Breaking News – I went to a bar on New Year’s Eve!  I rang in the New Year at the Snorting Elk at Crystal Mountain, a ski resort just outside Seattle.  I can’t remember the last time I went to a bar, let alone a bar where people are actively looking for a hook-up.  Spoiler Alert – I DID NOT kiss anyone at midnight.  Had I been thinking, I would have opened my Bumble app earlier in the day to find some candidates.  Isn’t that what the kids today do?  Hedge your bets?  Swipe left?

Close to midnight, my friends did a “Hot Lap” to scope the room and see what the options were.  Isn’t that a great term, “hot lap”?  As I followed behind them, all I could think about was the drunk girl carrying the pitcher of beer and how I didn’t want it to spill on me and how bad the bathrooms smelled.  Not really conducive to finding Mr. Right or Mr. Right Now.  I tried to be open minded but I don’t do well in confined spaces with large groups of people.  I prefer places where there is room to breathe.

The only sign of life was earlier in the evening when a man who was old enough to be my father wouldn’t stop staring at me.  I thought he was looking at the TV but when he moved closed to get a better view, I realized I was the target.  At that point my Diet Coke got really interesting.  Fortunately my friend came back to the table and blocked me from view.  It is amazing to me that men of a certain age have no shame in their game when it comes to staring.  At least have the courtesy to look away every now and then.  I know that beggars can’t be choosers but I don’t want to spend the rest of my life as a nurse.  I already have my old cat and my parents to think about.

It sounds like I didn’t have a good New Year’s Eve but to be honest, it was one of the best ones in years.  I am too old for a random, drunk hook-up at the stroke of midnight and I would rather remember how I spent my night.  This year was perfect because I wasn’t going through a break-up, I didn’t have to entertain anyone else and I was able to people watch to my heart’s content.  I also made a new friend who could also be a great networking contact.  It was exactly what I needed with absolutely no drama. Not to mention the fireworks were amazing.  I felt like I was in the middle of a meteor shower.  When the sparks were falling only feet from where I was standing it got a little bit hairy but who doesn’t need some excitement while ringing in the new year?