A decade of New Year's Eves

Everybody's doing countdowns to commemorate the end of a decade. So in honor of New Year's Eve, I'll run through what I've done on the most overrated night of the year. These are in order of the year, not in order of how much fun I had. I'll keep that to myself, so I don't hurt anybody's feelings. The year is the one we rang in, not the one we left.

2000: A guy I knew in high school had a party at his parents' house. My, how times have changed. I'm not sure if his parents knew he was having a party. I don't know that I brought anything. But this was the debut of the backless shirt, later to be known as my JLO shirt. Freshman year of college, I bashed girls who wore those so bad, calling them slutty. Suddenly, I was on board. This shirt was H.O.T. It was magenta satin and, obviously, tied in the back. It would pave the way for later backless shirts that included: a purple cotton one from The Limited; a metallic one someone gave me (too slutty for them, I guess); and a leather-inspired one Neha gave me. The evening was enjoyable and I remember everybody checking the TV to see if Y2K was really going to blow up the world.

2001: Boyfriend at the time was obsessed with the University of Iowa. Friend Stefanie went to school there. Let's go. Only problem: no car. Boyfriend didn't have one (lucky me). Stefanie didn't have one. I had one but John Sod was putting the kibosh on me driving it. My cousins still quote him saying "My cars don't go to Iowa." Even though this was my car - I bought it off them - thus giving them power over how it was used. The day before NYE, Stefanie went to her waitressing job at Rainforest Cafe, and her boss offered to let her drive his car to Iowa City. She went home and told her mom, who, I think, said if she was planning on doing that, she shouldn't come home. Steffie didn't care, and we were on our way. We ran into a problem on the way there when the glove compartment wouldn't close, and we were afraid the light inside would run out the battery. Not sure how we fixed it. We walked into Stefanie's apartment, and it was so messy that boyfriend seriously said, "Oh my God, you've been robbed." But we had a really fun time dancing at The Union.

2002: This was the NYE in which all NYEs would be measured against. None of us were 21, but we had all been in college for more than two years, so it's fair to say we enjoyed a cocktail or two on the illegal. My high school girls and I went down to University of Illinois to spend a night in a land where you only need to be 19 to enter the bars. We all strapped on our go-go boots and headed to Clybourne, where insanity ensued. I can't even say most of the stuff that happened that night because people's moms, including my own, read this blog. Just mark my word, it was a time.

2003: Now we're 21!!! Went to VooDoo Lounge, a now defunct club in Schaumburg. A friend of ours had connections at the La Quinta Inn, so we got a free room next door. Stefanie and I made sure we secured boys to smooch for the ball drop so we had a good time (even though those guys didn't get the message that once the smooch was done, so were we). But the other girls we were with didn't have much fun and ended up retiring to the room to watch a "Sex and the City" marathon. Only snag was when VooDoo smooch guy called me a week later and wanted to take me on a date. I told him waiting a week to call a girl was ridiculous and told him no.

2004: Worst NYE ever. I had moved to North Carolina a couple months prior, didn't know anybody, and sat at home. Sad face.

2005: First NYE downtown experience. Paid $80 for some appetizers, a glass of champagne and an open bar at Lincoln Station. Spent most of the night on the phone with jealous new boyfriend. However, this was the first time I met Heather's now husband Jason. At breakfast New Year's Day, Heather kept telling us she was going to marry him and, since we had heard that before, we didn't believe her. I made her sign a statement on the back of an order form. They've been married two years and have a baby!

2006: Another horrible night. Paid $100 to go to a swanky party in the lobby of a high rise downtown. Open bar, tons of food, lots o' people. Only problem: I was severely hung over from the night before. I went to see "Brokeback Mountain" with my mom, aunt and cousin and went home and had pizza and my famous melon martinis. Many many melon martinis. Needless to say, it was the one time in my life an open bar was not making me loony tunes.

2007: Kept it low-key that year. Made dinner and drank at Heather and Jason's apartment in the city. Things got hairier when some guys from high school showed up wasted. Then went on an adventure with Moogs that went awry.

2008: Another top night. Kept it real in Fort Wayne and went out for a nice dinner and to a bar. Highlight of the night was when I was dancing with a bottle of beer in my hand. I was waving my hands in the air and ended up pouring beer on my head. But in my drunken state, I was convinced someone was standing above me pouring water on me. Boyfriend at the time had to correct me and say "No, silly, YOU'RE the one pouring beer on yourself." So in every picture, I look like I shot-up heroin: glassy eyes and wet hair. Boyfriend and I closed down a dive bar called Billy's Dugout, cleaned out their buffet, used our literally last three dollars to buy cans of beer (boyfriend had to borrow money from a random guy to tip). I spent the last minutes chatting with a black guy in a leprechaun hat.

2009: Went to Heather's and made dinner. Food was excellent, but I was in one of my non-drinking moods.

2010: My friend Meghan is coming to Fort Wayne from Chicago to hit up the town with some Hoosiers. Pre-dinner cocktails at my place; to Catablu for dinner with a group of people; then downtown for some boozin' and dancing. Pray for another top night!

