I was rather glum on New Year's Eve Day. A month prior, I'd been stoked to secure that day off (this was when I had fabulous tenative plans...a group of people doing an overnight @ Mohegan Suns. But y'know, even if someone had had the initiative to transform these plans from the tenative to the actual , I woulda had to have backed out for financial reasons)
But when the day rolled around, I found I couldn't stop thinking "Son of a bitch, if I'd worked today I woulda got paid time & a half. Daaaaamn" To be historically accurate, I am not 100% certain that S.O.B. was my opening expletive of choice. It was most definitely some form of cuss. Though I am positive that I concluded the sentiment with "Daaaamn".
Granted, I don't know how functional I would have been Monday if I'd had to wake up at 7am for work. I didn't go to bed until 5:30am. Nothing salacious/exciting/ eventful to report there... I was just reading a terrif book and couldn't let myself sleep until the very end of it.
So as it was, I slept in until noon. I am a big fan of sleeping in..to some extent. I enjoy waking up around 10 am (10 am is nice) , am fine with waking at 11am, even...but waking up at any hour past noon can kinda put a damper on your day. Which is not to say I never do it. I can and I do. I have those Saturdays where, the night before, I rejoice in the fact that I get to shut off my alarm clock and wake up whenever the spirit rouses me. Problem being, my internal alarm clock is...well, I was going to say broken, but honestly I'm just not sure that I possess such a thing.
I woke up at exactly noon on Dec 31 and I think that predisposed me to be in a glum mood. But then also I felt that perennial existential despair that New Year's can bring.. aka: "it's the end of of another year and is THIS where I wanna be in life?" Also I was grappling with 4 possible itineraries and none of them especially promising...
New Year's Eve Option A: A party that I had already passed on. I had already decided not to go on account of my only knowing the hostess. Despite the fact that I'd already opted out of this bash, it was inexplicably hovering around in my consciousness as an option (still). I had neglected to RSVP either way, and that made me even more resolved to not attend. I know that sounds illogical, but putting myself in a hostesses' shoes (I'm thinking...some cutesy round toed pumps..maybe with a Tstrap) a guest who RSVPs promptly in the negative, who then finds their circumstances changed and then miraculously they CAN attend is far less of a nuissance than someone who never bothered to RSVP who just shows up at the fete-- in defiance of all that RSVPs stand for. You see what I mean? Of course the former type partygoer is not the ideal ..but they still get partial credit for their prompt attention to the RSVP entreaty. Still, my primary reason for not going is that my gut said that going to a party (especially on New Years') where I only know 1person would kinda suck. I mighta been wrong. It's not like I was determined to skip from the outset...I kinda oscillated over the issue for a while before settling on "No". I have these indecisive tendencies so when I (at-long-last) arrive at an answer on something I deliberately put a vice grip on that suckah. I guess that's really not indecisive, it's rather a slowness in deciding that I am prone to....on account of my oscillating tendencies. Yes, that it's it exactly. I oscillate A LOT. To the point of mental exhaustion. And then when I gives ya a "Yes" or a "No" on something (I rarely say "maybe". "Maybe" irks me) it's a FIRM one ...'cause I'm fucking tired of making up my mind!!
That's more than I meant to type under Option A (recent existential oscillations have really worsened my tangent affliction ) I will try to be more succint for B,C, &D....
New Year's Eve Option B: Go out to Salt Hill with my sister, bro-in-law, Greg's sis & her hubby. This option depressed me on account of the dreaded "5th wheel sensation" that was sure to ensue for yours truly. That whole 5th Wheel Funk is entirely in MY head. I should, in my comrades' defense, point out that nobody in that group does anything that actually incites that feeling...it's all me. And I know that sounds totally sad, and maybe a bit emotionally maladjusted (or psychologically maladjusted perhaps??) but I think it's total fucking par for the course for a singleton whose single status was an all-caps, bold fonted, bulletpoint in her year-end life synopsis/existential pity party. Moving right along..
New Year's Eve Option C: Help my parent's out with babysitting . They had all the grandkids for New Year's Eve, so that Laura could have a nice night-on-the-town. They're a bit old, methinks, for handling ALL the kids. Especially with Seth's insaaaane energy surplus thrown into the mix. They manage, all right. But I think it sure wears 'em down!
I was feeling that this was the "good daughter" thing to do. Also I knew there was sparkling grape juice to be had in this scenario. Ehh, well really, that's such an inferior substitute for real bubbly that that fact was no inducement for me.
New Year's Eve Option D: Fly solo for New Year's. This idea truly seemed the most appealing to me. I was not imagining staying home and watching TV for New Year's and DEFINITELY not staying home, going to bed early on New Year's Eve (I strongly feel that if one does the absolute bare minimum for New Year's, that oughtta entail watching the ol' ball fall..at the very least). What I was actually thinking ...was that I'd just drive aimlessly around and kinda make it a night of introspection. Listen to music. Drive. Meditate. Y'know--cruise.
Seriously, at one point in my deliberations, that is what I wanted to do more than anything.
Ultimately, I could not accept Option D -on account of how terminally LAME it sounded. And I knew all along how lame and exasperating Option C would be...so even though that's what I'd told myself all day that I was going to do...I couldn't go through with it. And Option A was a no-go for reasons previously outlined.
So I went to Salt Hill with the gang. I advised me to pull myself up by my proverbial bootstraps and just GO despite my reluctance/ trepidation/ partypooperism. Slap on some war paint (aka make up) and cowboy the f*ck up, y'know?? And the war paint application came out nicely, and my hair (I made it all ringletty) was maaaarvelous. Good hair, particularly, can do wonders for one's disposition.
