Welcome To The New Year

As I sat at my house on New Year's Eve watching hours and hours of House on USA, I came to a few realizations.

1) I still don't like NYE. I've tried over the last few years to get into the celebrations, but it never works out the way I expect it to. Admittedly, I didn't have much planned for this year. That didn't stop my simple plans from being canceled and/or ruined. I don't need a big extravagant party to celebrate the new year. I'm perfectly happy with spending the night with a few friends. I just don't like spending it alone. The last time I actually enjoyed my NYE was on 12/31/05. That year I had some friends and co-workers over my place. There was a keg, music, jello shots and an open door policy. Otherwise known as all of the necessary ingredients for a successful party. Everyone had a good time and they all asked that I do it again the following year. Unfortunately, the few stains that were left on the carpet from the jello shots were enough for my roommate/landlord to tell me I wasn't allowed to throw parties anymore.

2) If all of your friends are in committed relationships, you have no friends. I'm almost 30 years old. That means that all of my peers are looking to get married no matter what the cost. In fact, the vast majority of my friends are in serious relationships, engaged or married. Once that relationship becomes the most important thing in their lives, they stop living life as an "I" and it becomes a "We." That's all fine and good for them but it leaves the single folk out in the cold. When I was trying to set up plans for NYE I heard a lot of, "We're going to her parent's house," or, "We're visiting with his friends." Things like that. No one ever seemed very excited about the plans but they had to suck it up for their partner. This paragraph sounds a little catty. I understand that. I'm very happy for my friends who have appeared to find significant others. I just think it sucks that people like me get left in the dust.

3) It's hard to make friends after college. I've been living in Baltimore for about 2 1/2 years now and sometimes I feel just as lonely as I did on the first day I moved here. A lot of that could be in relation to theory #2. I've made some good acquaintances but they never seem to be around when I really need them. Now, I'm not talking about "needing them" to post bail for me or "needing them" to donate a kidney for me. I'm just talking about "needing them" to have a beer and watch a football game with me. New Year's Day is one of the busiest days of college football with some big bowl games. I called or texted just about every guy I knew was potentially available and every single one of them said no. Maybe they had more important things to do, or maybe I just don't have as good of friends as I thought. They're all good people and I'm positive they weren't declining my invitation because they didn't want to hang with me. That doesn't change the fact that it was a lousy situation.

(side note: My dad ran into a similar problem recently. He won 4 tickets, tailgate passes and food vouchers for the final Patriots game of the season. Every "friend" of his he asked declined with most of them saying it would be too cold for them. Free tickets to an NFL game valued at nearly $1,000 and it was too cold? I wish I could have been there for my dad to go to that game. Unfortunately that's the negative part of living a few hundred miles away from my family.)

4) House is a great show. I've never watched the show from the beginning of a season to the end before. I always just catch episodes here and there. I enjoy them but there's generally a little back story involved with each one that I can't exactly follow along with. The marathon on NYE was a season in order. At least I think it was. I was pretty pleased with my experience.

Had I stayed up to watch the ball drop I would probably have a few more observations for you. I passed out around 10:15. I think the last time I was awake at midnight on NYE was that wonderful party in 2005. Maybe next year.