Ho, Ho, Hum

I hate to say it, but I'm having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit this year. I'm not a grinch mind you, but I'm having a hard time feeling festive. Perhaps it's the 65 degree weather and the fact that I am schvitzing through my Agnes B. So far I have participated in many of the requisite holiday activities--parties, listening to seasonal music, eating a cookie (I don't really like cookies that much but I thought it would help. It didn't), emptying out my checking account by buying a ton of gifts. So, I don't know what's wrong with me, but it feels nothing like Christmas. If somebody told me that Memorial Day was almost here, I'd probably believe them.

Now is the time of the year when people are also making New Year's Eve plans. That too, I am feeling apathetic about. Part of me is tempted to blow-off amateur night altogether and hide in my house with a bottle of wine and a stack of Netflix. But that feels too antisocial, so I probably won't do that. I have a couple other options, which are being carefully weighed. Hopefully this year I will avoid the curse that loves to plague me on this holiday. That is, I go to several parties (all dressed up), drink a lot, and makeout with random boys. One of them somehow gets my number, calls three days later, and we go out on the most unremarkable date ever. And then my annual winter dry spell commences.

And of course there are the resolutions. This year, I am boycotting resolutions because they always seem somewhat hollow when it comes time to implement them. Sure it would be great to learn Swahili, lose 10 pounds and run a marathon, but I don't need that kind of pressure. Instead, in the spirit of personal growth and betterment, I am going to set year-long "goals." I stopped having goals sometime after high school and I don't think that my slacker mentality is really serving me all that well anymore. It's time to get serious and be a grownup. So far, my goals for 2007 are:

1.) Be promoted to manager in my job. It's time. I'm a smart girl and I've been at the marketing/communications work for a while. In fact, it's slightly embarrassing that I am a mere "senior associate."

Once this goal has been attained, I can then...

2.) Move into a "grownup" apartment. By this I mean, one that I do not share with four other people, where I can use my good plates and my heirloom silver; that perhaps even has a piece or two or nice (non-Ikea) furniture. Even if it's just one room.


3.) Diversify my social circle and spend more times with the friends I have who I tend to neglect. Realizing that my current social life is making me miserable for various reasons, I need to branch out. Making friends is hard, but it's time to expand the social horizons a bit. It's funny what with everyone settling down into marriage and long-term relationships that my primary concern is making friends, but that's how I'm rolling these days. Sure, a boyfriend might be nice, but not so that I can spend all my spare time with him. I did that a few years ago and had no social life to show for it when we (inevitably) broke up. So, yeah. More friends.

4.) Drink less. Perhaps not drink with less frequency, but drink less when drinking. Fewer shots. Less cheap whisky. Fewer hangovers.


I think that's it. Those seem like nice sensible goals to me, don'tcha agree?