Auld Lang Syne

Attempting another go-round at the blogging concept. I love to write (generally for my own amusement), and blogging should fit that perfectly. Here we go. Auld Lang Syne. A literal translation is old long since. Old Long Since. Sounds beautiful and more meaningful than Auld Lang Syne. Tonight is the night where most of us look at the year gone by, both the happy and painful bits. And (to knock on the proverbial wood) this year has been happier than most. But there have been moments of overwhelming pain. And fear. And doubt. Each year has that, I think. Some more than others. But this year had a balance. A yin for the yang. And I am grateful for it. As I get older I look for the balance. I hope that my resolutions will reflect that. Therefore, this year I am putting it out there: I have to do what is right for me and make my decisions accordingly. I am going to hurt people's feelings. You will feel like I have let you down. But that is part of growing up. And come hell or high water in 2011 I am growing up. Batten down the hatches, kids. It's going to be a doozy.

Tally on a trip to South Side

Had a lovely trip to the South Side today. Ate delightful german food. And as I sat in traffic to leave, I did a nifty little numbers tally in my head:

Number of miles from my house to the South Side: 8.2

Number of times I heard "Empire State of Mind" on the radio: 3.66 (I went through a tunnel)

Number of screaming children I saw (or heard): 3

Number of hooligans on bikes: 11

Number of girls impressed by hooligans: 4

Number of girls not impressed by hooligans: 2

Amount of money I spent in Urban Outfitters: $26.42

Amount that I could have spent given no monetary restrictions: $100.00

Number of times I heard the chicken dance on accordion: 1

Number of people I saw that failed to know how to parallel park: 17 (give or take)

Number of times I thought about how lucky I am to have great friends to drink beer with, shop with, and joke about pop culture with: countless