OUR OPINION: With the new year comes new resolutions. But since there are no guarantees with resolutions, it’s good to have something to depend on in 2009.With exams slated for this week and the next, and the holidays shortly after, it’s easy to forget we’ll be ringing in 2009 in less than a month.As with any new year, people will invariably have the same resolutions — get better grades, stay on that diet for real, be a better friend or any of the other promises and vows one takes when the new year rolls in.But even if you don’t plan on making resolutions or can’t seem to stick with the ones you make for 2009, there are a few things you know you can look forward to.The end of an eraLove him or hate him, George W. Bush is on the way out after eight years, leaving behind two wars, an economy in recession and a number of other problems to his successor, America’s first black president, Barack Obama. The inauguration is Jan. 20.Thompson Theatre reopensThompson Theatre has been closed since October 2007 for renovations. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2008, and University Theatre and the Craft Center will begin moving back in 2009. The building will officially open in the fall of 2009, so be sure to check it out.

The University is starting reading daysAfter Student Government’s extensive campaign in the spring of 2008, the University finally created reading days, giving students an opportunity to study without having to put up with class like they do during Dead Week. The way the University implemented reading days is far from ideal, but having them is certainly a step in the right direction.Google moving one step closer to self-awarenessThe Office of Information Technology is looking at alternatives to the existing Webmail system, and Gmail is one of the possibilities. A conspiracy theorist might say Google’s actions resemble that of the Skynet program from the Terminator movies, and some of those conspiracy theorists say if Google takes over the University’s e-mail system, self-awareness and world domination may be soon to come.The longest total solar eclipse until 2132On July 22, 2009, people will witness a total solar eclipse lasting up to six minutes, 39 seconds — the longest eclipse of the 21st century. A total solar eclipse this long isn’t expected to happen again until June 13, 2132.And of course…SportsNo explanation required — Bowl Championship Series on Jan. 8, Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 and, of course, March Madness. And that’s just the first three months…