HAPPY NEW YEAR! Is it just me or does New Years Eve become less and less eventful year after year? I remember when New Years Eve used to mean an unbridled drunken melee. Not to start off the year on a downer, but I didn’t do anything to celebrate this year. Despite a couple of invitations, I just sat at home and watched TV and engorged myself on crackers, canned cheese, Jose Ole Mexi-Minis (which, by the way, were very disappointing), and ginger ale. Last year Carolyn and I did the same thing, but with different junk food. The only thing that was better this year was that I could watch whatever I wanted. I chose to watch the Chicago Bears get annihilated by the Green Bay Packers and then the film Miller’s Crossing. However when the New Years ball fell, the only one around to kiss was Baby the cat.
Ashleigh and some of her friends hung out at home until about quarter of eleven, but I wasn’t included in their festivities – believe it or not. Earlier in the day, I had a nice visit with Dad and Vicki watching the Bengals blow their only chance to get into the playoffs, when they missed a 39-yard field goal that would have handed them the victory. Instead it put them into overtime and they lost to the Steelers after about three plays. Pathetic. I think I have now wiped my Dad clean of photos, taking the last of his slides from the late 80’s and early 90’s – as well as all of the vintage pictures from his childhood family. I also got an additional Christmas present that had arrived late – a double Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons anthology CD. Good stuff.
It’s now after 6:00 pm on New Years Day and Ashleigh just called a half-hour ago, having just woke up at her Mom’s. I’m not too happy about that, especially since she missed the annual family gathering at Jim’s house and some more good food: pork, mashed potatoes, my Mom’s great Oriental salad, cheese and crackers, and just enough saurkraut to say that I had some (about a teaspoon full) – and a mouth-watering array of desserts from Bev.
While others played cards and games, and still others curled up in front of the football game and fell asleep,
I had a great time with Jim, exploring and borrowing his collection of old family photos to include in future postings. Eric had made a great family tree of which I snapped a photo for future use. It simply amazes me how much great stuff turns up when you assemble everyone’s respective collections of photos. He also let me raid his CD collection and made me an additional CD of MP3’s housed on his PC.
Everyone is fairly lethargic on New Years Day usually after a wild night of partying. I wasn’t too bad…I just had a ‘junk food hangover.’ There is seldom anything close to perfect attendance on New Years Day; many of the younger crowd are too hungover or don’t travel in for this minor holiday, but since all five of the Murphy siblings were there, I insisted that they gather for a photo.
I don’t make New Years resolutions, but rather challenges for myself. Most of mine are pretty basic, the obvious one to resume my health regimen since falling off the wagon during the holdays and gaining five or six pounds. That’s okay, though – it was planned. I also vow to get contacs this year, take the cats to the vet, disassemble the Christmas tree at some point, update the 
Spyware on my computer, complete my Billboard collection, post something to my website daily, get our first issue of The Wax Apple published, etc. etc. Here’s one interesting idea I had: I’d like to reunite and get a photo with 12 people that I have lost contact with over the years. I was going to make hard-and-fast rules for what qualifies as ‘losing contact’, but that’s silly. I know who I’ve been out of touch with…
Here’s hoping 2007 brings health, happiness, and prosperity for you and me both.
I join Brad in wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! Even though I was one of the lethargic ones (having not gotten into bed until after 2:30 a.m), it’s always nice to get together with my family.
Mom
January 2nd, 2007
Wishing you a Healthy Happy Productive Prosperous 2007!
Bill
January 2nd, 2007