Happy 2009!

I’m hoping I started a new tradition last night. I hate New Year’s Eve–in the last ten years, I’ve had two truly enjoyable NYEs: one at the millennium, and one at Annie’s a few years later. The rest ranged from merely annoying to so obnoxious that I left the party at 11:45 to get home before the ball dropped. (Not just last year, either–I did it in New York a few years back, too.) My favorite NYE in the last few years had David at work and me playing Zelda 3 on a refurbished SNES system. I realized it was midnight when the fireworks started.

There’s always so much pressure to have fun, to drink, to WOO!, to party your ass off and wow, isn’t this great, except oops, midnight just passed and now what do we do? Oh, we try to fight our way through the crowd of drunkards and catch a cab, a feat no less chancey than betting it all on 00. After last year’s debacle (I left a house party at 11:40, realized I’d forgotten my keys halfway home, had to call David, and ended up sitting at a bar  talking to an old dude to wait–which, actually, was pretty nice, now that I think of it), I decided this year, I’m spending NYE in a place where, at will, I can leave the party and go to bed. That left my house, Dave’s house, and Dave’s Tahoe house. Dave didn’t have a party, Tahoe was out, so that leaves my place.

Here was my plan: invite friends over for pre-party dinner (something easy–ended up being minestrone and antipasto). At 10 or 10:30, they all scatter, leaving me alone to enjoy the quiet. I was figuring on maybe one or two people coming by, but to my surprise and pleasure, we had eight people stop by. The minestrone went over well (although I think it needed more salt; I offered it, and everyone said know, which either means they were being polite or I was wrong), the salame selection’s almost depleted, and Melinda brought a lovely blueberry ricotta tart thingie for dessert. Randi and Tony brought some Gloria Ferrer champagne, which was just perfect–if you’re drinking only one glass, might as well make it good! Heather and friends even stopped by for a quick New Year’s huggie.

By 10, I was failing fast, and by 10:30, they collected their coats and headed for a party, David included. By 11:30 I fell asleep. Some miracle of an internal clock had me up at 11:58–I watched Dick Clark count down the ball dropping (which was nothng short of painful; I think he must have had a stroke, because he’s slurring his words a bit), watched Times Square light up retroactively, listened to the city wake up with fireworks and shouting, passed out again, and by 1, I’d dragged myself into bed.

A simply perfect New Year’s Eve! Today, I’m going to make some kind of noodle soup, for luck. And probably play Twilight Princess. 2009 is going to be a crazy year for me, so I think starting it off with noodles, Zelda and an early bedtime is the right way to go.

Many changes ahead in 2009, folks, make no bones about that.