I read someone's blog about celebrating time passing and why did we do that. I don't think we celebrate time passing so much as celebrate new beginnings. We like beginnings in Western Culture. We have a new year, a new week, a new month, a new semester, a new season, a new stage… I think we like to feel that things can get better. That we can do better.

Last year I got two heartbroken Christmas letters about the hardships in friends' lives. This year I didn't get any, but a newsgroup I'm on posted several “I'm glad it's over. It sucked.” letters.

My year was very good. I am blessed.

Had a great time last night celebrating, too. Went to a friends' house for New Year's Eve. We talked, watched TV, played Cranium (great fun), ate, and drank. (I had soda. That's two days in a row now that I've had a “bad” carb.) I saw a couple I met last year at the party and haven't seen since. She was amazed at my transformation. He said he recognized my husband, but wondered who I was.

Today we got up very late, did weights, ate, went out to the stores looking for a new vacuum cleaner for me to blow up. We found one we wanted, but it wasn't in stock. Too bad. I'll have to put off the cleaning for a bit.

We invited friends over for dinner. They came and brought their three boys. The seven guys had a bunch of fun on the computers. The wife and I went through art books looking for something she'd be willing to hang on her walls. That was interesting. Oh yeah, and we played Cranium, girls against the guys. (Normally we lose.) But this time we won. There are some cards where you have to whistle the song. I was always afraid I wouldn't know it, but I knew all the ones I had to whistle.