I just cannot seem to get as much sleep as I’d like to. I wake up, the nose starts running, the wheels start turning, and the bladder starts demanding attention. Sorry, is that TMI? As many of you know (and the rest of you will find out), when you hit 50 you just need to “go” more often. Sorry, but that’s the sad state of affairs. As my mom ALWAYS says, “It’s no fun growing old!” Truer words were never spoken.
The first thing I thought of were my lovely strawberries. I decided if I could get them done before I had my mani/pedi at noon, I wouldn’t have to worry about messing up my manicure later on with chocolate! So, I washed them and laid each one out on a dish towel to dry. That’s the first thing you have to know about dipping fruit – it has to be perfectly dry, because if any moisture hits the chocolate it messes it up. The chocolate isn’t water-based, so water coagulates and doesn’t mix in and it makes a mess and it ruins the chocolate. So – fruit must be completely dry!
After I washed the strawberries and they were drying, I pulled together some tablecloths and other serving stuff to bring to Bob’s. I know he needs help, not only because he just moved in, but because he’s a man (sorry guys, but I’ve found most men are helpless at decorating for a party)! I have a few small plastic shell-shaped dishes, which are perfect for dips or spreads. I also have some large platters that look so much nicer than plain silver aluminum, so I figured I’d bring them – just in case.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to dip the strawberries before I left for my noon mani/pedi. I stopped at STARBUCKS and then headed to the shopping center. It was really busy, but Tina was waiting for me! My darling Tina! She is so sweet and does such a beautiful job for me. I feel like the fact that my toes and fingernails look great when I leave is a bonus, because for me getting my arms and legs massaged and pampered is the main reason I go! When I left, wearing capri pants and my flip-flops and I stepped out into the sun, I stood there for a second and said, "Take this in, Peppy, because next year you'll be back to freezing weather and snow. Enjoy this moment. It's New Year's Eve. Feel the sun!"
After the mani/pedi I went into BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY to see if I could find a great top or shoes. I was just in the mood for something new and exciting, but nothing looked good, so I just went home.
When I got home I got busy with the strawberries. I usually double-dip them – first in milk chocolate, then in dark chocolate, and then drizzle the white chocolate on top. This time I decided to start with the dark chocolate. Unfortunately, as I was dipping them, a lot of the green leaves were falling off, which would make it impossible to dip them again without sticking a fork in them (which I don’t like to do).
I decided since I started with the dark chocolate, I would just drizzle the milk chocolate and the white chocolate. They came out great. They looked really pretty and were actually extra chocolately. They went nuts when they saw them, but I’m getting ahead of myself!
Bob told me he was only expecting around 10 people, so I shouldn’t “go crazy” but I thought it should be fun and festive for 10 or 100! I was excited about the prospect of less people, because I really wanted to play some party games. I brought TABOO and SCATTERGORIES – two easy-to-learn games that can be played in teams, so everyone who wants to play can be included. As it turned out, people came and left at different times, and when we were all together we were having lots of interesting conversations, so there was no need for any entertainment.
I decided that I wanted to dress up, yet I wanted to be comfortable, and I knew this was definitely a casual affair, so I decided on my new blue jeans (that are a thin denim and dressy-looking and really look more like slacks) with my pink sparkle sweater set and lots of rhinestones!!!! I wore small drop earrings, three huge rhinestone bracelets and a rhinestone choker. That way, I was comfortable and could sit on the floor if I wanted to, yet I was New Year’s Eve festive with sparkly jewelry! The best of both worlds!
My manicure was silver nail polish with a sparkly silver top coat. Very festive! Unfortunately, the chocolate dipping was definitely NOT the best thing for a fresh manicure. Oh, well! They still look better than the mess I had of leftover gold nail polish from the Bar Mitzvah! I got my usual red on my toenails. It’s a classic! I wore my strappy black sandals which are also decorated with lots of rhinestones.
