New Years

It always seems arbitrary. That whole setting goals/resolutions/crap. It also seems pressured. The kiss at midnight, champagne celebration, big party scene. Well, I've been through a ton of these (ok, only 33 of them, but still). There are some that stand out as my favorites, and others I wished never had happened. Here are a few:

Best:
2002 Had dinner with my parents, dear friends from New Orleans, and my husband (although this was technically our first date). We met at my apartment in the avenues, drove to my parents house for dinner of prime rib, mashed potatoes, and Caesar salad. Then we went downtown to see my brother's band play at a fun bar. There J picked up most of the liquor tabs, he didn't drink to be the responsible driver, Kristina and I ended up on stage singing with my brother, and then J and I had our first real kiss at midnight. We went back to my apartment where my friends slept on a blow up bed in the adjacent room while J and I talked until dawn. He left the next day back to medical school. The rest is history.

Other fun times:
2000 Went to my friend, Kara's, house where she was a wonderful bartender of cosmos and other martinis. Sushi was ordered in. I met a really nice Scottish guy who later ended up becoming a boyfriend of one of my friends. I drove home and spent the countdown to midnight alone in my bathtub with a bubble bath of plumeria from San Francisco. I listened to the fireworks from downtown and savored choosing to be alone.
1980's Being up at the ranch with my cousins. We got a little cream de minthe from Pop. At midnight (or 10:00) we would take pans and bang them outside to welcome the new year. Then we would cuddle into bed.

Worst time:
1997 Travelled home from grad school. Went out to the old Green Street with sorority sisters and fraternity friends with a large cover charge. At the time I was just beginning to date he-who-shall-not-be-named and really wanted to give it a solid go (aka not do anything to jeapordize the potential of a future relationship). I met my ex who wasn't particularly smokin' hot, but we had a lot of chemistry. He wanted to hook up and I denied him. When I went home he called multiple times during the night cursing me. My parents had learned to move the phone to the office where they couldn't hear it, but I could.

This year J is barely making it home from work at 8:00 PM. We will be lucky if we make it til New Years. We will probably do something easy for dinner, drink some Veuve Cliquot, kiss and go to bed. I doubt we'll make it until midnight.

Life is so much easier without the pressure. I used to think it was just the pressure of being single, but it also exists when you are married. Price fixed meals at savory restaurants, first night buttons, fireworks, hot musical acts at bars with high cover charges...none of it is worth it. For me, New Years is about new beginnings, but on a smaller more comfortable scale.