BLOGG # 40 "AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR"

It is a well known fact that -another of my "questionable well known facts" dear readers-believe it if you wish- the way your new year unfolds depends on how well you have celebrated the New-Year Eve. If that would be the case, my life the past seventy odd years should have been passed in Hell. I don't know about you, but I have never been successful with my New Year Eve's choices. My childhood and early teens were spent-having no choice - with my religious family in the only proper way- on my knees in church listening to the twelve strokes of midnight and then listening to the minister praying to absolve us of our sins-in German.- not much fun and looking back on those years, especially my teen years, the fact is indeed proven. In my student years I fared not much better. With my usual luck I was often assigned to work the New Year Eve. In fact that is how I lost my then boyfriend, for what boy would tempt fate by not having a date on that most important night thus insuring a sexless year! My early twenties are not remarkable for outstanding New Year Eve bashes. I was married in Greece and every one knows the Greeks start a card playing frenzy the beginning of December which ends in the biggest longest card playing night on New Year's Eve. And you better believe the Greeks definitely hold with the well known fact as the financial success for the whole year depends on the success of that night. Once the children arrived, New Year's Eve became a blur of playing monopoly or something in a desperate attempt to help the kids stay awake until about 10.15 on their hopeful quest to see the New Year in. It was in the heyday of my Divorce Years that I thought my luck would change. Believe me -NOT- my wisest choice then was to elect to work the Eve thus, at double time and a half, I could at least insure an easier financial year. When I did choose to test the New Year Eve waters they were disasters. One was while in Toronto, when five of us decided to go to the trendy opening of a "Harbour Front Bash." By a quarter to midnight we had managed to get through the crush and get three glasses of warm champagne served in plastic glasses. We all left before midnight and spent the crucial midnight hour in a Tram. The worst one was in Vancouver when three of us were invited to a house party in trendy Kitsilano. We arrived at eleven pm-the earliest time possible fashionably. The house was suitably dark with subdued music and packed with aging forty-something people trying to look cool. By 11.30 someone came around with a handful of pills. I recognized the powerful sodium amytal sleeping pill and my friend the pharmacist recognized them all except one which he took home to analyze. At ten minutes to twelve the whole house was quiet with somnolent half heartedly amorous pairs coupled- not a pretty sight. We left before midnight- again! The next morning my friend called me at an early hour and said "get up! I refuse to have my Year destroyed because of that lousy New Year’s Eve. We are going out to celebrate with brunch to change the luck." So we did and drank much Champagne and orange juice. Did it make the new year better? I don't remember. So take my advice and choose wisely this New Year's Eve—and a HAPPY NEW YEAR -your faithful blogger