2009

Happy New Year!

I was planning on writing some kind of update about my plans for volunteering this year, but other than writing "Pet Therapy" on four months of my new calendar, I haven't made any clear decisions.

I'm not usually very excited about New Year's Eve; I always think about how arbitrary it is that we've decided to divide up time and assign it numbers, and then get all excited when one of the numbers advances. Like, we weren't expecting that? You can see that such existential pondering does not lend itself to festiveness.

However, on a cold winter's night, it's always nice to gather with a festive group in a warm and festive place, with festive food and drink. I have been lucky, this year and last, to be invited to share in the party at Miss Chef's restaurant. The chef/owner has been very welcoming to me, as has the rest of the staff, and it is truly a little family. So I was happy to go hang out with the crowd at the restaurant during the last hour of service running up to midnight.

I can't help but think about what a special place that restaurant is, and wish more people knew about it. How many restaurants do you know of where the chef comes out at midnight to hand out silly hats and noisemakers, then lead a conga line around the tiny dining room, before dancing with his wife? I had to lure Miss Chef out from the kitchen with a glass of champagne, interrupting her cleaning routine. I was just happy to have her next to me at midnight, even if she was tired and sweaty, and had to head back in the kitchen 5 minutes later. We didn't get to bed until 2:30; I was surprised I was able to stay awake that long!

So today is going to be a quiet, read-on-the-couch day. Just being home, and warm and well-fed, sharing a blanket with my sweetie, seems like a fine way to begin a new year. Regardless of what we've labeled it.