worth my salt in '05

So, here we all are. As Rabi says, 'a whole nother year'. (That links to a nice little questionnaire where she summarizes the past year; I did it and attempted to send it to everyone but my Hotmail is just killing me with how it refuses to load or do anything other than produce a white screen. I do apologize; I want to email all of you who sent me Christmas wishes and looove.) S'anyway, my responses are coming as soon as my email gets its kinks sorted.

New Years Eve was rather quiet. The stomach bug isn't reigning terror on me like it was before but it makes itself known, and as I have a family reunion next weekend in Ohio (for which I truly want to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed) I decided to lay low this whole weekend. So, I watched Wonder Boys and sat snug as a bug on my couch. Then, the lovely Janice called, and we spent 3 hours yabbing on about things as diverse as sex, sociology, diseases, and the economic pecking order. No doubt chocolate was mentioned in there somewhere. Thus was the New Year rung in, while I heard the tip-tap of freezing rain on the window and was not sore, nor drunk, nor spilled upon by anyone. *

*Disclaimer: I do enjoy parties, very much, and I do enjoy celebrating the New Year. But this was a really lovely way to do it, a sort of anti-celebration, and was much needed.

The holy daze went well, and contained the following events:

St John, NB: Gill McInnes had her birthday festivities at the Buccaneer's Pub, and Janice and I went. (We made a weekend stop here as we drove home with her mother.) Draught beer was one dollar until 11 pm, and we even had the DJ play Gill a special birthday song. Gill's birthday present from all of us girls was the new Britney perfume "Curious", which came with a great tee shirt with Britney's tagline 'do you dare?' printed across the front. A delightful night out, and I hear Gill left some broken hearts behind...

Cape Breton, NS: During the four days I was here I managed to throw an awesome party (though my part was mostly cooking, cleaning and inviting: the rest is all thanks to those who came), hang out with "me da", see Jacky Mills for the first time since we got back from Australia, and actually relax a little! It was great to be home, and I realized the importance to me of everyone there. One resolution, not necessarily New Years-related: keep in better touch with everyone, by telephone if possible.

Québec City, PQ: Here I stayed with my grandparents on my mother's side, and basically lounged around for a good long while. Christmas dinner was delightful, with my aunt and uncle Michel and Nathalie hosting, and the courses delectable and divine. There were little cousins I hadn't seen in ages, shopping on boxing day in Place Laurier (crazed! but I got a sweet black bikini), and wandering around la vieux ville, filled with lights and tourists and the semi-foriegn language. A beautiful time, excepting the sickness at the end. But really--it's over now, so no worries. It was great to get to spend time with relatives, reading, and enjoying Grandmaman's cooking--especially my favorite lunch of soup and sandwiches!!

Now it's off to more sickness remedies (mint tea, a blanket) and watching When Harry Met Sally, one of those sappy sweet Meg Ryan movies, which any girl worth her salt pretends to disdain but secretly indulges in, every now and again.