illusionofjoy | Stating the obvious (Reply)

Being that the time is a little after 5:00PM and it is dark outside, I can safely say that this qualifies as New Year's eve. Of course, to say, "the eve before the new year" would be more accurate, as the phrase New Year's eve technically points to the period of time from 5:00-10:00PM on January 1^st. If anything, the period of time I find currently transpiring is old year's eve. We humans are so bad with the nuances of language. This is probably why there aren't more poets and truly engaging novelists around.

I foresee a quiet transition into 2003 for myself. I won't be going out tonight, nor will I drinking myself piss-blind. If anything, I'll probably turn on ABC for ten minutes to take in Dick Clark's timeless banter while the ball drops over Times Square, my life the antithesis of the cacophony in that section of Manhattan. Perhaps after the crystal sphere has met up with the rooftop of the structure holding its pole, I'll raid my younger brother's DVD collection so that I can watch Minority Report again. Then again, I could raid my mother's DVD collection and watch The Fellowship of the Ring along with all that juicy bonus material that came packaged with it. I think the time is coming when I shall have to purchase my own DVD player. That way, all of my audio and video media can be on shiny five-inch discs (except for my vinyl, which I shall never part with - especially not those Sisters of Mercy 12-inches).

I kind of like the thought of a quiet New Year's this time around. Last year I was at a party, which was nice but I was too drunk to really remember anything. For me, 2002 came in with a blackout. The ball in Times Square dropped, some random girl kissed me (only to have me tell her to try again, and to do it right that time - oops), and then I meandered to the nearest computer in the house where I wrote a sentimental email to someone who didn't deserve one. The next thing I remember was waking up on the floor of the computer room and resuming what I had been doing on the ordinateur before I had started my floor-slumber.

It's not that I don't think a wild entry into the next spin around the sun isn't a good time - not at all. It's that a quiet transition into the next 365 days tends to create better memories. Ideally, I'd have a significant other to spend this time with, for a bit of romance before the night gave out, sentimental sap that I am. While I got the new year's kiss last year (twice, actually), it would be nice to have it mean something more than, "it's the new year and neither one of us has been left out of the kissing tradition - whew!"

Tonight will be more quiet than previous years spent with the family. My youngest brother, in a sure sign that he is growing up, will be spending the night at a friend's house. I have no idea what plans my younger brother has, but I do know that he is not in the house at the moment. My mother is definitely home. So, it'll be at least myself, my mother and a friend whom I am picking up after 9:00. The ball will drop and it'll be 2003.

Happy New Year, everyone. Let's hope it's a good one (without any fear).