2008/5768-9

I'm excited about New Year's. It's been several years since the last time I was excited about the passing of one year to another. Usually it's the time I bemoan all the if onlys and what ifs, and am filled with a sense of restlessness. I think the last time I was excited about New Year's was when I went with a friend to the USS Hornet.

But this year is filled with anticipation. Because we have traditions and I finally appreciate them.

It started 5 or 6 years ago, when we were driving home from some event famished. The only business open on our route at 10pm Dec. 31st was a fancy Chinese restaurant. We had spicy eggplant, braised garlic green beans, and were introduced to vegetable mu shu. After that, we had Chinese food at the end of each year--sometimes sit-down, sometimes take-out, with or without friends.

As my family has become more educated and concerned about our food sources, the tradition has wavered. Not this year. This year I'll make everything at home. It'll be organic and free of MSG, just the way mom likes it. Instead of being purely Chinese food, there will be a combination of some of our favorite Asian dishes.

On the menu: spicy Sichuan eggplant, braised garlic green beans, sweet and sour chicken, Vietnamese spring rolls, coconut rice, sweet rice and mango, and caramel apples.

The caramel apples are just because.

A lot of these dishes I've experimented with in the past, so I'm not totally winging it. I really can't wait to see the spread and will certainly take pictures.

Our other tradition is more recent and a little less original. We gorge on movies. One year it was all Marilyn Monroe, and then Audrey Hepburn. My brother boycotted so we had a sci-fi/fantasy fest (it was the happy medium) with oldies like Dark Crystal, Willow, and The Princess Bride. This year we're going for a mix of dance movies (A Chorus Line), martial arts (The One), and humor (Mr. Bean's Holiday). It'll be great fun with our new, downsized living room and projector system.

I'm also excited because I finally am doing something I've wanted to for a long time. I'm volunteering at The Poverello House before all my family festivities.

There can't be a better way to finish off this insane year than giving time to those less fortunate.

Happy New Year!