First post of 2015 and some New Year's stuff

I'd like to start off by offering my condolences to you and yours if you lost someone in 2014.  My family here was hit with the devastating loss of two beautiful people that we will never forget.  I can only hope that the memories of those lost can live on in your heart and mind forever.

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It's 2015.  I know.  New Year's Day was on a Thursday and I was supposed to release a blog entry that day.  Well I didn't.  So technically the first thing I did in 2015 to my readers is lie to them.  I would say disappoint, but I don't think it was that disappointing.  Bright side: at least the standard for me is low for the rest of the year!

I would love to say that I didn't write because I was too hungover.  Because I partied so hard.  Or that I had to work all day and it was too hectic.  But truth is, I was home before 2:30am (early for me on New Year's) and I was off both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.  So it boils down to me being lazy.  I was lazy on the 1st.  I could have written something, but it would have been uninspired.  I don't want to write just for the sake of writing.  This isn't a mixtape!  I'm dropping album quality material here!

I can say that I do feel appropriately apologetic about missing last Thursday (especially with no good excuse).  So I plan to drop this one today AND one on this Thursday (already inspired).  Boom!  I apologize sincerely for going against my word and not sticking to my every Thursday (at least once each week, dammit) promise to you, my reader.  I won't let it happen again.  Shame on me.

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New Year's Day is my favorite holiday.  Well, New Year's Eve.  I know it makes me sound like a raging alcoholic to say that, but it's true and I'm not.  I am obsessed with happiness and socializing, so it makes perfect sense that I love this holiday.  Think about it.  When do you look around and see sad faces on New Year's Eve?  Most times people are dressed up, they are around people they love, they have had good food which helps them absorb good alcohol and they are listening to good music.

Alcohol being the social lubricant that it is, has people talking and in good spirits.  If you're in a relationship, you're probably with your significant other and you KNOW that at 12am you are going to kiss that person.  If you're single and at a party, you've probably already found someone that you're going to kiss at 12am.  If not, you've probably come to terms with that fact at about 11:50pm and you have found friends to tell that you love them.

It's just great.  Oddly enough, I don't put pressure on myself about NYE.  Swedie put it perfectly:

       All you need is good music, good friends and alcohol to have a good time.

Check, check and check!  I have a quiet confidence about it.  I know it will be a blast.  Every NYE has been awesome except for that first year when we moved to New Jersey from Sweden.  That year we didn't have good friends or music.  But for some reason we decided to host a New Year's party at our place in South Jersey.  In hindsight, I wonder why I thought this was a good idea when I drove 40 minutes to work every day and most of the "friends" I invited (work colleagues) drove in 20-40 minutes from the opposite direction.  I was basically saying:

       Hey people I barely know, come join me and my wife for a party on a holiday that you typically spend with close friends and family!  Drive an hour to this party and drink with us until you get past the guaranteed awkwardness of being in my house with striped paint in the living room (there was striped paint in the living room).  Then drive (drunk) an hour back home, or stay the night on the couch in the striped-painted kid's bedroom (there was striped paint in the bedrooms).

Now I realize that it was a bad idea.  Then, I thought that people would actually come.  Do you know what people do that are not your real friends in New Jersey?  They say yes to your party invite despite knowing damn well  that they have no plans on going.  I learned that over the five years I lived there. I didn't know it when I was planning this party.  We went and bought alcohol and food.  I was making hors d'oeuvres.  I had bought a new blazer to look fly as hell.  This party was going to blow my guests away!  They wouldn't care about the random stripes in this place.

My boss (now friend) had the decency to call and say he wouldn't make it.  He was the only one!  The other people did not call to say they wouldn't make it.  Nor did they accept my MULTIPLE calls to them to see if they would make it.  Southern gentleman me was appalled.  How could people be so rude?  Well, it's a Jersey thing.  They're all like that.  I hope I am offending readers in New Jersey.  Stop doing it!  Tell your friends and family that people not from Jersey know that people from Jersey do this rude thing.

Even worse, back at work they would ask me how my party went!  Are you kidding me?

       Sorry I didn't make it.  I went to my muvah-in-law's party.
       Oh, we had a good time.

Now I had to lie so THEY don't feel bad!  I digress.  As I came to the realization that every single person in New Jersey was a jerk, I decided that I couldn't bring in 2008 like this.  I refused.  I called around to some friends I had in South Jersey from when I worked on that side of town.  One of them told us to come on over.  We said we'd bring snacks and alcohol (we had enough for a party) and we'd be over before 2008.  Good.  A last minute party would work.  It wasn't going to be a big deal, but this guy and his wife liked to party.  It would be fun.  They were around our age and probably knew what it was to bring in the new year in style.

I walked in with my suit and Swedie with her dress ready to bring in 2008 like rock stars.  My friend had on some shorts and a t-shirt.  His son running around in pajamas, and his wife an extra long shirt and pajama bottoms.  He was playing video games and there was no music on at all.  Party over here!

       Wow, you guys are dressed up!

I explained that this is my favorite holiday and I always try to bring it in with style.  He handed me an X-Box controller.  We ended up having a decent time.  We played some Garage Band and I kissed Swedie at midnight.  I guess we salvaged the night as best we could.

Besides that hiccup, it's been smooth sailing each NYE.  I've had the opportunity to be around good music, friends and alcohol and it's been great.  This year was no exception.  Actually, my friends are so boss that they threw a party and let the ultimate crew baby party with us!  That's right.  We brought in 2015 with friends AND the best thing that happened in 2014 for me.  Bash partied as hard as he could.  He gets it.  He had music, friends and formula which might sound boring if you know about alcohol, but he doesn't yet so he was content.

We left as a group and walked up to a place called Mosebacke to check out the New Year's fireworks display.  It was fun.  I didn't care about the fireworks that much.  I was with people that I love.  I looked to my left and see my Swedeheart with my next generation.  To my right are my two best friends and their lovely ladies and this badass chick I know and love (Hi Cassandra!).  It doesn't get any better than this.  It doesn't get any better than New Year's Eve.

I hope 2015 is as good to you as it will be for me.  Until next time...

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