Happy New Year, Everyone

Mine was pretty subdued. I was originally supposed to attend a New Years Eve party in Rethymnon put on by the Cretan International Community, but I began to feel a bit under the weather on Wednesday and canceled my RSVP, thinking that I was not going to be up for the two hour bus ride and then an evening of socializing with people I didn't know, followed by a night in a hotel room and another two hour bus ride home the following day.

I had just finished cleaning up after my lonely little New Years Eve dinner when my friend Mike called (he's in town visiting family for the holidays) and asked if I felt like some company to ring in the new year. It was perfect. We sat on my patio drinking some 2005 Xατζημιχαλι Ερυθρο, enjoying the unseasonably warm weather under an almost full moon while Mike differentiated the sound of fireworks from gunshots for me. Midnight came and went, woop-de-do, and then we watched Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. He headed home around 3am, and I must say that I'm proud to have stayed up that late (I'm an early to bed, late to rise kind of woman these days).

2009 has been an amazing and exciting year for me, but I know that there are a lot of folks out there who have seen some pretty rough times lately. For 2010 I wish everyone the strength to deal effectively and gracefully with the difficulties, and the ability to recognize and appreciate the good stuff.

Χρονια Πολλα!