So in 1999 I spent New Year’s Eve in Chicago at a Morphine concert. There was an obvious anticipation in the air for what might transpire as we hit midnight in the club with the band still on stage. Near the time for countdown Mark Sandman, the late singer, stopped and said something to the effect of; “For those of you that are still counting, I guess tonight is something important,” while the sax player freaked out a version of Aude Lang Syne on two horns at once.

“for those of you that are still counting…”

Mark died later that year, of a heart attack on stage, but his words stuck me good that night. Perhaps a man beyond even counting years had earned the right to pass on, while on stage, like a proper rockstar.

My NYE was a wacky combination of half-Italian catholic wedding, cruise around East Lansing in a stretch SUV, a bizarre party in haslett with drunken conversation about food quality and distribution, some confusion over where to land for the night and proper late night chill-out session that was certainly not expected. I started 2006 with a diner breakfast, a wander around Ann Arbor and a quiet evening perusing Counterculture Through the Ages.

So happy 2006 to all out there. And if you read my xmas bitch-missive then be assured that I successfully purged my angst in the writing of said weirdness and thoroghly enjoyed my holidays, even with all it’s micro-planning and familyness.

Bring on the even-numbered years, kids, let’s play 06…