New Year's Day 2009

New Year’s Eve was indeed a great deal of fun. There was plenty of food, good times and most definitely lots of laughs!! We played games such as the “Battle of the Sexes” which was so good and the new version of “Password” which brought in the big laughs. Thankfully there weren’t any “unfortunate” accidents when the laughter came but I must admit I love those moments. I have a tendency of being a bit “dramatic” when giving my clues in the Password game and apparently this brought in some big laughs. There really wasn’t much time to play any other games and thankfully we had a Pictionary free evening!!! We didn’t need the game of Pictionary to bring in the laughs which it normally does mostly at my inability to draw anything that a normal person can recognize. We were indeed satisfied with the laughs brought by Password and yes, it was a wonderful time last night.

All of us didn’t get to bed until very late and I swear my daughter would stay up all night if she had her druthers. I do worry about her when she gets to college and her “late night” preferences. She certainly isn’t the morning person her brother seems to be and it is truly amazing how much alike yet how much different my daughter and son have become. My son falls asleep in a nanosecond where there are times I wonder if my daughter falls asleep before the sun rises! My son is up early in the morning and my daughter would rather pull the covers over her head and get up much later. This is so cool how different yet alike they have indeed become. They are both very good children and to the outside world very well mannered. Life is amazing and I am so grateful to finally be able to really get into these amazements.

This morning I found myself up much earlier than I even expected. I did sleep very well but woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. It wasn’t as if I had anything pressing on my mind I was just finished with sleeping. I didn’t want to wake anyone so I grabbed the headphones and switched on the television to watch the Rose Bowl Parade. I couldn’t take much of the parade so I turned the television off and headed downstairs. I surfed around the internet for awhile and then decided to do some writing. Before I started writing I looked at how much writing I have done over almost of four years since I started this blog.

As 2008 ended yesterday I had logged 358 entries which meant there were only 8 days in the year I did not post an entry. I am certain this is all part of my obsessive compulsive disorder but I am trying to channel some of this OCD into a positive manner and this certainly beats the days where I would peruse the internet searching for the best point spread.

This brings me to this very day New Year’s Day which I used to look so much forward to in the year’s past all because of my propensity to wager on just about anything. I would think if I could only hold on until New Year’s Day and then the sky would be the limit. However; as the years passed and I continued to gamble New Year’s Day became just like any other day. There just weren’t enough games to keep my progressively growing addiction at bay. It was obvious I had a problem but I wasn’t looking at a problem I was looking to propel this little fantasy life of mine. Thankfully three years, 10 months and 3 days ago I made my last wager and my life continues to improve. I don’t have to lie, cheat or steal anymore and this is truly a relief in every way possible.

After writing this morning I made my way upstairs where my wife and son were awake. I decided to go out for bagels and my son did join me. My son is such a sweet boy and he does get his way when he goes out with me. Yes, I bought him his chocolate and then some as we went for the bagels. I so enjoy talking with him in the car, in the grocery and when we are together. He is turning into a “little man” right before my ears and my wish for him is to stay as sweet as he is today as he grows up. Of course; I have no idea what is going to happen in the future which is why I enjoyed every moment of our time together today.

We didn’t do much of anything and with the children at our dear friends’ house my wife and I watched a movie. We watched “Charlie Wilson’s War” which I found quite fascinating. This is a movie was inspired by a true story and the acting by Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams was incredible. I was drawn to the story and I won’t go into the political discussion or the how loosely this was based on those true events but I can say it made a very good statement with me. It was a great day because before the movie we played a couple of board games with the children. We played “Sorry Sliders” and “Scrabble”. This was a wonderful way to start the New Year and yes, my life is wonderful!!