Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy New Year To ME!

Three things happened this weekend to make it a good Shiny New Year Transition:

1) I listened to This American Life's Christmas Spectacular episode (finally, considering it first aired a year ago, and it's already a week after Christmas this year), and heard David Rakoff's transformative "Twas The Morning After", the most beautiful and realistic ode to going it alone during the holidays that I've heard in a very long time, if ever. You can hear it here. (It's the first "Act" of the show. Hang in with it -- it sounds at first like it's going to be sad & pathetic, but I promise, it's totally worth it.)

2) Thus inspired, I decided that I wasn't in the mood to go to the party I'd been invited to, since I'd likely know no one there but the host, and I just wasn't in the mood for a bunch of strangers. Instead, I realized I'd much prefer to rent a movie and stay home with my knitting and my self. (Dear Host Of That Party: um, sorry, I should've called. Hope it was fun!)

3) En route to the video store, I received a text from The Charmer, which I'll quote in its entirety: "Hi [LadyRed], just back from a trip out west, on my way from airport. Got your msg, will call soon to meet sometime this week. Have a great new year's eve! [The Charmer]" My friend (and legendary wingwoman) H. and I agree that either he is wonderfully unafraid of letting me know he's into me (texting en route from the airport?) or the biggest playa evah. It should be fun to find out which (remind me I said that, 'kay?).

As for the moment itself, I'll admit that while I had a lovely evening avec moi seulment, I was a little sad as the clock approached midnight. I decided to meditate through it, which proved a good thing to do, but didn't keep me from wanting to call my ex as my first act of 2007. I can at least report that I successfully resisted.

How were your festivities?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

good decision! new year's alone is a beautiful thing. (i have a ritual where i ponder the past year and what i want from the year ahead, write some things down, look at what i wrote last year--and then stay up all night watching crap tv and eating good food that i cooked for myself. it's lovely.) new year's parties are just often so forced. too much pressure. the last time i had fun at a new year's party was in 1988.

i vote for option 1 when it comes to the charmer. i think contacting you as soon as he is back in town trumps any playerness of texting while on the way from the airport. am i naive?

Anonymous said...

mmmmmmm. love your new years ritual. that's what i did today. painted kitchen. listened to soul-wrenching music. contemplated 2007. dinnertime with a brand new friend. mmmmm. let us know what next with the Charmer! i vote for him so far...but totally advocate increasing the pool. 2 is tricky with a lot of direct comparisons. 3 is lovely, 4 divine. xoxo.

Anonymous said...

sexydancing with a girl on new years, she tried to kiss me on the dance floor. "i'm just here to dance" i said after which she rapidly departed. bizzare? must sexydancing imply impending sex? in the world of dating and dancing, why must one sexy interaction indicate that more are to follow? arrrgh.

ladyred said...

Y'know, I'd enjoy sexydancing a LOT more if I knew it wasn't being taken as a promise or invitation to sex. Can't it be a thing unto itself?

As for greenyq, I'd love to increase the pool but considering how long it's taken for me to get the pool to a hypothetical 1.5 (I can't even give The Puppy a whole spot since I have no idea if he even remembers I exist), I'm not really sure how to do that. Ideas?

Anonymous said...

I have contemplated commenting to other posts of yours, but felt that anything I would say would sound trite or vague.... but I have to say "YAY for knitting!" I knew there was a reason I liked you ;) From a fellow knitter, happy new year and I hope this year proves enlightening and productive for you.

Anonymous said...

From said hostess of the new years party that you had previously thought you might attend, I think it's absolutely fabulous that you stayed in and did your own thing to ring in the new year. I am all for the alone/movie/craft type of night and I just want to say that despite missing your presence at my party, being alone can be incredibly healing and amazing. Perhaps we should plan a low key night, knitting in front of a fire with tea/hot cocoa to welcome in whatever comes our way for 2007- our own post-new year January ritual. I think you are going to have an AMAZING year, ladyred, and I only hope I can celebrate with you through it in whatever form that takes.

Alysia said...

This is going to be a bit of a random comment, as I've never commented before, and I'm a little late doing so, but I got some of the best advice of my life recently that I think applies here. I've just recently started speaking to this guy who shared with me some advice his father gave him:

Don't think about anything at night.

So simple, but it's literally the best advice I've gotten. Anytime I'm alone at night and starting to think about what got me there, I just find a way to stop or find something else to do, and then I think about it in the morning if need be.