The Terrible Catsafterme

2010. I just really can’t believe this. Another year has come and gone. Another decade has come and gone. And I am beginning a whole new five-year period on this website. In some bizarre way, I have been dreading the coming of 2010. When I look at the five year periods of my life – all eight of them so far – each one is characterized by one overall ‘theme’ that seems to permeate the entire era.

This doesn’t always mean that on January 1 of any of these years, my life dramatically altered. Perhaps it’s just easiest to give you the examples of what I’m speaking of…Early 1970s = Being a baby and toddler, living on John Glenn Rd.; Late 1970s = Being a little kid living on Echo Hill, Early 1980s= Elementary school, a punk kid living on Winterset Dr.; Late 80s= Being a teenager and rebel high schooler; Early 1990s = Having a baby, going to college, and barhopping; Late 1990s = Being with Lisa and living in our apartments; Early 2000s = Being with Carolyn, Ashleigh’s school years, and getting a house; Late 2000s = Carefree bachelor life, lots of traveling, being on my own.

Of course, the rules aren’t hard and fast. Some of those ‘themes’ spill a little bit into the previous or next five-year period. But as you can see, they are all distinctly different segments in my life. So I was initially a bit nervous about beginning another segment, not knowing what it might hold. Quite honestly, I liked the late 2000s so much that I didn’t want a change.

Then suddenly the prospect existed of entering a very serious relationship that would have changed everything. It turned out to be a false alarm, or perhaps just a false start, but I was actually looking forward to a major change. But as I said, the rules aren’t hard and fast – so maybe a year from now, I could be headed there again. Whatever the case, the past few months have been such a rollercoaster of emotion and grief, I’m ready to just begin this period no matter what it holds.

And just for the record, I already have a new boss at work as soon as the year begins, following the retirement of Sue. See! We’re changing things up already! And with the major restructuring we’ve been going through around the office, a job switch (within the same company of course) could be imminent at some point.

Could I be moving sometime? Sure. Will I be getting a new car? Most definitely. Could a natural disaster befall us and send me rocketing into the sun? Let’s hope not. Could I become a grandfather? Okay now we’re being ridiculous…although Ashleigh will be in her mid-20s by the time we get out of this half-decade.

For right now, I’m just going to maintain an as-you-were approach to my upcoming segment of life and just take it as it comes, fully prepared for the inevitable changes I’m bound to be swept amongst. For better or for worse. I’m not even going to attempt to replicate the amount of activity of 2009. I consider that year my last hurrah as I exited the decade. However, since I’m approaching life on the same terms, it might just happen anyway.

As for the holiday itself, I considered staying in for New Years Eve on Thursday, December 31, despite three invitations to ring in the New Year among friends. The last few months had been so draining, I would have been happy with a night in, watching Season 5 of Lost on DVD after I had gotten off work a little early at 3:00. However, in the end I went over to Kristy and Sly’s for their little get-together. They had another friend named Jennifer and her little boys Destin and Thorn there, as well as Jamie’s girls Reagan and Kat, who greeted me with open arms. They only stayed until a bit after 11:00, when Jamie came and picked them up (and brought me Twizzlers).

I didn’t get there until almost 10:00 and then Sly and I ran to Blockbuster and the drive-thru. I had stolen some of Stephen’s beer which had lingered around in my basement for a week – so I figured it wasn’t going to be used. When we got back to Sly’s house, we played poker and I was the impressive victor. So I figured that might be a good omen in the New Year – to have gambled…and won.

Kristy, me, and Sly and some hot and heavy poker

I only drank a couple of beers and had the obligatory glass of sparkling wine at midnight. Sly did a great job of capturing the below photo taken at exactly midnight in the new decade as the ball dropped in Times Square. I lingered around for a while, getting home about 2am, followed a few minutes later by Ashleigh.

At the exact point of the big switchover

On New Years Day, I was obviously lazy most of the day, continuing on working my way through the Lost DVDs. I headed out not long before 4pm to my Mom’s house where we were gathering for our typical Murphy family New Years shindig. As always, it is not always well-attended by most of my cousins, as they are probably still hungover – but I always make sure I’m there, because I know a secret. Some of our best family food can be found at the New Years celebrations. Those cousins don’t know what they’re missing. Just for the record, the only ones who attended were Nikki and Eric, and Susan & Charles and their boys. Ashleigh and Stephen came as well.

We had ham, pork (with or without sauerkraut), macaroni and cheese, oriental salad, cheeseballs, corn, salami and cheese, arrays of wonderful dips with snacks or veggies, a cookie selection, pineapple upside-down cake, and Bev’s addicting caramel puffs. If I ever plan to develop a weight loss program in the new year, I never even consider starting it on January 1.

Tom, Diana, and Mom – hidden among the New Year delights

Jim and Jan ate it all up real nice

Charles, Charley, Sam, Bev, and Susan eat whilst watching the game

Mom was very pleased with the way her pineapple upside-down cake turned out. With all the hubbub, I never even had a piece

Back for the second or third helping

Ed and Bob…or The American Gothic Revisited

Darlene and the incorrect Bob

Ashleigh and Stephen (now coming to you without a gall bladder) snuck in and went downstairs. When I acted surprised to see Ash, she said “I said hi when you came in, but you didn’t answer so I thought you were ignoring me.”

Nikki and Eric aka The Murphy sibs

I watched the first half of the Ohio State and Oregon Ducks Rose Bowl game while we ate. During halftime, I gathered all of the Murphy siblings into the parlor for the traditional (four years now) photo. This time they said they felt like celebrities as the cameras snapped the photo I arranged. We also added Grandpa Murphy into the mix – and then the sibilings’ spouses.

The now annual Murphy siblings pic: Jim, Diana, Mom, Darlene, and Bev

With Grandpa Murphy

With the spouses Jan, Tom, Bob, Bob, and Ed

Then before the game resumed, I was lured into the kitchen during half time to play some dice games. Bev was the victor in both Farkle and Triple Yahtzee. Ohio State won the game. It was a fun evening and nice way to begin the new year. I didn’t leave until after 9:30pm.

Starting off the year with another losing Farkle roll

The dice gods were with Bev on this day- with her decisive victories in both Farkle and Triple Yahtzee

2010 will continue…

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 6:07 am and is filed under 2010's - Early, Family Life, Me Myself and I. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.