NYE

i should really remember to bring headphones to starbucks. i think the music they play here is specifically designed to deter tarrying. that is to say, it's annoying as hell. it's the very worst sort of brassy jazz. add to that annoyance, the annoyance of windows updates and you can picture me: ANNOYED.

when i reset this little computer, i decided to obey the windows update system. previously, i'd chosen the "just tell me when you have something, mr gates, and i'll decide if it's right for me" method. going on the assumption that that method was a contributor in the computer's eventual state of incapacity, i elected this time to go with "update at will, mr gates. i am at your mercy." let me tell you, for a gobzillionaire, that man is one needy sombeech. so far, i've spent more time updating than not.

ANNOYED is not the specific state in which i particularly wish to be, but as my new year's resolution is "not interrupting" and not "not being annoyed" there is really not much i can do about it.

anyhoo.

what i wanted to talk about is NEW YEAR'S EVE. it's said that whatever you're doing on NYE is what you will be doing the remainder of the year. i am not sure if that technically applies to all day on 31 december, or only after dark, but i am going to go with all day. yes, i know... disobeying the rules leads to ANNOYED but in this case, you'll just have to suffer those consequences.

so.

yesterday was 31 december, a.k.a.: NYE.

the day began with a nice breakfast followed by a trip to home depot.

"why home depot?"

well, sometime during 30 december, someone ko'd our mailbox into complete oblivion. the box is painfully bent, the thick wooden post is violently ripped in two, the platform holding the box onto the post is rudely split. besides the debris of a busted headlamp accompanying at the roadside all this debris of the mailbox+post, there was no indication what happened. no skid marks. no torn-up grass. no tire marks in the ditch. certainly no nice note to say, "sorry abt the mailbox mess and that you will spend 8 hours of your life and $100 of your money to replace it." we purchased a new post and box ($100), and i helped the man with the box for 3.5 hours (plus 3.5 of his simultaneous hours plus another of his after i left equals 8 person-hours on the mess).

"why did you leave?"

well, i had to go have my toes done. ("had to" in the briar-patch sense...) if i had time, i'd find you the blog post where i talked about the first visit i made to the toe-folks, and how i used to have a completely different outlook on toes. but i don't have time. suffice it to say, having my toes done has become something i enjoy and an appointment i am not willing to sacrifice to the cause of mailbox repairs. pluswise, i was sharing the appt with mrs junior, so it was like a Thing We Were Doing Together, and who wants to miss a Thing?? certainly not moi. i am not a Thing misser, no sir! so we went and had our toes done and then had starbucks.

"what next?"

well, we got home and started discussing plans for the evening. THAT'S RIGHT - MORE PLANS! because of the mailbox debacle, i had not had a run yet, and i mentioned this to the man, and he was all like - go now! and, i was like, now? and he was like, hurry before it gets dark! so i went, and i made it three before it got dark. (yes, i walked back through all the people's yards instead of on the dark street.) while i was out there, jogging around, at twilight on new year's eve... at that time while folks are Getting Ready before they are Going Someplace, while the streets are mostly quiet... i had a bit of time to myself and it was sweet.

"so, was that it?"

well... no! after THAT we did our own Getting Ready and we Went Someplace! specifically, we went to visit family, so it's not like a fancy party or anything, but it turned out to be just right. we stayed for several hours and ate lots of snacks and watched the strangest stuff on television because for some reason our local affiliates were not showing the national NYE broadcasts. we left just after midnight, got home around 1, fell into bed and slept like stones.

"so, that was it?"

well...

for my NYE, i did something constructive around the house, something to beautify myself, something to grow a budding relationship, something for my health, and something fun with family.

so yeah. that was it.

but "it" was EVERYTHING. every different sort of thing.

and, if what i will be doing the remainder of 2014 is every different sort of thing, well... i believe i am in for an excellent year.