Happy 2005!
This New Years was my first in the Central Time Zone. And let me tell you, that made things very weird. So what did I do on my first Central Time Zone New Year's Eve? Well... I think calling it a stomach "problem" is nice and tactful. Yeah. I got sick. That's what I did for New Year's. Pretty cool, huh? Oh, it's not? Yeah... you're right. My New Year's Eve was spent painfully close to a bathroom... in my apartment. But do not feel bad for me, kiddies... when the ball dropped in Time's Square, I was actually on the phone with my college roommate, Mr. John Sellers (who was at the annual New Year's party with Amber, Randi, and Sarah). Additionally, when the ball dropped... it was only 11 o'clock where I was, so I was kind of like "Um... Happy New Years? I'm still in 2004, technically." After we hung up, I called my sister and then my parents... wishing them both a Happy New Year's. After I hung up with my parents, I went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I had coughed SO HARD earlier that night that my whole throat was visibly bruised. It was yellow and purple... and looked like I had attempted to hang myself. I was like "holy poop-mas tree!" because, even though I had noticed that it became tough to swallow for a while, I never expected to see THAT in the mirror. I then went back to my TV and watched a computer generated countdown being displayed over Buckingham Fountain here in Chicago. Apparently that's what they do here for New Year's in the Central Time Zone... and then there were fireworks at midnight, and everyone kissed and pretended the world isn't dying all around us.
That was my New Year's. Actually, I think New Year's is such a big deal because it's one of the few holidays that are out there basically just for adults. Kids don't really care about New Year's... they don't even get to stay up for it until they're a little older. It seems to be just another excuse for people to drink. Wow... I'm glad we need another one of those. Like we don't do that every Friday night... here's a REAL reason to get drunk. Splendid. *shrug* oh well. My problem really doesn't lie so much with the drinker as it does with the one who drinks and drives. There should be no stiffer penalty than that given to someone who drinks and drives. Man, I hate drunk drivers.

Enough negativity... Hey! It's time for my New Years Resolution! This year's resolution: it's time to keep up with people! Like I mentioned yesterday, last year's resolution was to move blindly ahead. And I did so... but at the expense of some pretty good friendships. I left a lot of people "behind" in 2004, something that I'll try not to do in 2005. We're all busy, I know, but I can put forth a lot more effort than I did previously.

Best of 2004--Honorable Mention: Coldstone's Make-A-Wish Fundraiser. For all the crap I'm going to give Coldstone in the rest of my list (and there will be a LOT of it), the month we spent raising money for the Make-A-Wish foundation was one of the things that made me actually happy to work there. That whole MAW promotion was orchestrated by yours truly. Seriously. I put up the promotional materials; I trained all the employees on what to say and how to sell the stars; I made sure enough cakes were made for the ice cream social; and I made sure that night was well staffed and that everyone knew what was going on. I GAVE Make-A-Wish that 2 grand from my own hard work. And I couldn't feel better about it. Too bad my entire Coldstone experience will forever be soiled by the ending... which is why this is an Honorable Mention, and not on the proper list.

What did I do on New Year's Day? At around noon, we had Basically Awesome rehearsal. Everyone was supposed to be there. Was everyone there? No. Surprisingly, the cast member to flake out was Amy... our token Jew-woman. Why is it surprising that she missed? Because she seems to be very interested in getting this whole thing working... and getting everything on track. Why is it NOT surprising that she missed? Because I think she's kind of a lush, actually. When she gets drunk, she's doing it balls-to-the-wall. She even came to one of our rehearsals a little drunk after a company holiday party. She, apparently, slept through the noon hour... which I believe. She was probably too hung-over to hear the phone when we called, too. F--kin' lush!
After the feux-rehearsal, Adam and I went up to Belmont to do some prop shopping. We bought some wicked sweet goggles, which we've already got some ideas how to use. And then we went into a sex store (swear to God) looking for what Adam called a "gimp mask." He later wished out loud that he had made it seem like we were lovers to piss me off... but I told him I would have played along, so fuck him. That's what a year of this improv shit gets you... you'll play along with pretty much anything.
After the prop shopping, we went to Adam's. Among Adam's roommates, Dave was there (not Dave from the show... another Dave). We were all hungry, so we decided to go meet Dave's girlfriend and her friends for dinner. *shrug* Why not?! So Adam, Dave, and I went to Buca di Beppo to meet the ladies. Buca di Beppo is one of the oddest restaurants I've ever been to. They call it "Italian, Family style" food. Basically what you do is you order for 2-4 instead of for one. So we got a pizza, some spaghetti, some manicatti, a calzone of sorts, a salad, and some mashed potatoes... and it feed all six of us, each of us passing it around and serving ourselves. If you have a group of, like, 5 or 6 people... and you can all agree on what to get, it's a good deal. It was only about $15 per person for what ended up being TONS of food. Remind me, if there's ever a large group of you in Chicago, that Buca di Beppo would be a good place to go.
After dinner, I finally saw Napoleon Dynamite at Dave and Leeza's. It was a hilarious movie... and just further proved to me that strong characters can make a movie... regardless of a complete lack of plot, plot development, major obstacles, or plot. And, perhaps the best part of the movie is that everyone who saw it said to themselves "I could do this... why didn't I think of this movie?" But none of you did... I didn't. This movie is brilliant in it's shear simplicity. Hopefully, someday, I'll come up with a character as honest and interesting as Napoleon.

When I was one the Red Line, heading back to my apartment, a homeless man came on the train. He said the usual, "I'm a homeless man and I don't mean anyone any harm" thing... which is always pretty obvious just from the fact that he got everyone's attention, and that threatening us will just get him beaten. Regardless... he then said, "Could someone please help me out with anything, I just need to get something to eat"... again, standard. But then he said "please..... please..... please" and kept repeating "please" for another whole stop on the train... and it beat me down like ocean waves on the coast. By half-way through the next stop I was ready to cry... just to burst. The worst part, perhaps, was that I honestly didn't have any money on me... a more and more common experience for me. And, then, when I got off the train, I just wanted to run far away and cry. I couldn't stand it... that man's words just kept repeating in my head, as if he was haunting me. Adding to the mood, it was raining here in Chicago. Not just a normal rain, either. It seemed like a very very heavy rain. I felt like it dampened my very existence... and everything about me was soggy and heavy and wet. When I finally made it to my apartment, I felt very damp, even after putting on dry clothes and towel-drying my hair. I felt so heavily burdened... I hope this isn't what 2005 is going to be like.