THE LAST FIVE ...

Closing up shop
- Wednesday, Aug. 02, 2006

It may be time for a change
- Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Entry in the air
- Friday, April 21, 2006

Still here
- Thursday, April 20, 2006

Music of the moment
- Wednesday, March 1, 2006

Or ... BE RANDOM!


GOOD READS

101 in 1001
American Road Trip, 1998


OTHER PEOPLE

Chupatintas
Dancing Brave
Fugging It Up
Kitty Sandwich
Mister Zero
Sideways Rain
Ultratart
Velcrometer


THE BASICS

My crew
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Notes
Our host
Profile

Wednesday, Jan. 02, 2002 - 6:58 p.m.

If you drop a white die into ranch dressing, it's hard to find

Casey and I drove down to Bryn Mawr to spend New Year's with Jaime and Dave and, by default, their roommates, Jen and Joel. (Technically, living in a three-floor duplex, they're housemates, but roommates is just simpler and easier, I think.) Casey and I entered the kitchen from the driveway, and after putting our bags upstairs and setting a few things in the dining room, we pretty much stayed there for the next few hours. We helped Dave make the chicken fingers and french fries (both fried in their deep frier) and I grated cheese for the nachos. And the six of us spent a few hours doing the Dinner Waltz - shuffling out of someone's way when he, she or we tried to get at either the chicken, the fries, or the alcohol.

Yes, the alcohol. We drank. A lot. Of it. Many vodka tonics. Many glasses of wine. Even a beer each for Casey and me. And then the full glasses of champagne at midnight. And, true to tradition of the past three years, not only did the night seem to carry on at a fun, comfortable pace until - WHAM! - it's 11:45 and we'd better turn on Dick Clark. (Incidentally, I think that's how he works - someone comes in every morning and flips a switch and turns him on. Then he goes and tapes "The Other Half" and they shut him off again. He'll be doing this for another 50 years, since he only truly lives for about 4 hours a day.) So we settled into the couches until 11:59:45 and then we stood and counted down the last 10 seconds and cheered and clinked glasses and kissed our significant others and then, less passionately, kissed the others' significant others, and downed the champagne. Jaime called her mom, and we shouted "Happy New Year!" and her mom asked if there were a dozen people there, but no, it was just six. And Casey called her mom, but got Tessa, who asked if I was drunk because I shouted "I AM LOUIS PASTEUR!" into the phone. Of course I was drunk. If I wasn't, I would've calmly said "I am Louis Pasteur." And I called my mom and that was that.

And somehow, we started watching Beetlegeuse and when Bryan called me at 1:30 as he was leaving the part he was at, Casey and I went off to bed. And passed out.

We awoke at 10 a.m. the first morning of 2002 and, after breakfast, even snuck in one more game of "The Game of Chronology, A Game For All Time," which we'd played several times the night before but I didn't mention and I don't want to go back now. It's a game where you put events in order based on the events you've already correctly placed before you. Get 10, you win, but you have to know what events come between 1129 and 1740 and then between 1823 and 1833 and also 1975 and 1997. But it varies for everyone depending on how the game goes and I really shouldn't try explaining it.

Casey and I left PA at noon and, upon reaching my parents' house, she got in her car and returned to Jersey City while I packed up my Christmas treasures, had some lunch, watched a little football, and then returned to Edgewater. After several trips, I unloaded the car, made my bed, put away some food and things, then packed a bag and went to Casey's for dinner and the night and a warm, comfy welcome to the New Year.

Today was just cold, really, and now they're saying snow on Sunday into Monday, so we'll see how that develops.

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