A Very Merry Raidy Christmas

This is the first year my brother hasn't been at my parents' house Christmas morning. He moved into a condo a couple months ago, so he chose to sleep in his own bed Christmas Eve instead of on the couch. It's very weird.

My mom is making breakfast, and we're drinking coffee waiting for Danny to get here so we can open presents. Not that he would've been up at this hour (before 9 a.m.) in the previous couple years anyway. As Danny and I have gotten older, the hour we wake up on Christmas morning has gotten later and later. I used to be so excited by the prospect of presents that I would, no joke, saunter downstairs around 3:30 a.m. to check everything out and then restlessly fall back asleep until my parents woke up. Then I'd be up around 6 a.m. I couldn't stand it anymore.

The rule in our house is you can look through your stockings but have to wait for everybody to wake up before opening presents. this can make for late mornings, given my parents' tendency to have a cocktail or two (Or many, like the infamous Christmas Eve of 2003 where Uncle Kevin fell down in the kitchen, giving himself a black eye; Chris's hair was wild and unruly; and my dad climbed into my cousin's bed to spend the night, prompting Danny and I to say he was ruining Christmas. The Crown Royal shots were flowing that night. As insanity ensued upstairs, the of-drinking age kids were downstairs playing "Lord of the Rings" chess.

When you're younger, you're so excited to get STUFF. Any kind of STUFF. This year, I'm more excited to see what everybody thinks of the gifts I bought. My mom picked out her own gift, a heart monitor that counts the number of calories you burn when you work out. I bought my brother some stuff for his new place and "The Hangover," which I hope we watch after. The wild card is my dad, as is the case every year.

He asked for a Green Machine, which is to carpet cleaning as the Dustbuster is to vacuuming. He told me I could find it for $29.99 at the WalMart. My mom said he was stuck in the 1970s, and it would no-doubt be more expensive. So, I'm thinking it'll be around $40 or so. Imagine my surprise when WalMart has it on sale for $79.99. It wasn't the cost that got me, it was the fact that my dad was so off on the price. Then again, he thinks jeans should still cost $10.

I also ordered my dad a flannel shirt from L.L. Bean. Normal gift, right? No. My dad will only wear flannels that are not 100 percent cotton. Try finding this mysterious creation. I'm convinced it doesn't exist. It's like he's JLO requesting only green M&Ms in a jar. He wants a blended fabric because he says they don't shrink. Legend has it my grandma used to be able to find the shirts for him. Every time I'm in the men's department anywhere, you'll find me checking the tags of flannel shirts. So I found a shirt on L.L. Bean.com that claims it will never ever ever shrink. It's still 100 percent cotton so this will be quite the experiment at the Soderlund house.

I'll let you know how it goes.

The day will be spent at my aunt and uncle's house having a Very Merry Raidy Christmas. It's the best damn Christmas dinner you've ever had. The tradition started a long time ago with my cousin Jon, who owns his own restaurant. Jon made us prime rib and the freakin bestest estest twice-baked potatoes you've ever had in your life. (I'm quite hyperbolic in this post, I realize). So after a meal of prime rib, twice-baked potatoes, asparagus and hollandaise sauce, Uncle Ron usually makes a show with some bananas foster in the kitchen. The crowd oooos and aaaas as the alcohol hits the pan and it erupts in flames.

A mean game of White Elephant grab bag is next where, to steal a line from my cousin Christopher, "there will be bloodshed."

Merry Christmas!

Running on full

A couple months ago I made the grand statement that I was going to start running every morning I could before work. I'm very proud to say I've stuck with that. My rule is if I start work at 9 a.m. or later, I set my alarm to run. Sure, there's been a handful of times I'll hit snooze and skip it altogether. But for the most part, I've stuck to it.

And I've become one of those assholes I hate, who say "Oh, it felt so good to run today, wa wa wa." I was hoping I would hate it to much I could throw in the towel and resolve myself to the fact that I am not someone who needs to exercise. But, running before work gives me awesome energy throughout the day. And it makes me freakin' HUNGRY! I think my metabolism is speeding up, so I just want to eat eat eat.

I'm not a big breakfast person. I usually just have a 90 calorie breakfast bar. Last week, I had that after my run but by the time I left work I was like Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live: "LAY OFF I'M STARVING!!!" I had to stop at Starbucks and get a breakfast sandwich just to survive until lunch. Fitness guru Janice Soderlund says you keep burning calories for awhile after you work out, so maybe I was OK.

I was running 3-4.5 miles outside for awhile, but it got too cold for the princess so I've been going to the gym. I run for 30 minutes every morning, and it usually equals out to 2.75 miles. I'm not sure if I've lost any weight, because I refuse to weigh myself. I've noticed a difference in my legs and around my collar bone but that's about it. Oh well.

