I started looking back on this year (partly due to my cousin’s mention of the mayfly project) and man, what a year it was.
Roommate Sil, Twin Girl, storytelling, el, graduation, summer camp, new apartment, unemployed, love, teaching, novel, real job, new baby, love.
2003 is almost here and for once I really don’t care what I do on New Year’s Eve.
The old tradition was some sort of swank dinner homecooked. It started in 1999. Rick came up with the idea of staying in and cooking that night. He and I prepared a lavish dinner for Calista and Melinda. He cooked Chilean sea bass and I grilled steaks. We had baby spinach salad to begin and chocolate dipped fruit for the end. Afterwards, we sat around drinking wine and watching the ball drop. Kuwie came over and we all played hearts.
Tradition was born.
The next year, Calista and Melinda invited another girl from NU, Shuman and those three made food for Rick, Kuwie, and me at Calista’s house. We didn’t drink as much that year, and I think the heart’s game was a little subdued.
Last year was the last one of those dinners and it was the male turn to cook again. We had tenderloin, bleu cheese topped portabellos, and controversy! See, we wanted to invite Sheila and Jenny along with Melinda and Calista (Shuman had significant other obligations) but Melinda had invited a friend of hers already. And so we were stuck. In the end we just had everyone over and it was OK, although there was a rather joyless hearts game. We almost missed watching the ball drop because of it and then by the end, no one wanted to play but no one wanted to be the one to quit it.
We also played Cranium, the highlight of which was Kuwie and Jenny having to act out “reproduction” in tandem.
This year, Melinda’s in the peace corps, Calista is living with her boyfriend, and Jenny’s away. We haven’t planned anything firm yet. We haven’t even hashed out where we’ll celebrate, Milwaukee of Evanston. And then Tuesday is going to come and we’ll have an OK time but it’s not going to be memorable or anything. 2003, what sort of year is that? Not a millenial, fake or otherwise. Not even a palindrome.
Traditions. Does three years count as one?
Then I look back at those twenty words. I had a good year. Some downs at the beginning, plenty of ups at the end. And it’s trite to say, “You have to have bads to appreciate the goods.” Trite, true, whatever.
I miss having four panels to sum stuff up. This ever growing white box of input text just isn’t the same. I guess my New Year’s resolution is to get writing comics again, even if they’re just for me.
Heh. I know me. Anything I create will be for you, too.