Happy New Year!

My December holidays weren't the greatest. I didn't get out cards or anything. A little less than a week before Christmas, I got a really unpleasant virus and was sick as a dog. I was popping anti-nauseants just to keep down water! You'd think I'd lose a few pounds in the process of not being able to eat for about 10 days? No. So, not even the silver lining to the being sick part. This had been building from Thanksgiving or so, so overall, not the best of holiday seasons.

The good news is that by this past Monday I was feeling a bit more human and by Wednesday I was pretty much back to normal, so I could celebrate the new year.

Bravely, I stayed in town for new year's eve. A friend threw a party and I knew I could arrive insanely early and wait out the crowds at his place.

The party was fun and the food was amazing. About a week prior, we were all asked by the host what our 2 most significant events were in 2008. We didn't know why. As it turns out, he used that as a theme for dinner! So, each of our events was represented by food: African lentils for the two in our crowd who (seperately) had been to different parts of Africa, fruits and veggies from A-Z for the friend who'd edited a medical dictionary, the list goes on, and the food the best feast to reintroduce good food to my body (I'd been slowly building up to real food for a couple days). I think I ate enough for a small country (especially the baked mac & cheese that was like kissing God).

So, I'm back. I'm enjoying a few more days until I'm back at work. I'm seeing Speed the Plow this afternoon. I saw Jeremy Piven in it, whom I haaaaaaaaaated, but loved Raul Esparza (Indifferent to the woman -- she's tough to judge because I really didn't care for her character, but I think that's just the character). Jeremy "got sick" and abruptly left the cast without notice (perhaps because he's a total tool with no theatrical talent -- apparently the cast hated him too), so they replaced him with Norbert Leo Butz, whom I adore. So, as much as I didn't really feel the need to see the show itself again, I do want to see his performance and get the Piven taste out of my mouth. Plus, I could get cheap tickets. Of course, after buying these, I discovered that William H. Macy is doing the last two weeks. I may have to see it yet a third time, just to see him. Since he's a really big Mamet actor (Mamet wrote the play), it's almost a crime NOT to see him. It also seems a shame to not see William H. Macy in anything when he's merely 2 blocks away. We'll see, though. I can only see a play so many times.