Nothing changes on New Year's Day

Singing along to: Cat Stevens, Rubylove

Dear 2007,

So long, farewell, thanks for all the fish, etc. You were not an exceptional year, one way or the other, but you do pass my one important test: you did not suck as badly as 2005. In fact, you did not even come close to that low. Congratulations!

Love,
Claire

***

Dear 2008,

Hello! I'm not too optimistic about you, given that I woke up this morning with a sore throat and cramps (TMI alert!), but first impressions aren't everything, right? You have 365 days to improve upon this one, so you might want to get on that.

I'm also a little worried because in September you will begin another senior year, and what if senior year is just cursed for me? I don't think it's possible for my senior year of college to be as gray and miserable as my senior year of high school, but I also don't think it's a good idea to challenge the universe on that score.

Sure, many of the things that made my previous senior year so bad cannot possibly come into play again. Chief among these are: being seventeen years old, taking AP classes with crazy teachers, still being in high school, and being seventeen years old. But on the other hand, I'll be facing the biggest change of my life since that time when I came blinking into the world, and 2008, you know how I feel about change.

In closing, New Year, I have no resolutions, but a few simple requests. Here's what I'd like from you in the coming months:

1) A sense of direction (literal and metaphorical, please)
2) More bookshelves
3) A trailer to live in for my senior year
4) Complete mastery of the art of deadpan humor

That's not too much to ask, is it?

Love,
Claire