Not to be cheesy and start off 2007 with a Broadway song or anything, but…

Five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes

Five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand moments so dear

Five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes

How do we measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets,

In midnights and cups of coffee

In inches, in miles,

In laughter, in strife

In five-hundred-twenty-five-thousand-six-hundred minutes

How do you measure a year in the life?

Well, it would be nice to measure my life in seasons of love. But frankly, I think that would leave a lot of details out.

2006, honestly, was not the best year of my life. Certainly there were good things. I’m currently in my first apartment, which is fantastic, and I have terrific roommates and an all-around awesome living situation—but of course, I only have it because college, like all good things, came to an end. The year ended with my professional life in a good place, but not before it caused me a hell of a lot of stress. And while I made new friends, I also grew apart from some old friends. I guess things balance themselves out, but I ended up feeling like the year had a lot more downs than ups.

I’ve never really put a lot of importance on New Year’s. I always tended to think of September as more of a time for change, since it was the beginning of the school year. That was when I resolved to make my changes.

But now that I’m out of school and am beginning a new year, I feel strangely energized. I’m really in a mood like I can accomplish things now. I’m not psychic or anything…but I really do feel like a year from now, I’ll be in a much better, happier place.

As for the last night of 2006, I spent that first at The Cheesecake Factory with some friends (including my friend Bridget, whom I hadn’t seen since graduation) and then at my friends’ apartment.

They say what you’re doing at midnight on New Year’s Eve indicates what you’ll be doing for the rest of the year.

If that’s true, I’ll spend 2007 playing Crazy Eights and kissing a shot glass.

But you know what? It was a really cute shot glass—purple on the bottom and shaped like a mini-martini glass.

So I think that’s reason enough to hope.