Just a friendly reminder from our favorite cranky Jew: get all your “Happy New Year!”s out of the way by tomorrow, otherwise that ship has sailed.
I happen to agree with ol’ Larry D. By January 4, you’re beating a dead horse. You’d never wish somebody “Happy Halloween” on November 1 or “Happy 4th of July” on the 5th of July. Be thankful you get a little leeway with New Year’s. Even today, I’m going the missed-birthday route and saying, “Happy Belated New Year.” Let’s face it, if I haven’t talked to that person face-to-face yet, they’re just not important enough to warrant anything more.
New Year’s Eve was unlike any other for Team MarTar this year. And not just because we spent it in Wisconsin, though there is that. More to the point, we didn’t stay up until midnight – the first time I ever recall not doing so. In fact, we were in bed embarrassingly early. It was something like 9:42 p.m. I assume the ball dropped as scheduled, but neither of us saw it…or heard any other sort of revelry. We were out like a light!
Which isn’t to say we didn’t have a great evening anyway. Much in keeping with the theme of the day, we got an early start to our night on the town. We left the apartment at 3:45 p.m. for our first stop, a biker-themed bar in Fort Atkinson called Fat Boyz. I was impressed with the black felt billiards table with orange trim; I’d never seen one like that, and I remarked, “I love their Halloween-themed pool table!” My dear wife just looked at me and said, “Biker bar, babe. Those are Harley-Davidson colors.”
Oh, yeah…
From there, we walked to two more new-to-us places: 10-62 Saloon and the American Legion. Post 166 if you’re keeping track. We just grabbed one drink at each stop (though they were all generously sized) and some chicken tenders and tots at Fat Boyz. I had never been to an American Legion before, and in fact, wasn’t even sure anybody off the street could get in – is it like a Moose Lodge, where you have to be a member? – but the American Legion is, in fact, open to the public. This one is situated right on the Rock River, so it’s got a great view and casual yet friendly ambience. I’d assumed the crowd would be a bit older there, but surprisingly, that’s where most of the young(er)-‘uns were congregating. This was our favorite stop of the three, and I’m sure we’ll go back often.
We might have stayed out longer, but a light freezing rain was falling, and the walk along the river was pretty slick. We decided to continue the party back home.
There, we played rummy, listened to records, drank some more, and snacked on chips and queso. Even Sydney joined in on the festivities.
Spoiler alert: she didn’t make it to midnight, either.
But, you know what? Maybe staying up until midnight on New Year’s Eve is overrated. Unless you’re out somewhere celebrating, is there really a point? All I know is, I felt more rested on Jan. 1 than I ever have before. Hard to argue with that.
Maybe next year (this year) we’ll go back to our old ways, but maybe not. Let’s just see how the year unfolds! We’ll be in our own house by then, so maybe we’ll be feeling extra festive.
That’s what I’m most excited about for the new year, by the way. We have the realtor and we have the funds. We just need to find a home. Pickings have been slim so far, but hopefully they’ll pick up in the next month or two. I just tell myself it’ll happen, and when it does, it’ll happen fast.
How was your New Year’s Eve? Did you make it to midnight? What are you most excited about in 2023?
Mark My Words 
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