2011—My First Outing

So the year is pretty new, and I had my first official outing of 2011 this afternoon.  I suppose it was a bit of a mixed bag of an experience, but that’s cool.  I can’t help but feel pretty hopeful looking at the stretch of the coming year, so I’m simply deciding to respond positively.

Besides, I enjoyed New Year’s Eve and Day.  Once upon a time I loved doing First Night in Boston, but the cold (though this year was unseasonably warm) and wet aren’t good for me, and frankly… I’m getting too old for it.  Ahmed took me to Milton to visit our besties and their brand new baby, Tanner Michael Flannagan.  With a name like that he’ll either be mayor of Boston or Quarterback for BC… it’s more of less inevitable.  He’s adorable.  We scooted over to Newton and spent the rest of the night with the Delstrego family, also besties, and much-beloved.  An evening of lively conversation, great food and wine, and laughter was just the ticket.  New Year’s Day was quiet, with the Rose Bowl parade on tv, great new  novels on the Kindle and Nook, and warm blankets tucked around us and the dogs.  Heavenly!

What better way to kick off a new 365.  I was very sick at the end of last year… and took advantage of the past week, during which I was off all my medical treatments and feeling unusually well.  We squeaked in as much US-time as we could while it lasted, and it rebooted me.

This morning I woke up determined to tackle 2011 with a positive spirit, renewed energy, and hope in my heart.  I rambled off to Target, having found on the web that the Kingston branch had Season 3 of Bones in store for 10 bucks.  Ok, I prefer the Hanover store, but what the heck.  Only when I got there none of the three promised copies could be found and customer service had no ideas.  In 2010 this might have brought on a spate of sarcasm.  But no!  Not in my shiny, new, hopeful 2011.  I smiled, didn’t yell, and bought Seasons 1 & 2 of Angel for the bargain price of 20 bucks… settling for a younger David Boreanaz with occasional vampage.  Why not?  I can always get the Bones DVD later. 

Still cheerful, I trotted off to the Help Desk to pick up a rain-check on my DVD.  A mother and young daughter were near me in line, loaded down with bridal magazines and ready to register.  The bride-to-be was no more than 25 and mom was railroading her a bit.  When mommy-dearest spotted my ring she gushed, but unfortunately used the opportunity to criticize her daughter’s simple, elegant solitaire.  While mommy was yelling at other people and getting a carriage I told the bride her ring was lovely, that she had a lifetime to add fancier rings to flank it if she wanted, and she should stand her ground in the coming year.  Then I wished her well, and was encouraged by her smile.  It seemed genuine and, perhaps, somewhat more determined.

We also decided, yesterday, to expand the family.  I will have photos eventually, but the new baby boy is 2100 pounds, 17 hands.  He’s a Suffolk Punch stallion who was too expensive to feed.  The breed is struggling to survive as numbers fade, so… well… yeah I’m a suffolk-sucker. 

I came home to pour myself a glass of Pinot Noir.  My doctors have been telling me forever to drink red wine.  I like red wine, but always felt it was wasteful to pop a cork and only drink one glass.  We got one of those awesome wine-saving-cappers that re-corks the wine and keeps it fresh for a few days as a gift last month, so I’m shooting the moon and becoming a wino… or a semi-wino… a winette.  Happier, at any rate.  With a piquant top-note and a robust finish.

Here’s hoping 2011 is the same!