The Promise of a New Year

 2023 is all but behind us.  In a few short hours we will be ringing in the new year.  As I type this I'm waiting for my curling iron to heat up so I can do my hair, put on my dancing shoes, and head over to M's house.  

Earlier in the day my daughter and I drove past M's on our way to get pedicures.  I could see she had people setting up a tent outside for tonight's party.  They were also stringing up lights and setting up a performance stage. Music and dancing start at 9:00 PM tonight.  M's boyfriend has worked fervently setting up the yard like it's Napa Valley's BottleRock.  I know that you know that I know that the party will be crazy.

Yup.  That's M.  Music and parties are her life.  She will go out every night of the week for live music and dancing around Sonoma and Marin Counties and stay out until the wee hours of the morning.  I can't keep up with her.  I'm jealous.  There.  I said it.  

M and I have a history.  I've been part of her decade milestone birthdays for 30 years.  Tonight is no different.  I love having a friend like her.  M is a wonderful soul full of love and life.  The last milestone birthday party at her house was absolutely wild and nuts.  Her living room furniture ended up outside (don't ask) and I danced for hours on end with some guy from west Africa (totally innocent and harmless) who said, "You move pretty good.......for a white girl."

M has a lot of musician friends.  There is always a random set of instruments:  drums, guitars, horns, etc.  at her parties.  People just pick up and play.  People like me just dance -- however badly that might be.  The point is that people are having FUN. 

Jewish Gopher Flipping Me Off

 I could not believe my eyes and could not stop laughing.  There it was as big and tall as a blow-up lawn ornament could be - a Jewish gopher donning a blue hat with the Star of David on it flipping me off with a dreidel.  I had to take a picture of it.  

New Year's Eve Eve

 I suppose I had better put on my party clothes, make up, and do my hair.  We are going out to a party.  From the sounds of it we will be imbibing as a driver has been hired to cart our bottoms to and fro.  

Tomorrow we will go to another party at M's house.  It's a milestone birthday for her and she's combining it with her New Year's Eve party.  

We had to say 'no' to other invitations as we already made plans.

I'm shocked that we get so many social invitations for as bitchy as I am.  In reality, I'm not all that mean.  This is my anger dumping ground where I process, release, heal, and go back out into the world.  

Now it's the age old question:  What should I wear??????

Christmas Songs: Best and Worst

 My favorite Christmas songs are O, Holy Night and Carol of the Bells.  My least favorite songs are I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas and It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.  

I won't even bother to link the YouTube videos.  The hippopotamus song makes me want to reach  through the speaker and strangle the annoying kid who is singing. 

If you want to reach me ....leave me alone

 I think my son said it best the other day when he was up here visiting from San Jose.  We were outside in the backyard basking in the sounds, sights and smells of a Sonoma County December afternoon.  The hummingbird feeders were abuzzzzzz with humming birds dive bombing each other, chirping, and getting their fill.  The hummingbirds are almost tame around my son and I. 

My son and I were talking about life and society.   We both did not have our cell phones anywhere near us.  It was so peaceful.  We had a long conversation.  Nothing was beeping nor pinging demanding we stop what we were doing to pay attention to what others want from us.  

That's when my son said it.  He said, "I'm so over everything jumping up and down flashing, waving and demanding my attention." 

Wow.  Anti-technology attitudes coming from from a millennial.  A millennial who lives in in the technology mecca of Silicon Valley at that.  

Even they have had enough.  

Misinformation

 Don't you love the buzzword 'misinformation' that is floating around these days?  Here's the truth:  nobody knows what the truth is.  Our truth is defined by what our own biased narrative is. 

Here's my humble observation.  I notice that people throw out the word 'misinformation' when it's something they disagree with.  I have yet to see anybody scrutinize their own beliefs. 

Weekend Update: Adam Sandler on Hanukkah - SNL

For my Jewish friends, tonight is the first night of Hanukkah.  However, I'm confused if being Jewish is a considered a race or religion.  Whatever.  The below skit still makes me giggle decades later.  It's true, there are not many songs about Hanukkah.  Instead of sulking about it and playing the victim card, Adam Sandler used humor as his approach to address the disparity.  It was an instant classic.  Well done, Adam Sandler.  You may have recruited some converts from your Hanukkah song.