One year ago this time I was in New Orleans ringing in the New Years in Jackson Square, with what seemed to be millions of fellow party-goers and Mayor Ray Nagin. To the young, partying traveler, NOLA is one of few places in America where one can booze it up in public, so there was plenty of champagne popping and corks flying on the momentous occasion. It was turning 2009, Barack would be our president, he was going to fix the economy, we were going to find jobs, finish school, people were excited.
As midnight approached and that
fleur-de-lis began to drop, exaltation was brimming and the heights of spirits were plateauing and the actual countdown came to a hurdling stop, the DJ at the public forum began blasting what seemed to be the anthem of the south: T.I.'s "Whatever You Like."
French Quarter, New Year's Eve 2009A year later, no matter who you are or where you're from, it's clear 2009 went nowhere near the direction we all hoped for in 2008. But as the snow melted away to reveal the fresh green terrain of the Eastern Seaboard, it's becoming clear to me that this New Year's Eve will embody a completely different brand of hope: a more grown-up hope.
Grown-up in the sense that we can finally see what we're capable of, and understand what we've done and what's become of us. We learned our lessons and witnessed our own sound and fury die out and only to born anew, this time with actual significance.
We'll actually get that job this year, we'll actually do well in school, because we know it's up to
us. We're not just hoping, we're
knowing this coming year. We're not mourning Heath Ledger and admiring the Joker, we're making our own luck like Harvey Dent. Taking responsibility and shedding our layers of carelessness and laziness to reveal our luscious, potent ability like green grass emerging from underneath whole feet of snow, virile and ready.
At least I am.
HomeSweetHome
And this year I'm not flying eons away from home to experience something different in the vain attempt to have my life changed, I'll be spending it in NYC (Can you believe I've never done the NYC New Year's thing despite decades of residing in NYC's fringes?!), with my own friends, indoor booze, and no politicians in sight.
The celebration will be for real this time around, so instead of 2009's hottest music (or this decades
bumpinest' party tracks), I hope to ring in twenty-ten with the theme song of pure, relieving, work-hard-play-harder partying on the Thursday night-which counts as the freaking weekend where I'm from (but the ring-in song will probably just be the
anthem of the North[east]):
This coming year, rather than making decisions revolving around the idea that external forces such as a change of scenery (or Barack Obama) will change
me, I plan to change the world, whatever world that winds up being, that's around me.
How are you spending your New Year's Eve? What are your New Year's Resolutions?
HomeSweetHomeAnd this year I'm not flying eons away from home to experience something different in the vain attempt to have my life changed, I'll be spending it in NYC (Can you believe I've never done the NYC New Year's thing despite decades of residing in NYC's fringes?!), with my own friends, indoor booze, and no politicians in sight.
Comments (5)
I'm spending New Year's with family and friends, just hanging out and having a good time since I'm preggers and can't drink.
My New Year's resolution is to get the corrupt fools from both parties out of Congress.
Very excellent.
"At least i am." It may just be you, but i hope not. I think some of us have definitely relied to much on a system of eternal failure for salvation. Others have just been stomped on by it. Either way, i hope more and more of us can come together and bring back the dead..that which can be risen.
I'm not much one for new years, or resolutions there of cause they quickly fade but: Kudos : )
Just at home with parents and little sister. Have our best quality time together. and pray together for better lives in 2010
I'll be working as front desk at the hotel I'm employed at for our family new years eve package. Then hopefully getting back to a party that's at my own house before the ball drops haha
zcy WASHINGTON — In the view of American spy agencies, Osama bin Laden and a dwindling cadre of Al Qaeda operatives hiding in Pakistan no longer "have the capacity"to carry out about the shifting landscape of international terrorism. Qaeda operatives in Pakistan have, over the past three years, endured a barrage of missile strikes from drones operated by the Central Intelligence Agency, and American officials jetliner last Dec. 25, which American officials believe was planned by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — based in Yemen — Mr. Biden said that attacks against the United States were now "more Pakistan's tribal areas. Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University, said the United States was only "partially succeeding"in containing the power of Al Qaeda's affiliate groups in Yemen, North foreign aid to Yemen more than tenfold in the past two years. The United States is also trying to bolster the counterterrorism abilities of Yemen's fragile government and has orchestrated The C.I.A. has begun patrolling the skies above Yemen with armed drones, although they are not believed to have yet carried out any strikes. Still, with a war "We remain relentlessly focused on Pakistan-based Al Qaeda because of the strategic nature of the threat posed by its leadership,"concluded the White House review of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan-
12/24/2010 9:45 PM
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