I've got one hundred resolutions, but I've got no solutions.

Woke up, it was the last day of the year.
People all around acting pretty weird.
Living off of memories and recalling their regrets,
Remembering the good and bad, planning their amends.
-Youth Brigade, "Last Day of the Year"

Four years ago, I joined my family in Quebec for skiing and multiple nights of fine dining over the holidays. I flew to New Jersey and was planning to drive up with Parvin, Paul, and my grandmother, but my dad forgot his passport and was stranded at LaGuardia the night before, so he drove up with us. Five people, skis, snowboard, and luggage packed into a landrover heading up I-87 toward Montreal. On the way up, I heard on the radio that Joe Strummer had died. After we hit the Canadian border, weather started to turn bad as the sun went down, and by the time we were past Montreal and on our way to Tremblant it was a whiteout. Still we kept on, slowly, and it cleared a bit and we made it OK. Parvin broke her leg skiing on Christmas Eve, which was also her birthday, and so I spent my New Years out in Jersey, helping her out with things.

Three years ago, I spent the holidays with Marta's family in upstate New York. We spent two days at Hossein and Linda's in Andover, Mass., but left earlier than planned since my parents were being pretty bitchy toward Marta. On New Year's Eve, we spent the night at the house of one of her friends. We zipped two sleeping bags together and made one big bag. That's the only time I've ever done that.

Pop open a bottle of bubbly.
Here's to another goddamn New Year.
And outside, two million drunk Bostonians are getting ready to sing "Auld Lang Syne" out of tune.
I sit there in my easy chair, looking at the clouds, orange with celebration,
And I wonder if you're out there.
-The Dismemberment Plan, "The Ice of Boston"

Two years ago, I spent the holidays at home alone. I didn't want to go to my parents' in Oakland with my mom's side of the family there to annoy the shit out of me. I turned down an invitation to go out to Marta's family since I felt that was a bit too dishonest, considering I'd told my family I was on call and couldn't make it (although I could have). On New Year's Day, I picked Marta up at O'Hare. She really had nothing to say to me that whole day. I had no idea why. She appreciated the roses I got her enough to smell them, but she was just blank toward me after that.

New Year's Eve was as boring as Heaven.
I watched flies fuck on channel eleven.
There was no one to kiss,
There was nothing to drink,
Except some old rotten milk someone left in the sink.
And there's no ringing, there's no ringing
On the phone anymore.
There's no reason to call;
I passed out on the floor.
-Alkaline Trio, "Private Eye"

Last year, I spent New Year's Eve at my parents' house in Oakland alone. I was way ready to come home. I got home late on New Year's Day, and although I was supposed to meet Dani that night, she couldn't make it, which capped a pretty disappointing week.

I'm empty of answers,
Don't nobody search me.
The long-neck's a twist-off,
You don't need a church key.
I'm still full of questions
But can't quite see clear,
So twist off another
And bring on next year!
I'm always amazed
By what can take place
Within the space of three hundred,
Three hundred sixty-five days!
-The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "365 Days"

This year, I spent New Year's Eve watching about 5 hours' worth of Billy Bragg footage, and reading some creationist IDiocy for entertainment (although it did more angering than entertaining). I also went to the Metro to see the Smoking Popes and Alkaline Trio play. The Trio played From Here to Infirmary in its entirety, which was sweet. Even sweeter was this girl Laura who spontaneously wiped my sweaty face with the shirt in her hand, and gave me a kiss on the cheek for sharing water with her. We danced some, and got another peck after sharing more water. There was a time I was in the pit and again started doing the robot, only some other girl joined in this time. Awesome. After the show I asked if she wanted to get coffee sometime, and she took my number before I got hers. So we'll see where that goes. A pretty damn good New Year, hopefully, judging from its first few hours. Today I rode about 35 miles, including the rambling 20 with the Chicago Cycling Club ride up to Evanston. It's really only about 45-60 minutes up to Evanston, and maybe I'll have occasion to take advantage of that someday if I have to go up there.

Another explosion of silence.
I think I'm going deaf,
Or maybe I'm just yelling less.
This year I'll try to only listen to myself.
This year I'll try not to think so much.
This year I'll try to stand up for myself.
This year I'll live like I've never lived before.
This is my year for sure.
-The Lawrence Arms, "100 Resolutions"