Another One Bites the Dust

It is Friday night. Once again we find ourselves with nowhere in particular to go. After our little version of Cheers closed in 2008, it took a while, but we finally settled in to another Friday night haunt. Quite a few of the regulars from the old pub started showing up there, and one of the bartenders as well. The old familiar pattern was back.

It didn't last long.

The new place changed ownership a few months ago and by late fall the handwriting was on the wall. The last few Friday nights we were there, the place was nearly empty and they had nothing but Bud on tap. Our bartender friend showed up for her shift last week and found the doors locked.

Not really sure what we'll do in 2010. Some friends opened a pub recently, but it is not the easy drive we prefer and it's a smoking bar. Plus, we'd hate for our bad mojo to kill their pub and ruin their investment. The New Year is the traditional time for making resolutions and changes. Looks like we'll be making at least one change, ready or not.

Always Look at the Bright Side of Life

It's not just a Monty Python song, it is a great way to look at things.

If I was going to have a New Year's resolution, that would be it. It's easy to play. You can almost always find something positive about a situation if you think about it for a second or two. For example, on Wednesday night before my team got humiliated on national TV, I took this really cool photo of the atrium at the team hotel. And I had a great time before the opening kickoff. Which we kicked out of bounds, giving the ball to LSU on the 40. And then the second quarter happened and things got totally out of hand. But hey -- it's a really cool photo. And I drank enough that the actual details of the game are pretty fuzzy (also a positive under the circumstances, although I do remember LSU throwing long and trying a fake punt when they were up by 35 in the 4th quarter -- not too classy). But I'm over it now. Tech had a great 9-win season (including breaking the drought against Georgia) and I'm looking forward to next fall already.

Stuck in traffic? I'll be glad I'm not the one that had the wreck. Pulled every which way at work? Job security! Hate studying? At least this is the last test, and it will be all over by summer time. Tech basketball sucks? That's the only reason you were able to buy all those tickets. Cat kept experiencing a life threatening urinary blockage? Good thing he was adopted by those crazy cat people who knew what to do for him and could afford to get him the surgery to fix it!

So that's it! I'm not going to start working out or try to lose weight. I don't smoke, so I don't need to quit. I got out of debt years ago so that's off the list. I couldn't have a better job than the one I have now. No, this year I'm going to try not to be such a crabby assed bitch. Be more positive. Yeah.

One Week

Not too long ago, I had to give up alcohol for a week. It was a bummer because I enjoy drinking wine, but I was taking a prescription medication that didn't interact well with booze, and wished to avoid the scary interaction side effects. Yep. Like headaches, nausea, and "psychotic episodes". The hell? The first two didn't seem *that* bad, but I'm positive I don't need any psychotic episodes. So I sucked it up, and spent a week settling for alternatives. I didn't like it, but I did it.

This experience made me think. One week isn't such a long time. Maybe one week is the perfect trial run for making some changes in your life. Permanent changes are difficult to stick with, but you can grit your teeth and do just about anything for a week. I can think of a lot of small "one week challenges" that I could try on for size. Maybe some of the things will turn out to be not so bad. And some might seem intolerable. But I think maybe I will try one new thing per week and see how it sits with me. I might even stick with a few of them... but teetotaling will not be among them!

The 'challenge' could be to do something new, or to stop a bad habit. This week, I've been trying to go for a walk for about half an hour every day. So far I'm three for three. Anyone have any bright ideas for what to try? Leave 'em in the comments! Be kind...