The NYE Conundrum

It's that time of year again! Time for celebrating the end of one year and the beginning afresh of a new year. It's time to put on your party pants, stay up past midnight and drink too much champagne. It's gotta be the best party of the year, right?

That's where the conundrum begins. . .

What to do on NYE? Have a party, go to a party, go to dinner, make a special dinner, booze it up at a bar, booze it up with friends at home, go out of town, stay in town? Who the hell knows.

All of these options, of course, sound amazing. However, in my old age (hell, next year I'll be celebrating my last NYE of my 20's---EEEK!) I've found some reason against each of these options, reasons for them, and I'm back where I started: total confusion.

If you go to a party, that involves driving to/from the party and everyone knows NYE is more of an amateur night than St. Patty's day and Cinco de Drinko combined. Everyone is drinking and many of them make the mistake of driving after. No matter that cabs are cheap and there are even services that will drive you home FOR FREE! People don't always use their best judgement after a few hot toddy's.

Going to dinner sounds grand, but if you don't have reservations by now (which of course, we don't) you're likely out of luck unless your special new year's eve dinner comes in a to go bag.

Drinking at a bar can also be tricky, as NYE is the one night of the year where even the dive bars feel they can get away with charging a cover. In Sac, covers at the "happening" (according to who, I don't know) places can START at $50. And that's without drinks. And you and I both know mama can put down a drink or two. And this is a celebration, so.... Maybe 3 drinks are in order.

Going out of town would be amazing, but I've never been a fan of taking 5 hours to get home from Tahoe rather than the usual hour and a half.

And this is when I start looking towards my wine fridge to help with my decision making on the subject.

And I know, I'm being too pessimistic about the whole thing, but it's been a while since I've had a NYE that I woke up the next day and said, "wow!"

Here's the sum of the last few years, from what I can remember:

2010: Bounce around midtown on foot with my fave midtowners, popping in at parties of people I don't know (until now, Hi Justin!) Shupe was over it by 10 and headed home, leaving my countdown kiss to cheek kisses from friends after the ball drop.

2009: Hit a friend's suare in midtown, grab dinner, too scared to have even one glass of wine for fear of getting pulled over on the way back to Boredova Heights. Arrived home safety in the 'Heights and proceeded to drink wine and watch Sex and the City. Shupe fell asleep at 10 (am I sensing a pattern?) and I proceeded to ring in the new year with Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte, feeling like I was a total Miranda, maybe even in the episode where she ate the duncan heines cake out of the garbage. (No, I didn't actually DO that, but I felt about that awesome.)

2008: You think I remember what I did in 2008? Pfft. That's about 2 years past my memory bank.

One of the most fun NYE adventures in memory was B.C. (Before ChrisDinosaur), a night spent in San Diego with my previous BFF and some of our fabulous friends at a club with 7 different rooms and a woman handing out bubbly in the restroom. HEAVEN! But that was, eh, 7 years ago, back in my early 20's.... (Let's pause for a minute and remember those days when I used to be fun. When I used to be able to stay up past 10. On a work day. Or a weekend, for that matter.)

Ok, back to the matter at hand.

What to do tomorrow night?

So far, we have one bff coming along with Shupasaurus and I, which will be awesome, but as of now we have no plan, no reservations and no idea where the night will take us. We do, however, have bubbly to help us make up our minds tomorrow evening. And a number to a cab company.

Wish us luck?

P.S.
Yes Mama, I know your parties are fun. Sorry we aren't coming. The drive to/from Diablo Drive Heights is just not in my cards tomorrow. Have fun and take a couple shots of Milagro in my honor. xo

Kickin' Butt and Takin' Names

I've found a new pasttime.

Over the last, eh, four months, I've been enduring thrice-weekly butt kickings at an awesome gym in midtown.

Not one of those "ten minutes on the treadmill and then wander around the gym for ten minutes" kind of places.

It's a "pull 150 pounds on a sled around with a rope tied around your waist" kind of place. In the cold. Up hills.

It's an "add more weight and push yourself to the max" kind of place.

It's also a place of great commaraderie and motivation. Our team encourages each other to go beyond what each other thinks they can do and go further each time. Even on the days when you'd rather go home and sit on the couch after a long day, you feel like a rockstar at the end of that hour because that ass kicking was such a better idea.

I feel awesome. It's not from becoming "skinny," I realize that's just not me. It's from feeling fit, in charge of my body and healthier than I've been since the throngs of the high school soccer days. Hell, I've even caught myself (multiple times!) skipping cocktail hour with my besties in order to do pause squats and kettle bell snatches.

Which brings me to the point of this post today...

Due to a high turn out in class and an otherwise packed gym, I had a choice:

Go down from my usual 26 pound kettle bells to, say, 18 pounders, or try my hand at the 35ers. And not for single kettle bell swings, but for double kettle bell swings with a clean lift (I'm pretty sure that's what it is) directly after. Then a burpie. 30 times.

In a fit of 80's-music inspired audacity, I chose the 35ers. Those rep's may not have looked "World's Strongest Man Competition" worthy, but I kicked those kettle bells' ass like I would never have dreamed I would have 4 months ago. With my favorite colleague/workout buddy encouraging me on, I did the dang thing. I'm not saying many in my class aren't stronger than me, because they certainly are, but it felt damn good to take on a challenge like that and live to tell about it. (Not to mention not dropping those frickin' heifers on my foot!)

So thanks for letting me share my gymspiration with you.

If you're in for a challenge and want to be fit instead of wishing you were, check out Coach T at Innovative Strength and Conditioning. You'll be glad you did.

http://www.tsingleton-fitness.com/