The new year is upon us

Most years, New Year's eve is kind of lame for me. It's typically me, the dogs, a bottle of sparkling grape or apple juice, the tv on, trying to stay up to watch the ball drop. Many times I do not make it. I fall asleep about 5 minutes before the ball drops and wake up 5 minutes into the new year. This year, I really did want to make it to midnight and celebrate it in full fashion.

Instead of my usual solitude, New Year's eve was spent with my neighbor. Her adult boys were on a road trip to Chicago, so it was just her, her husband (absent most of the evening), me, her dog Syd, and Tovah. I made egg rolls, bought some cookies, and a bottle of wild berry spumante (yum!) for me since I typically do not drink. The evening was spent chatting, watching The Proposal, a nice light-hearted romantic comedy film with Sandra Bullock. It was between that and Precious which I felt was just "too heavy" for a New year's eve gathering. After that, we played Wii bowling. This was my first time playing any Wii game, and it was kind of fun. In th real world, I suck at bowling, but in the Wii virtual world, I was pretty darn good, getting 4 strikes, some spares, and winning. (not that that was important)

We turned the tv back on about 5 minutes before the ball dropped, and we all made it until midnight and toasted to a new year. It was a pleasant evening.

My neighbor also brought up some other heavy duty stuff. Awhile back, I posted about learning about my neighbor. She told me she got in touch with her insurance company, a psychiatrist (hasn't called back yet), and received the authorization to go into rehab to kick her alcohol problem. She feels like this is the only way she can get a grip on it. She wants to and knows she has to. She knows she is depressed, doesn't have much energy, appetite, and on a subconscious level, I think she realizes she is simply missing out on life.

The nice thing is that I do believe she has support from her family. I know her sons do put their feet down on some things, like buying her cigarettes. I'm not quite sure where everyone stands on the alcohol issue though. In any case, I hope she can make this year the year to get help with her alcohol, and in the process deal with other issues in her life.

As for me, I haven't thought heavily about 2011 yet. I do think I need to put some goals in place. I'm not floundering or anything, but there's been some "lost" feelings in there too. More on that in another post.

To end this positively, I do hope all of you have a wonderful, successful, happy year--a year with joy, peace, recovery, care, love, and the ability to heal.

New laws to usher in the new year

As 2009 is literally less than ten hours away in the EST zone, over 100 new state laws will take effect. Some of the more prominent laws fall into the sectors of insurance, driving, cyberbullying, guns, and domestic violence.

• In insurance, eating disorders are defined as a "serious mental health illness" requiring coverage.
• Texting while driving is banned.
• Breathlyzer devices will be installed in vehicles of individuals who have been charged with DUIs. Also, stricter penalties even if failing a breathlyzer for the first time.
• Schools will be allowed to suspend and penalize students who are found cyberbullying classmates.
• Schools are also to bring awareness to internet safety at least once during the school year.
• In domestic violence cases, two-year expirations are eliminated, but must be abstained unless modified.
• Medical personnel cannot release medical records of a child to a parent who has a restraining order against them.
• Increase penalties for knowingly purchasing firearms for those prohibited.

This is just a sampling of new laws. There are a variety, ranging from politics to renewable energy to smoking bans, to tax changes, and many more. Make sure you check your state for law changes. Amazingly, those in government are actually working.

Sources: New law tougher on DUIs
New laws will take in effect in new year
MSBNC--Texting while driving...
MSNBC--School bullying law...

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a nice new year. Mine was quiet which was okay by me. I actually stayed up to watch the ball drop. The last several years I've fallen asleep about fifteen minutes prior to the ball dropping. I opened up a bottle of sparkling apple cider that my mom had given me ahem a few years ago. I knew it would either be okay or I'd be sick the next day. Luckily, it was the former. I grabbed a few shots of the dogs as well.

The first one is New Year's Eve prior to the ball dropping. The second is after the ball dropped. You can tell they were thrilled it was a new year. The last one is on New Year's Day. It's amazing how well you can get their attention when you are holding three homemade peanut butter biscuits in your mouth. Of the seven or eight shots I took. this is the only one where all their eyes are open and they are looking at me. The rest ,Daphne was half asleep. I guess I can't be too upset with them. They were pretty good troopers for keeping the hats on.