Happy New Year to everyone and I hope you had a pleasant New Year’s Eve. Ours was very satisfactory. Very. We went to a warm, cozy party in the West Village with old friends. The host and a cellist played Auld Lang Syne at midnight (preceded by a soulful rendition of Instant Karma).

The TV was on, the ball dropped, the kids banged on drums, cow bells and triangles. There was delicious food and much in the way of champagne  (and spirits) and lots of real hugs and sincere good wishes for the new year.

The ride home to Brooklyn on the subway wasn’t that bad. A crowd of teenage revelers at the 14th Street A platform started dancing to the sounds of a man’s plastic horn.

The subway riders were tired, drunk. Like us, everyone looked eager to get home. Our bed felt very good when we finally got there.