It's also been a good opportunity to see the characters that go to the gym at my apartment complex. My favs are the guy who looks like John Locke from "Lost" (who I told this to and he was quite flattered, even though he had never heard of "Lost), and the guy who looks like Bunsen from The Muppet Show.

The picture above looks like I'm running, but it's really just me and Al outside of a Cuban restaurant in Florida.

Tickets to the First Lady Gun Show

And the most fascinating person is .... Michelle Obama.

I'm meh on this choice. Barack was the most fascinating last year, and I'm not that fascinated by his wife. I feel like I learned everything I'd need to know about her when she was vetted for the campaign.

Don't get me wrong, I really like her. I think she's a great example for the tough choice many women have regarding whose career should be put first: theirs or their husband's. You'd think it's a no-brainer when your husband wants to run for president. But they had two kids, supposedly had student loans they only recently paid off and she was making bank at her job.

This is a woman who graduated from Princeton University then Harvard Law School. She went on to be a lawyer, work on Mayor Daley's staff and was ultimately a top administrator for the University of Chicago Medical Center. She made a helluva a lot more money than Barack did when she was a hospital administrator and he was in the Senate. And Michelle's admitted she wasn't too keen on him pursuing politics. I like that she doesn't put Barack on a pedestal and acts like any other wife does with her husband. She's kind of over him, in a way.

You could say Michelle became the nation's top housewife. She went from making nearly a quarter of a million dollars a year to planting stuff in the White House backyard and having everybody wonder who puts together her outfits. But I kind of admire the way she does it; in a way where you don't think she sacrificed anything to be in this role.

I'm sure my Uncle Mike is reading this and imagining sugary syrup just pouring from my fingers as I type. So I'll throw him a bone. I don't think her arms are that great. They're OK, but I think there are celebrities whose gun show I'd buy tickets to first. Her arms look like she could give me a mean right hook, but that's not attractive to me. I like less muscular arms, give me long and lean. Like Gisele.

My mom is apparently first in line for Sarah Jessica Parker's gun show, but I'll pass on that too.

My take on Baba Wawa's most fascinating peeps

I haven't blogged for awhile. Sorry. I get home from work and am so drained from writing I get exhausted even thinking about continuing it.

But I'm back. And I'm going to try to write more often.

So .... here's my take on Barbara Walter's Most Fascinating People this year.

*Jenny Sanford: The South Carolina governor's wife stayed with her husband despite him having an affair with another woman. That sentence doesn't even begin to explain the shenanigans this guy pulled. He went from being MIA to walking the Appalachian Trail to being found in Argentina. Then he admits to an affair with a woman, who, from what I read, he only hung out with like four times. Oh, and she's apparently his soul mate. I found it hilarious an Associated Press reporter approached him at an airport to ask for an interview, and he sat and talked with her for TWO HOURS and spilled his guts. I guess his wife was selected for the list because people may be fascinated with why she stood by her husband. I try not to judge. Her husband kicked it old school and admitted to his infidelity. Hopefully Tiger was watching Babs's show and taking notes.
*Tyler Perry: I have never seen any of his movies. Nor do I have any desire to see Madea's Xmas Parade or whatever they're called. They remind of me the Ernest movies. But that's what I find awesome: I have barely heard of this guy, never seen any of his movies and yet he is a freakin' gazillionaire.
*Lady Gaga: "Mission accomplished," is probably what she's thinking about being chosen for the show. Her goal has been to fascinate people. I must admit that I am quite fascinated with anyone who can make Kermit the Frog into a costume. Barbara asked if she was bisexual and all I thought was "Duh, yes." What she didn't ask was whether Gaga is a hermaphrodite. Now that question is fascinating.
*Kate Gosselin: Ugh. First of all, she looks like she's fresh off having a face-lift or some sort of plastic surgery. I don't know that I'm exactly fascinated by her. I'm more fascinated by the Jon and Kate machine. Or just the kids. Them by themselves kind of make me vomit in my mouth a little. I think they should be on a list called "The 10 People Most Fascinated with Themselves."
*Sarah Palin: Ugh. Next.
*Glenn Beck: I don't pay attention to him at all. So, not fascinated.
*Adam Lambert: So gay and so fab. I appreciate he doesn't apologize for his performance. I was not at all offended by it. I don't agree with ABC/Disney blurring out his boy on boy kiss. I'm not sure they should've shown him simulating oral sex on prime time. But I do understand why they were upset with is performance, because they said it changed drastically from what they saw in rehearsals. I can appreciate them spending millions of dollars on this broadcast and wanting to know what was going to happen. This all happened on ABC and Barbara's show is on ABC, so who had the last laugh? He shouldn't have any regrets, his name's in your mouth.
*Brett Favre: Pick a team and stick with it. Retire and stick with it. His wishy-washiness is not fascinating to me. He's like a rapper that retires every two years.
*Michael Jackson's kids: I'm watching this as I'm blogging and their segment better not be a promotion for the Jackson brothers' upcoming reality show on A&E (although I'm planning on watching).

I'm too sleepy to stay up for the most fascinating. Stay tuned on what I think ...