I got there early and helped Bob set up. He made some delicious hors d’oeuvres and had tons of snacks – all the usual chips and dips and salsa and pretzels, etc. There was also a lot of candy. I stuck to the food and only had one of my chocolate-covered strawberries, so I did pretty good, but I DID drink a lot more than usual. Bob made a mudslide, which is Kahlua, Bailey’s and vodka. Sweet and creamy. Yum! We also had champagne at midnight, but – again – I’m getting ahead of myself!
There were two couples there whose husbands I worked with at my long-term temp job. In fact one gentleman, an Englishman, was one of the people I reported to when I first started. Bob is another person I worked for in my first 4 months on the job. I got to meet the Englishman's man’s wife (who is not English) and it turns out she is friends with the Kulish family, whose son is starring as Billy Elliot on Broadway, along with two other boys. Coincidentally, he is the boy Eric and I got to see when we saw the show on November 24th!
They had asked me where we were last New Year’s Eve and I told them we were in Los Angeles at a party. Then, when we started talking about BILLY ELLIOT, I told them that I was at Greg’s house on New Year’s Eve, who is now starring as the father in BILLY ELLIOT! It’s such a small world to go to this small party on New Year’s Eve and find someone else who has friends in the cast of this amazing show.
If you’d like to see Kiril Kulish, the young boy we saw on Broadway, perform a number on THE VIEW, click here: http://www.kirilkulish.com/. There’s also a clip from an interview with all three boys and Elton John by Katie Couric.
It was a really nice group of people at the party – some couples, some singles, and one of the couples started talking about the fact that they met through MATCH.COM and have been married three years. I told them that one of my best friends met her husband on MATCH.COM. I think it’s a great way to meet people and is very different than years ago.
Anyway, they asked how I met Eric and I ended up telling the whole story, which is really very cute and romantic. When I say, “We met on the street,” people are always a little taken aback, but it’s true. I was working as a word processor (remember that?) in a building on 52nd Street off Fifth, and Eric was building 220 Madison Avenue – right across the street.
I must have talked about Eric a lot last night, because several people said they were so sorry he wasn’t there and that they didn’t get to meet him before he went back to NY. They were asking if he would be back here before I left and I said I doubted it. Bob was also telling them what a great guy Eric is. It made me happy, even though he wasn’t there, that he was a big part of the conversation.
Most people left before midnight (party poopers!) and there were just a few of us at midnight. We had already watched the ball go down in Times Square at 9:00pm, but we watched it again (the West Coast really gets the raw end of the deal, don’t you think?) at midnight and Bob opened a bottle of champagne and we had a toast.
We helped Bob clean up and I left there hoping I didn’t get pulled over, because although I knew I wasn’t drunk (I don’t get drunk!), I also knew I DID have some champagne just about a half hour before I got on the road.
It was a pretty easy ride home – I-15 to I-163 to Balboa to Clairemont Drive. Unfortunately, it was SO foggy out that you couldn’t see more than 15 feet in front of you, so it was a pretty slow drive home. I was a little scared, just because the visibility was so low and, after all, it WAS New Year’s Eve with all the crazies out, but the roads were practically empty and I got home in just 20 minutes.
I fell asleep pretty quickly, as it had been a long day and I hadn’t had a chance for a nap! It was a sad night to be away from Eric, and he didn’t do anything at all. He just stayed home and watched TV. I called and woke him at 9:00pm, so I could say Happy New Year, but then he went right back to sleep! I was happy to meet some nice new people (I made friends with one woman and gave her my card so we could get together!), and it was really a fun and festive night.
I’m glad the holidays are over, because it was very hard being apart from Eric during this time of friends and family. I know the only other day that’s really going to be sad for us is Valentine’s Day. I’d love to fly home, but I just worry about the weather. It’s so complicated!
Anyway, I wish all of you a beautiful, healthy, happy New Year and hope all your dreams come true. Anything you want to accomplish in 2009 can be done. Make it happen! I have a feeling this is going to be a FABULOUS year!