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1 Jan 2009 - Happy New Year... or so they say. It's official. I'm old. Last night was the first New Year's Eve in my lifetime that I didn't stay awake in anticipation of the stroke of midnight. I fell asleep sometime around 11:45 pm, watching a "Frasier" rerun. I did wake up just as the theme song to "Golden Girls" was coming on, so I knew it was midnight, and now 2009, but my waking up just then was purely by chance. Then I tried mightily to stay awake and watch the show, but I zonked out again. I guess two glasses of E&J Cask & Cream, followed by two slices of cold stuffed pizza, will do that to a person. I guess staying home for New Year's Eve is the "in" thing nowadays, or so it seems from reading other people's diaries. I did my fourth annual Giordano's stuffed cheese-and-sausage pizza feast, with Truffle Mousse Torte Cake from Jewel's in-store bakery for dessert (which I never touched all evening) and the Cask & Cream liqueur (which is brandy with Dutch cream... Mmmm, delectable!), but other than that I purposely decided not to make too big a deal out of New Year's, which is a rather emotionally dangerous holiday for me for various reasons. (After all, it's just an arbitrary dividing line on the calendar. I suppose we humans have to mark time somehow; that's how we function.) I looked for something on TV to watch. I couldn't find any movies that interested me, but then I remembered that the SciFi channel always runs a 24-hour Twilight Zone marathon every year at this time. I checked the TV Guide on my cable service to see what episodes they were running. And I found my all-time favorite: "The Midnight Sun". Due to start at precisely 10:57 p.m. Yeah! Which meant I would have to miss the ball dropping in Times Square at 11:00 p.m. (here in the Central Time Zone). Oh, well. Let's do something different this year and watch "The Midnight Sun" instead. I made sure I was a little buzzed by the time it came on. Everyone should watch their favorite Twilight Zone episode(s) a little buzzed... it really brings out the Bizarro aspect, I think. Having missed the New York festivities, I thought about watching Chicago's version from Navy Pier, televised locally, but decided to watch old "Frasier" and "Golden Girls" reruns instead. So tonight wouldn't be unlike any other weeknight. But then I fell asleep. And woke up, purely by chance, at the stroke of midnight. Heck, that's not bad, I guess. I know people who go to bed at 9:00 p.m. every New Year's Eve. My one big regret about 2008: I didn't get laid all year. Not once. (The only other year -- in my adult life -- that ever happened was 2003, and I had the excuse that year that I had health problems.) Well, that's going to change. Just wait and see. 1 Jan 2009 - "Don't grab my ass!" "Hey Dude... Don't grab my ass!" I heard that one this afternoon, right across the street from Wrigley Field. And yes, it was directed at me. There was a big hockey game at the ballpark this afternoon, and judging from the crowd, it seemed like all of Chicago was there. Is this going to be a one-shot deal, or will it become a regular thing? Sheesh! Am I going to have to put up with unbearable crowding in my part of town both summer and winter now? I was only trying to make my way to McDonald's. I wanted a couple double cheeseburgers. But the crowds on the street were unbelievable. And in many cases blocking the sidewalk. No, I didn't grab the guy's ass. But I did shove him a little bit. He and his crew were blocking the sidewalk, except for a very narrow portion on which I tried to squeeze through, but just as I was passing him from behind, he backed up (without looking, of course), and a little shove was the only way I could get by. I was very irritated. (Not that I advocate shoving strangers on the street. I most certainly do not. I have never condoned shoving in my Administration!) "Hey dude! Don't grab my ass!" he yelled out after me. I was annoyed and rather miffed at hearing this accusation. But after a few minutes, it dawned on me... "Don't grab my ass!" The last time I heard that one was over 30 years ago. And it was Jim B. who said it to me. Was this another sign from the Universe? The holidays are now officially over. I said I was going to phone him after the holidays if I hadn't heard from him first. I resolve to do so within the coming week. I'll let you know how it goes. I wonder if a trip to Colorado might not be in my not-so-distant future? You can email the author at andrew61@netzero.net Add Comment Previous Index Next Show Comments (3)

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