HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We had a quiet evening at home. Marty tested a recipe for the Test Kitchen. We were invited to a party. I ached, my bones and joints hurt like hell. So we stayed home. We watched a movie ON DEMAND and then the Ball Drop from Time Square. We drank Prosecco, which I love, as we watched the New Year in.

I may have to write ABC and tell them Dick Clark is now officially scary. I am sorry he had a stroke. I am glad he is better. But he can not be understood when he speaks. He can't seem to control his hands and it is just all very uncomfortable to watch. I kept waiting for something awful to happen. Marty and I think he owns the show, so he keeps performing. It is just really uncomfortable when he is on.

To all of you, a very Happy New Year. It has to be better than 2009.

LIVING THE NEW YEAR

The holidays are over. And for me lots of stuff has to be done to make them over. We have thank you notes to write. Decorations need to be taken down and put in storage. The house needs to be really cleaned and so does the guest house. The refrigerator needs to be cleaned out. Laundry and ironing need to be done. And then the regular pace of life must move on.

The decorations are down and stored. Laundry is done and most of the ironing is done. Most of the leftovers are out of the frig and in the garbage. I have a one week rule. We don't eat it in a week, it gets tossed. The guest house has clean sheets and towels. The bathrooms sparkle and the kitchen is neat and clean. I spent hours there today washing and cleaning. My house got a lick and and a promise. That promise won't happen until about Friday. Thank you notes maybe tomorrow after we get clean sheets on the guest house beds.

Tomorrow church. A normal thing. Monday my volunteer job at school and then to the county building to marry. Book group begins again on Tuesday. Life goes to normal, whatever that is.

We are beginning a new year. A new slate, a new chance to do things right. Every year people make promises: We will go on that diet. Exercise will become a regular thing. We won't drink so much. We will save money. We will volunteer more. We will vote this election. We will keep in touch with friends and family. We won't nag our wife/husband. We will make time just for our spouse. We will read a book. We will save the world.

All that is well and good. Don't worry about all the above. Just try to live each day a little better than yesterday. Make each day a little bit more fun. Laugh, enjoy. You only get one chance at life, give it your best shot.

2008 Highlights

This week the papers were full of lists. What is in, what is out; the good things of the year and the bad; and there were even lists of things they hope will go away in 2009.

My list is simple. It is the highlights of the year for me. Some are good, some are bad. The list doesn't amount to much in the scheme of life, but it is important to me.

In no particular order:

• Regular dinners and plays with Erik and Jennifer
• A cancer scare that wasn't
• The support of friends during the scare
• A new friend, Kirsten
• Developing a deeper friendship with Janet R
• Turning 65 with good friends and "little brother" Henry and his wife Ann
• Performing the first same sex marriage in Alameda County
• The election that took the right of marriage away from same sex couples
• Marrying Hank and Thom
• Marrying Sean and Rojan
• Richard's and Luis' wonderful friendship and gift of the "guest house"
• Seeing Karl and Debby after 2 1/2 years
• Family(Lee and Phil, Karen, Keith and Kaus) coming for Christmas
• The economy destroying our retirement funds
• Friends
• My wonderful husband, Marty

Happy New Year.