New Year's Eve 2005

Tonight I will see in the New Year up the street at my cousin's house with some friends, doing an Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVD marathon. I've already had the traditional lobster tail dinner with my family - which consisted of me and my mom, with my recently widowed aunt joining in this year. My friend whose father died on December 26th was up with her husband, and I finally gave her about three years' worth of stored-up Christmas presents.

My friend's father's funeral was this morning - an unusually long delay, it seems, but understandable under the circumstances. The wake last night was a mini class reunion of sorts. I should feel old, I suppose: my one friend from college's daughter is 17 years old (17 years and two months today, to be exact; she pointed out to all of us last night, she will be eighteen in ten months and one day, as of yesterday.) Of course, she was born while we were still in college. I've only been out for sixteen years...and seven months...

The weather briefly went completely to hell today. Leaving the after-funeral brunch I was pelted with little ice pellets falling from the sky. On the way down the mountain from Hazleton into Wilkes-Barre by way of Route 309 the ice was joined by big, goose-feather snowflakes. I made it to Barnes & Noble OK to pick up a few last-minute gifts, but by the time I made it out of the store my car was coated with heavy, wet snow.

Getting out of the parking lot was a challenge, but making it down the hill to Jiffy Lube to get a year-end oil change (I was in the neighborhood, I was due, and I had time) was almost impossible. I nearly slid off the road into a ditch at least twice in stop-and-go-traffic - the go part wasn't bad, it was the stopping that made me skid.

But I made it. I survived, and now I just have to walk a block to my cousin's house with a bag containing four seasons of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and one disc of Death Race 2000. Better remember to set the VCR for the South Park marathon, too...

Hope everybody has a safe and fun New Year's Eve. See you next year!