New Year's Day

New Year's Eve was a letdown this year. We had plans Monday after I finished work to attend a house party at one of Dan's colleagues homes nearby in New Jersey. Unfortunately, Dan took sick over the weekend and even canceled his holiday trip up to see his family (I made the trip as his surrogate). So we spent a quiet New Year's Eve resting at home instead. Lame indeed, but it is what it is- no sense exhausting ourselves by going out and possibly infecting others in the process. And we did manage to have a little heart-to-heart about the coming year's plans- and we each wrote out a shortlist of our personal goals. Always a valuable exercise, especially as a fresh year begins.

The next day we slept in- had nice coffee in bed. And I thought about how I might spend the next two days (Wednesdays of course I have off!), and what fun we could rustle up this day to turn this holiday around. :)

We packed up and headed into NYC, traveling the quiet arteries that feed into the great heart of the city. A short day at the nadir of the seasons- the sun was low on the horizon as we drove down the avenues, headed downtown from the Lincoln Tunnel.

After a few celebratory sips of Krupnik at the apartment, we hit the streets.


We found ourselves at one of the few bars open that evening- many of the folks working the Irish pubs of lower Manhattan gave themselves the day off.

Wonder of wonders, Ulysses Tavern was wide open and welcoming. A sweet bar mistress served us up some great pints of brew, and offered us the leftover New Year's noisemakers from the night before. I happily donned a New Year's crown, then looked around at the other patrons, who were all decked out the same. Everybody was ready to keep the party rolling, even a day later.

It was a mellow and amiable crowd, friends of the bartender mostly, who chatted together and tried to name the 80s songs that were wafting from the iPod speakers behind the bar. We all sang along a little, and when someone got stumped about the name of a song none of us could recall, and just had to know.....a quick Google search on one woman's Blackberry solved the trivia question- and we went on drinking and listening and chillin'.

After a while we got hungry, said goodbye to our pals, and walked along the windy streets to Cafe Sage- also open for business, lucky for us! Dan's contented smile says it all.....we had a Happy New Year's, a little quieter than expected, and a day late.

I figure it's never too late to be happy with one's lot in life. And despite the uncertainties of the days coming down the pike this year, I have this good feeling that it's all going to work out somehow, no matter the details. :)