addict, I signed on for another two-year hitch when the iPhone 4 came out. Now, we hear that Verizon is about to get the iPhone very soon. We'll see.

The day after the gubernatorial election (Nov. 3) -- Not so happy about how this turned out. I predicted Tom Barrett would win, but he didn't put up a very strong fight to Scott Walker. Now, high-speed rail is on death's door, and we'll see how Walker's policies affect the state over the next four years. I was not in a particularly good mood on Nov. 4, and no, I don't want to talk about it.

"Red Dawn" (Nov. 24) -- Well, that isn't gonna happen. At least not right away. Apparently, its release date is now in limbo due to MGM's lack of funding.

Chevy Volt launch (late November ... maybe) -- Not a chance. While GM says it will start selling limited quantities in late 2010 (isn't that now) in seven markets, it intends to distribute Volts in all 50 states in 12-18 months after the start of initial sales. In other words, don't expect to get your hands on a Volt for a long, long time. Which could be disastrous for GM, as other carmakers are bringing electric cars to market much sooner.