I'm still facing four eating situations associated with New Year's Eve. One is a concert on New Year's Day with FREE champagne toast during intermission and dark chocolate for designated drivers. One year I ate a lot of chocolate thinking that I'd compensate for the pricey tickets, LOL. This year I plan to have ... none. Someday I'll internalize that I don't have to eat food just because it's FREE, but until then I can plan, plan, plan.

We had six inches of snow of the kind that freezes to the car. I had to break open one of the doors of our car last night - a real pain, but we got in. Sidewalks are clear enough for walking, but it's got to be slowly because ice patches hide everywhere.

Hope everyone has a joyful and sane celebration tonight.

Bill You have much internal strength! I would not turn down the chocolate, especially if it were the dark, bittersweet Belgian kind .

But I would decide on a limit for myself - probably 3 chocolates - and take them and leave the area!

DH and I are not celebrating much tonite - he's studying and I'm going to work on Wed.. Alcohol in any amount would upset our sleep too much for us to be in top shape for each endeavour. We did split a nice bottle of shiraz on Saturday night. I'm going to pay for the 2 glasses I had until about Wed. but it was a nice, relaxed evening so it was worth it.

I have work-related errands downtown today so will also pick through some sale leftovers as an amusement and get some hair goop that only one shop sells.

I think I'm looking at going to bed around 10 p.m. tonite. New Year's Day I'm going to let DH sleep in while I go down to the waterfront and start the year with a 2 hour walk by myself. I am also going to scatter my dog's ashes on her and my favourite beach. She's been dead 20 years and I want to give her the final resting place I've been mulling over for the last 5 or so. It feels "right" this year.

Happy New Year's eve everyone! Let's celebrate the end of the "eating season" starting tomorrow!

Happy New Year! I'll probably be asleep by 10:30.

I've got to work today, and so I started the morning off with a spin class at 6 AM. Now I've logged onto work email & am annoyed to find that an analyst who bothered me about a breaking news item on an acquisition on Boxing Day, which was my day off, has decided that he "doesn't want to rush it" and is dropping the job. I worked really hard on two days off to get his analytical piece in shape and fact-checked, and now I won't even get any publication credit for it. I want to slap him through the phone somehow. But since I would've been getting this out today, this does lighten my workload this morning considerably.

Usually I ignore New Year's Eve except for avoiding driving anywhere on that evening.

My old neighborhood used to be noisy at midnight, with fireworks and random guns going off, which invariably woke me up from my sleep.

Where I live now, that most definitely does not happen, but there will be an amazing number of wine bottles in recycling tomorrow.

I love waking early on New Year's Day. In this hustling, crowded, traffic-jammed area, it is beautifully peaceful and the streets are nearly empty.

I'm in a pretty good mood this morning! I weighed in at 117.1. So despite all the holiday indulging, I'm right smack dab in the middle of my weight range.

We do absolutely nothing on New Year's Eve. So this year will be no different. Boring couple, we are!

Hope everyone who is going out has a wonderful time!

Jen

Happy New Year to all. We will be staying in tonight as we have our not quite one year old nephew with us. The meal tonight is steak which I don't eat. I spoke up and will be having some seafood instead.

Still terrified of the scale but going home tomorrow. One more bikram class today to flush things out!

At least I don't drink so no worries there.

Saturday I rearranged my closets and yesterday I rearranged my rearrangement, I think I am satisfied and will leave it as is.
I have no plans for tonight so will not be tempted by calorie laden food or champagne I will probably be in bed by 10:30 or 11 . I am a truly boring person.
I am happy to be at 118.4 today, a good figure to begin the year 2013 !
Happy New Year everyone !

Hi Maintainers!

My boyfriend and I are driving up to Montreal today. We have a room at the Omni which is very nice judging by their website. We'll probably go to Foufounes Electriques and drink $2 beers.

New Year's Eve for us includes a visit to Chico's oncologist this morning. A stop at the office to feed Culley. Golf this afternoon if the weather holds out. It's been miserably cold. Well, cold for us. Saturday, we all showed up for our 1 PM golf tee time in shorts and we were second guessing our decision by the third hole. I said it looked like it would snow--the clouds were dark an ominous. We managed to finish the round with thankfully no precipitation, but it did rain all the way home that night. Sunday started off cold but with almost clear skies. A few clouds hung over the mountains, obscuring what snow had accumulated up there. Again, the weather turned against us and we were more than happy to end the game and head indoors where we spent the day napping in front of the fire!

