Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Entering 2014



The fact is that I did wake up with a bit of a hangover. But it had nothing – in all probability – to do with the one Guinness beer that I drank on New Year’s Eve and everything to do with the ice cream that I ate earlier in the evening. I don’t know if the slight headache and general cerebral lethargy is caused by something specifically in Tullamook Mudslide or if other ice creams will now bring on the same condition. I don’t know this because I tend to stick with that one brand and flavor. A little bit is fine, but if I exceed a certain amount it lets me know in the morning. Perhaps topping off the ice cream with a Guinness before bed didn’t help – it doesn’t sound like the best combination – but certainly the beer is innocent on its own merits. That said, I otherwise started 2014 on the right foot (well aided by the left foot).


Since becoming an adult I have not understood why grown-ups would want to start a brand spankin’ new year drunk and hung over. A new year represents a new beginning, or at least an invitation to reflect on priorities and better oneself. Why else do people make New Year’s resolutions? But the resolutions only start after many ‘a dolts’ and young people have entered January by making complete asses of themselves at parties when opining their uninhibited feelings, waking up in a bad humor until they pee out their toxins, or perhaps going into a near shock when they open their eyes and peer at the dreadful-looking person in their bed…a babe who looked hot the night before (or at least passable) but lost the charm with the dawn of daylight and the onset of sobriety.

Spending time with family and friends is certainly a fine way to usher in a new year, but since I don’t have family up here and the friends that occupy most of my time have long noses, long teeth, and a lot of hair, I’d rather confidently stride into a new year doing something positive to set a good precedent rather than awkwardly stumbling into January 1st in a mind-numbing stupor. I have passed the midnight hour mushing the dogs, doing push ups, reading, and writing (among other things). Mushing provides me with adventure and joy in working with my canine crew; push ups and other exercises helps keep my physical health and well-being front and center; reading presents me with intellectual food in my continuing education; and writing unites my education and imagination. It is through writing that some of my disparate thoughts begin to gel and a deeper understanding can better embed itself into my psyche.

So which of those did I do on New Year’s Eve 2014: mush, exercise, read, or write? The advanced hour and the Guinness sent me to bed about 11 pm. Since I get up at 5 am on work days I start turning into a pumpkin about 10:30 pm, at which time I was writing (via pen and paper) some of the contents of this entry. I had today - New Year’s Day – off, but the effects of 5 am mornings takes its toll.


Yeah, pretty boring entrance into the year Twenty Fourteen: and in spite of not having the gratification of significant drink had a (kind of) hangover anyway. But at least I wasn’t horrified by a ‘babe’ next to me in bed.