It was a fine night. Not exceptionally great, but I'd not judge it "bad". My hair was delightful and I accompanied my beers with Salt Hill's stellar hot wings.
I probably was fine to drive myself home. I'm certainly no lightweight & I'd only had 3..but of course I like to err on the side of caution in such matters. So at quarter of 12, I tagged along when everyone piled into the truck (teetotaller Greg behind the wheel-- thusly landing me "on the side of caution" in this matter...like I said) to go to a party at one o' my sister's friends' casas.
We got there just before midnight and stayed for all of a half an hour. It was not a total waste, as I did score a glass of champagne. And New Years' without champagne is like Columbus Day without hot, whiskey-spiked Ovaltine or Flag Day without Capri Suns y'know?? Well I am game for champagne 365 days o' the year, but 'tis especially suited to New Year's Eve.
So I'd left my car @ the bar, and that wound up being an extreme lack of foresight on my part, meteorologically speaking. I slept on my sister's couch (which I have no problem with...I have no issue with sleeping on couches and it's a comfy couch besides. However I DO have a bit of a problem with transitioning from one day to the next without a fresh undergarments at my disposal) and then had to prevail upon Laura to schlep my arse back to Lebanon to get my car. That was around 1 ish we trekked back to Leb and there was a bugger of a blizzard goin' on at the time. Well it wasn't quite "the STORM OF THE CENTURY" but driving conditions were right icky, just the same. So I was extra beholden to her for the ride.
I didn't have any misadventures on my drive back to my abode, but it was a nerve wracking trip. I crrrrrept along at 25 or so. But when I got home, I knew it was a stay-put, snow day type of New Year's Day. You know-- movie marathons, quasi-hibernation. It was nice. Oh--except for my busting my Jane Eyre DVD. I was in a mood for romancy period drama (as I often am) and I grabbed a Jane Eyre (yes I have multiple versions... I'm a bit of a fanatic about that one) to pop in and --MUY STUPIDO-- I wrenched the disc up without pressing down on that center plastic hub thingie... DON'T DO THAT. It's bad news. The *(&^$%ing disc cracked all the way across diagonally. (That last word was for your sake, dear reader, that you might conjur a more vivid mental image. The direction of the foul, disc-obliterating crack matters little to me. I'd be equally miffed if said crack was a perfect, horizontally straight radius. ) So I popped on to Amazon today to add this version of JE (that I'd busted)to my wish list (it's SO frustrating --adding something to your Amazon wish list that you've already bought off Amazon. Grr!) and I figured, while I was there, I should also add on this more recent Masterpiece Theater version that I've yet to acquire.
Well in case you were wondering if I managed to get my fix on Tues, do not fret my pets. I sho' nuff did. I opted instead for Pride & Prejudice which is always wonderful albeit a tad lengthier. Of course,the version I refer to is the sublime 1995 miniseries with Jennifer Ehle & Colin Firth. OK, this was meant to be a New Year's Eve/ Day recap, but I must interject here a quick Colin Firth tangent..I cannot help it...I wandered onto his IMDB filmography and that lead to me pondering this flick The Last Legion which, it appears, had one of those shameful direct-to-DVD releases. I've not seen the film, but judging from the stills, his role seems like one that harkens back to hot-cinematic-warriors-of-yore, à la Clive Owen in King Arthur or Ger. Butler in 300 ( and to thems I say "Yes please!" and "OMG YYYYyyes pretty please homina homina homina"...and I'm not sure of in which order) and I don't know if that is quite becoming for our Colin, really. Don't get me wrong...I still think him most alluring. But seems he oughtta stick to roles -- contemporary or historical-- where he gets to wear some sort of suit. Sure, he wasn't quite formally suited up in his most glorious Darcy-emerging-from-the-Pemberly-pond moment. But that was a disshevelled suit look... which is a foxy variation of the formally suited-up look. In fact, disshevelled suit look is at its best when used as a counterpoint to formally suited-up brand hotness, don't you agree? Well, anyways, his soggy pond look from P&P was undeniably nice...but..I hate to be harsh but...that was over 10 years ago, hon.
I had this odd dream once about Colin Firth. I was dreaming that one of my parents was very sick and I was bawling my eyes out. And I was miserable and alone and I remember sort of watching the dream while dreaming it (as I do sometimes) and thinking "How sad that is. So terribly sad and I'm all alone and miserable" Well, I must have been pretty zeroed in on the "all alone " part of this and the Dream Casting Agent(s) in my head went right into action rectifying the situation. So I'm weeping and looking out a window, and in walks Colin Firth in full on attentive, consoling boyfriend mode. And in Dream-Sandra there was a little bit of conscious Sandra, because initially I think "What the hell's going on here? How do I know Colin Firth? " but then I'm like "Oh yeah of course" as if I'd somehow forgotten and also it becomes clear that this is not quite Colin Firth but sort of a Colin Firth of another dimension (some non-actor, but still doing quite well for himself version of Colin Firth...that is also a perfect boyfriend)
So that is my bizarro Colin Firth dream. Shit..I now kinda regret sharing it, but I'm not about to delete it after I spent 10minutes typing it out. I'm not sure I can find my way back on track from that tangent either...but it's just as well because there was very little recapping left to do anyhow. After I got back around 1;15pm it was basically movies, yummy turkey sammie & liter of Diet Coke and then beddy-bye. Not an excessively eventful New Year's Day but thoroughly satisfying. Ohh yeah, the other movie I watched was The Fountain. Hooo, doggy--don't even get me started on THAT one!! That's for sure another post for anotha day kids...)
No comments:
Post a Comment