After golf this afternoon, I have to come home and make a carrot cake for tomorrow's triple birthday celebration.

And I can practically guarantee that I will be fast asleep by 10 PM tonight!

Last night Louie alternated sleeping with DH and myself. He curled up against our side, in a well provided by the crook of our arm. It made me able to fall asleep more easily! Usually when I wake at 3 AM, I toss and turn for a couple hours with just short naps in each position. With the cat there, I couldn't possibly toss and turn--it forced me to assume one position and stay there and it worked! I even had a very nice dream for once!

Allison, I hope Chico's visit to the oncologist has positive results.
Christmas day we went to a brunch at a hotel in San Jose, acres of food. After brunch we walked across the street to Christmas In The Park, all delightfully decorated for Christmas. I had the foresight to bring a pair of gloves and a knit cap and I was glad I had them as it was rainy and very cold.

Allison, hope Chico's visit goes well!

I am working from home today, but I get tomorrow off. We're having our piano tuned and poor Carter is very upset that we won't let him go get in the piano tuner's face and beg to be petted. We've got him on a leash in the living room and he's whining and grumbling and making a fuss. He's not trying to run off or anything, just complaining.

No new year's plans here. DH is still recovering from a cold and we both are still trying to get ourselves back onto eastern time, so we don't want to stay up late. Last night we were in bed at 9 and I expect the same tonight!

Finishing the year at 148.0, which is just fine with me.

DH and one of our foodie friends will take over the kitchen and prepare a Cajun feast. It won't be a big crowd, as two have already backed out. We'll be having crawfish-stuffed pasta shells smothered in a creole sauce, and a chicken fricassee. I'll be preparing a massive green salad. And DH will unveil his current brew, an Imperial Pale Ale that tested out at 7.9%. It's very smooth and way too easy to drink for its stats!

I will be watching the ball drop in New York on TV at midnight to ring in the new year.

Thanks everyone, Chico's oncologist visit did go well. He said that "the honeymoon is over" and to be on the watch for several things (coughing, vomiting, diarrhea and lack of appetite). He said this cancer generally spreads to the lungs first, so that's why we need to watch the coughing. Thankfully he has had none yet. His platelets were almost up to non-cancerous levels and his white cells are up as well. Good visit overall.

Now off for golf!

Happy almost New Year, all! Unfortunately my cold has morphed into a weird stomach bug so I've spent most of today on the couch. I'm feeling better but am on the fence about our original plan to go out and see friends from out of town. I really don't want to be feeling sick in a crowded bar, so, we'll see... Alcohol is obviously out of the question, anyway. There will be fireworks out on the beach and our few bars will be hopping, but quiet on my street unless we have any crazy renters this week.

My plan to do some healthy cooking and clean the house on my days off has been going well so far. Hopefully I can finish up tomorrow. I have a 3-day work week this week.

Allison, glad Chico's vet visit went well.

Becky, sounds like a feast! Your dh's ipa will be delicious I'm sure. Once my friends figured out how to make an ipa properly we all became big fans of homemade.

Krampus, enjoy Montreal! Sounds fun!

Saef, perhaps some voodoo dolls with your coworkers faces would be in order. We won't tell.

Bill, good luck. "Free" is hard for me to resist, too.

Bargoo, bed before midnight isn't boring. It is sensible. Sure going out can be fun, but sometimes I don't understand our obsession to have "the best night ever!" every new years.

Have a safe night all!

Hope everyone has coffee and is recovering joyfully this morning.

I seem to have Megan's cold. My cough was so bad that I skipped two events last night and went to bed at 9pm. Felt bad that I abandoned my DW who went to the midnight party by herself, but sneezing over the platters of shrimp would have been bad form. It sure saved calories though, LOL. Wish I could keep the lack of attraction to food when I ditch the stuffed up head.

krampus - Hope you're having an exciting Montreal weekend. I'm impressed that you have found $2 beers.

Sending supportive thoughts to Allison for the year with Chico.

I'll be thinking of you and your journey on the beach today, Dagmar.