Happy 2009!
Out with the old, in with the new. And not a moment too soon!
To say that 2008 was a challenging year is an understatement, but at least I'm in good company. This time I can look back and say "it wasn't the best of times that's for sure", and plenty of people can agree with me.
The Man decided this New Year's Eve we would ring in the new year with a bit of bubbly. We just so happened to have a bottle of something called Raspberry Sparkletini on hand. I don't know where we got it from but it was surprisingly good. I'm not a big fan of sparkling wines and even less a fan of fruit-flavor-added wines but this was quite well done in my opinion.
A few minutes before midnight The Man and I poured the bubbly and took our seats out front to listen to the neighborhood celebrations. I don't remember ever hearing so much ruckus! There were fireworks going off in all directions, those little party favor horns tooting and children hollering. I have to admit it put a smile on my face, as our neighborhood has been quiet for so long that this demonstration of excitement for the new year seems like a breath of life in the ol' place.
Of course I pondered the obligatory New Year's resolutions that I'm sure look like everyone else's; lose weight, save more money, get organized, etc. etc. etc. Although I refuse to set myself up for failure by actually pledging to accomplish the goals, I have to admit that the current economic climate almost demands that SOME action be taken. And so The Man and I talked about some of the changes we would be willing to make in the new year (rather than call them "resolutions", we're calling them "changes we're willing to make.") Quite frankly we already started making changes several months ago when things started looking scary. We cut back on eating out; nowadays it's maybe a couple times a month rather than several times a week. I'm cooking more "from scratch" dishes (I can cook a pretty mean meal if I put my mind to it.) We got rid of the cable TV almost three months ago and since we have no antenna, basically have no TV. This last one is only a positive on paper though; we spend an awful lot of time online, so we've simply switched one "boob tube" for another. Since I need a high speed Internet connection for work, this works out well from a financial standpoint but I've learned it's incredibly easy to find even more mindless entertainment on the 'Web than we ever had with cable TV!
But I digress. We've already made some positive changes and have decided to continue making such changes. We haven't decided yet what those will be, but we've got a whole year to decide.
Although my pessimistic little heart wants me to bite my tongue when these words threaten to utter from my lips, I'm going on the line and saying them any way; may this new year be a happy and prosperous one!
To say that 2008 was a challenging year is an understatement, but at least I'm in good company. This time I can look back and say "it wasn't the best of times that's for sure", and plenty of people can agree with me.
The Man decided this New Year's Eve we would ring in the new year with a bit of bubbly. We just so happened to have a bottle of something called Raspberry Sparkletini on hand. I don't know where we got it from but it was surprisingly good. I'm not a big fan of sparkling wines and even less a fan of fruit-flavor-added wines but this was quite well done in my opinion.
A few minutes before midnight The Man and I poured the bubbly and took our seats out front to listen to the neighborhood celebrations. I don't remember ever hearing so much ruckus! There were fireworks going off in all directions, those little party favor horns tooting and children hollering. I have to admit it put a smile on my face, as our neighborhood has been quiet for so long that this demonstration of excitement for the new year seems like a breath of life in the ol' place.
Of course I pondered the obligatory New Year's resolutions that I'm sure look like everyone else's; lose weight, save more money, get organized, etc. etc. etc. Although I refuse to set myself up for failure by actually pledging to accomplish the goals, I have to admit that the current economic climate almost demands that SOME action be taken. And so The Man and I talked about some of the changes we would be willing to make in the new year (rather than call them "resolutions", we're calling them "changes we're willing to make.") Quite frankly we already started making changes several months ago when things started looking scary. We cut back on eating out; nowadays it's maybe a couple times a month rather than several times a week. I'm cooking more "from scratch" dishes (I can cook a pretty mean meal if I put my mind to it.) We got rid of the cable TV almost three months ago and since we have no antenna, basically have no TV. This last one is only a positive on paper though; we spend an awful lot of time online, so we've simply switched one "boob tube" for another. Since I need a high speed Internet connection for work, this works out well from a financial standpoint but I've learned it's incredibly easy to find even more mindless entertainment on the 'Web than we ever had with cable TV!
But I digress. We've already made some positive changes and have decided to continue making such changes. We haven't decided yet what those will be, but we've got a whole year to decide.
Although my pessimistic little heart wants me to bite my tongue when these words threaten to utter from my lips, I'm going on the line and saying them any way; may this new year be a happy and prosperous one!
Comments