Back at our old house you could see the fireworks from downtown Tempe on New Year's Eve, and I used to drag the kids outside at midnight to watch them because I really, REALLY love fireworks.

I'd end up dragging poor Nick out of bed and holding him on my hip to watch. He'd be excited for about two fireworks and then get cold and tired and want to go in.

But now he's old enough to get really excited about things. Tonight he yelled out the countdown with Dick Clark and then we all went outside to set off poppers and burn sparklers. We could hear hooting and hollering and explosions of various sorts from every direction. You all know how much I love that whole communal celebratory experience. We hooted and hollered back and yelled "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" at the top of our lungs.

Tags: holidays, parenting
Current Mood: sleepy

What are you looking forward to this year, DP? What are you hoping for?

Dick, you're scaring the kids.

Can anyone recommend a good computer calendar alarm clock free download? I Googled it and it came up with a bunch of download sites I am not familiar with and don't want to just download anything...

Can anyone recommend a computer calendar alarm clock that you know is good and safe?

Thank you!!

oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Current Location: St. Petersburg, FL @ the moment
Current Mood: curious

Happy New Year, DamnPeople.

the show is hung and it's beautiful.

my clothes are pressed, my shoes are shined

i have invited everyone i could possibly invite, i think.

i have done all i can.

the weather will be clear, the streets will be clean.

the food will be plentiful, the alcohol will be flowing free

everything is set. all we need now is you.

come to the show.

Dear hot men of Portland,

Where are you going to be tonight? I am spending New Years Eve with you, instead of Seattle (where I live) and I must say I'd like to not be disappointed when the countdown to midnight is on and I need someone to kiss. So a heads-up would be nice, because when I was out and about last Saturday night I couldn't find you anywhere.

I promise I will also try to not disappoint. I'll be bringing my shortest dress and my biggest smile.

Lurve and happiness in Twenty-Ten,

aquariah.

Okay, really. You folks are breathing. Hopefully, if the Swine Flu has tapped it's little hooves on your door, you only wish you won't survive. Things may be blink on the job-front, but you've at least got the snarky support of your invisible on line friends here at DP. It's not that you don't have a life; it's that you're life may not always be the TV-portrayal of what Your Life Is Supposed To Be.

Traditional New Years Eve from my youth was making what my brother called "cannibal sandwiches" (shudder), watching TV with my siblings, drinking cola until we were wired enough to stay up til midnight and maybe playing some cards.

As a young adult (ie, 18-25), I had a few "dance all night" NYE, but also had a few "in bed by 10 cause really, it's just another night" and some "gather with friends until midnight, then be home by 1am". These days, I alternate between the last two. But it's still a life, and it's an evening I choose.

So what are you choosing to do this evening, besides taking down the old LOLCATS calendar and putting up the new LOLRUS calendar? And of course, not driving if you're drinking, because I want you all here on DP-life club by noon tomorrow. 3pm at the latest.

Hey!

Anyone going to Alberta Street Pub for the Chervona thing tonight (that might also want to give me a ride?) Or somewhere in that general direction?

If you're going to the Chervona thing tonight, I will get you in for free ($10 cover). I would need to be there at 8:45pm, no later.

I am in the West Hills, and can make myself be anywhere downtown.

Thanks!

I need to switch auto insurance. The company I've been with seemingly charges $20 more per month than other big name competitors.

I drive an early '90s pick-up. I have one or two speeding tickets on my record, depending on if the oldest one has fallen off yet or not, of which I'm unsure. Nothing else dots my record.

I'm looking for recommendations for very minimum insurance, maybe just above legal requirements.

Please base your recommendations on your experience with an agency during the resolution of an actual collision, and include whether it was determined to be your fault or not and how that played out.

I don't expect to have an accident be my fault, but I'm not closed off to the fact that I'm human and make mistakes. Therefore, I'd like to read stories about people who were in accidents and it was their fault, but they had reasonably positive experiences anyway given the circumstance.

I've only been in one accident that was not my fault and my insurance company screwed me for $750. I'd like to not repeat that again.

Thanks!

i searched the tags already, but couldn't find an answer.

here in portland, is it customary to tip a massage therapist of a private/self-owned business?

A recent posting concerning Detroit had me thinking about gentrification.

The term used to leave a foul taste in my mouth but when a great city is beyond crumbling but on the verge of collapse perhaps a healthy dose of gentrification is necessary to save what's left.

The NY Times ran an interesting article concerning gentrification in Portland.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/us/29portland.html?_r=2&ref=us&oref=slogin

edit -- ( read the copy and paste article behind the cut )

Hey, does anyone have an "air popper" type popcorn popper sitting around gathering dust? I'd gladly take it off your hands... Sandi says she would throw in a dozen cupcakes. :)

Dear Matthew McGuire;

I don't know you but your grandma & grandpa seem to think you live at my house.... Maybe you did live here and didn't let your relatives know you moved? Any ways, They sent you a lovely Christmas card that was already ripped open when I retrieved it from my mail box. Strangely enough there was one bill inside sticking out, so I'll assume the mailman ripped it open shoving it into my mailbox. Normally I would write "Does not live here" and stick it back in the box but I'm trying this new thing this year where I'm nice to people & do good deeds. Any ways, if you are Matthew McGuire (or you know him) please let him know that I have his Christmas card from Grandma & Grandpa. I'll be happy to return it if you can provide for me your grandparents name and where they live with some sort of ID.

One of the things I would like to do early in 2010 is move my account to a local credit union. I am turning to you, The Damned, for recommendations for great credit unions.

I live in Multnomah County and am currently enrolled at PSU, so I know I'm able to join Unitas, First Tech, OnPoint. Any others I should consider?

The most important thing I'm looking for online bill pay that is reliable and easy to use. At present, I write checks by hand about twice a year, and I'd like to keep it that way.

So, any suggestions? Do any of you DPers do your banking at a credit union you just love? Thanks in advance.

Hello Portland.

Happy blue moon!

I know I'm pretty late in the game, that this topic may have been exhausted. I've
been put in charge of finding something to do tonight. I'm newish to town and unaware. Ok experts, any affordable SE Portland New Years experiences that you can recommend? The less absurdly large the better. I just want to be in a dress somewhere awesome, drinking drinks with pals and good folks.

Thank you, have a safe night!

Since Moo has been sleeping so late, he's also been staying up late. This was a point of contention last night and at one point he said, "I *am* sleeping."

Just now he told me, "I want to look at pictures of when I was being a baby."

With Obama's and the Democrats attack on "the rich", once they get fed up and leave, who's going to pay for all the social benefits?

www.thedailycrux.com/content/3247/Government_Stupidity

(just read this on the wweek website and thought i would put it here for you all)

As you gear up for New Year’s Eve, a helpful reminder to our reminder from last week: All rides on TriMet’s MAX and buses will be free beginning at 8 pm on Thursday, Dec. 31. The MAX Blue, Green and Yellow lines will also provide extra late-night service on New Year’s Eve, running every 30 minutes until about 3 am.

Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is saying no. No, in response to a coworker's exclamation of joy or a friend's congratulations on hearing I was about to become a father.

Sometimes nothing is harder then explaining why that's not the case any more.

It's 1am, and though not technically correct, it certainly feels like the hour of the wolf here.

"Have you ever heard of the hour of the wolf? ... It's the time between 3:00 and 4:00 in the morning. You can't sleep, and all you can see is the troubles and the problems and the ways that your life should've gone but didn't. All you can hear is the sound of your own heart." - Commander Susan Ivanova, Babylon 5

Current Location: home
Current Mood: sad