Happy 2010, everyone! :)

We went to First Night tonight, and it was pretty cool, definitely worth going to -- it was really neat going to what was my first New Year's party, the first time I've ever shared in the revelry of a big celebration. We saw a bunch of bands, stopping in the middle for dinner at the Union Grille (pretty good) and cupcakes from Bettie's. Here's what we saw:

Hair of the Dog: Good Irish-rock band, a rollicking way to start the night.

Happy Balky and the Good Livin': We went to this mostly for the novelty, as I went to school with a couple of guys with the band. They had a good sound, but Brittney Kissinger is so over-trained and diva-molded that she doesn't play well with others -- her sound just didn't mesh well with the rest of the band.

Racing City Chorus: Pretty good for what they are, a barbershop-esque men's chorus.

Saratoga Faire: Honestly, I thought I'd be in the mood for slow, old-Celtic music, but I just wasn't. We moved on from this one pretty quickly.

Ramblin' Jug-Stompers: The musical highlight of the night, I think, and this was the one act we hadn't planned on seeing in the first place. They had good music, and they were highly entertaining on stage -- at one point, they even used an old typewriter as a musical instrument. :)

Matt McCabe: Talented, to be sure, but he had a lot of slower folky songs that I wasn't really in the mood for by then.

And then, there were fireworks, begun with a wonderful midnight kiss (and how often can you say "he kissed me and I saw fireworks"? ;) ). I cried a bit, but y'know, it's really nice to happy-cry instead of sad-cry, and that's what it was -- I was just really, really happy in that moment. :)

And now we're back home, having just finished off a bottle of sparkling cider between us (the third toast was "To absent friends" -- I was thinking of you, ladiEs) and some cupcakes I brought home. It's been a lovely night. Here's to a wonderful 2010 ahead. :)

2009 has sure been a full year, full of adventures and happiness for the most part, full of lots of memories. It was a great year, mostly, except for spraining stuff three separate times. Then again, I wouldn't take back any of the experiences that led to those sprains (even the infamous hugging accident).

Happy new year, everyone! :)

At this time of year, with most of the holiday chores done and only a few left (and how much of a "chore" is opening presents, anyway?), I like to stop and remember the true meaning of Giftmas.

It's all about the presents. Well, no, actually, it's all about what the presents stand for. It's about the people I'm thankful to have in my life, about giving them gifts and sending them cards to show how much I appreciate them and how glad I am that they're here (or wherever they are) with me for another year.

On this Giftmas Eve, I'm thankful for my parents, first of all, 'cause there wouldn't be a me without them.

I'm grateful for my friends, my dear, dear friends, who've stood by me and been there for me all year (and even celebrated me on my big 3-0!).

I'm thankful for my bosses, in that I'm glad they're decent people and not nightmarish jerks (I know they're out there).

And I'm very, very glad for my honey, who has helped me make the most of this year (honestly, would I have climbed a mountain without him? or had a real Philly cheesesteak?) and has added a great amount of happiness to my life.

*hugs* all around, and happy Giftmas! :)