This can't be a good combination

Wine, knitting, Internet access and New Year's Eve. If you are thinking, "That can't be a good combination", you are sooo right. (That's the second panel of the poncho I am knitting. Yes, a poncho, quit your giggling. You know you are jealous.)

Below you can spy our own private New Year's Eve feast. No waiting in line, no making small talk as an acquaintance sloppily pours you some wine. No cutting yourself off early knowing that you gotta be all sociable to everyone around you, afterall, you are home, so you only gotta stagger upstairs (calm down, don't plan the intervention, I only had a glass and a half. I am seriously not a drinker. Isn't that what every heavy drinker alleges. I had better quit while I am ahead.)

A few additional New Year's resolutions for you:

In 2006 I will:

-Be a little more selective about my movie viewing. (I have learned my own "Dukes of Hazzard" lesson. I will be more particular with my time in 2006.)

-Not wear my pajamas in public. OK, so they aren't flannel or anything, but my new rules is: if you sleep in them, you don't wear them to Wal-Mart.

-No longer refer to myself as "Mama" when talking to the cats. (Wait, maybe I need to quit talking to the cats. Naaah, that's an impossible goal.)

-Quit tossing my cola cans at work and bring them home to recycle. I just feel like I am cheating, so this is a way to free myself from aluminum guilt.

-Not purchase more tea than I can consume in 365 days. No matter how cute the box, no matter how curious I am about the quote inside the front flap or how cool Tazo tea is, I will resist the urge.

-Derive a sense of accomplishment from something other than sweet smelling, freshly folded laundry.

-Not be tempted by Little Smokie sausage, so tempted in fact that I nearly gave up my vegetarianism for just one nibble. (I still have 18 months of my subscription to "Vegetarian Times", so I gotta hold up my end of the deal.)

-No longer use "Oh, my" as a response when my mother details her trip to the grocery. I will be more creative and say, "Wow, that sounds like quite a trip" or "I had no idea that carrots could be that enthralling."

-Quit stocking up on gum. They will make more.

-Will not use my "work" voice when I receive personal calls at home. That's gotta be annoying.

-Will remember to charge my cell phone and therefore won't have to sit in the car at Target, with the motor running in an attempt to get a few extra minutes of battery time.

-Will get out of the car when the garage door malfunctions and pull the door down manually, even if it is raining.

-Will not get angry when Cynical eats all of the egg rolls. (At least not openly angry. I will instead get him back by putting water in his Mountain Dew bottle.) (I am only kidding!)

-Will not cringe with envy at the YMCA whenever I see some young, tight butt in the bike seat next to me. I gotta be me!

-Will try to be less Ragged and more "around the edges."