What does Earnings per share mean? I just bought....?

First of all, 2009 refers to the fiscal year not calendar year, so don't worry about it. Earnings per share is just what it sounds like, net profit that the company earned divided by the number of shares outstanding (well, to be exact, the weighted-average number of shares used, but that's irrelevant for the purpose of this question). The absolute number doesn't mean much, you need to consider it relative to something. What that something is is a big topic, which is beyond a simple 1-paragraph answer.