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.