Hello 2010.

First off, let me start by getting the essential out of the way: Happy New Year! As I write this, it is actually 12:15 (Swiss time). I wanted to write this on January One, so depending on what side of the pond you are on, I might still be accomplishing that. So yes, happy 2010 to all of you.

Quick tangent, when you type 2010, if you type it fast and your fingers get a little sloppy you might end up with 2-10... My mom used to have a boss that made us praise the real estate gods whenever the number 210 would randomly show up, whether it was the time of the day, or the returned change at the grocery store... So let's take a moment to praise the real estate gods for this new year in hopes of high numbers, many sales, and fewer reports.

Enough work talk... let's talk holiday! Last night was a blast. Let me walk you through it.

We began at Stefan's friends' apartment for an appetizer and some drinks, or what they call an Apero. I was warned in advance that this guy really, really loves cheese. I appreciate cheese, and some days I would say yes, I do love cheese, but this guy?! I was shocked that someone could love cheese this much! We had a lovely spread of cheese, mostly from France, that were all quite delicious. But before we could begin eating he gave us a geography lesson on the origins of everything we were going to be nibbling on. This lesson wasn't just talking, it included a thick book, with many maps and flagged off pages!

There was one cheese that really stood out to me... the cheese that had "animals" in it. As he explained, the "animals" live in the crust of this cheese and rarely go into the part we eat. The crust was... well, very crusty, and if you looked closely, you could see things moving. I say "animals" because I think somehow "micro organisms" was lost in the translation. I believe "micro organisms" was what they were shooting for, but I'm not 100% positive. When I was warned prior to our arrival that he might have cheese with animals in it, for some reason I was imagining tigers and cheetahs. Maybe it was one too many Cheetos commercials back home with that cheetah that sold the cheese puffs... not real sure on that one.

After the apero we hopped back on the bus and headed back to Kirsten's apartment for dinner, a delicious homemade lasagna that Kirsten and I prepared before we left. I had to laugh, when we were fixing the dinner they asked me if that was how I made my lasagna at home. Nope. I'm American. My lasagna comes from an orange and red box that Mama Stouffer has been slaving on in my freezer.

Dinner was great. And with a little time to kill we decided to play Cranium, auf deutsch. I hate Cranium in English, nevermind in German. For me, it is one of the most nerve wracking games, ever. Good thing the wine had been flowing all night, and continued to flow way, way, way into the evening.

As it got closer to 11:30 we realized we still had to eat the dessert that Chris and Mari brought: an apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. I write this in here as a mental note to myself. Mari added the juice of one orange to her apple crisp. It was amazing.

With only 15 (ish) minutes until midnight, I didn't know what I was more excited for: the new year and the fresh hope that comes with it, the table bomb that Stefan had been talking about shooting off for days now, or calling home and wishing them a happy new year 6 hours early.

Ten minutes before midnight we shot off the table bomb. I wish TSA wasn't so darn strict for honest, non-terrorist folks like myself or I would be packing one of these bombs up and bringing it home with me! You set it on your table, light it, and then horns and confetti and masks and happiness shoot out! It was glorious! (Especially after so many glasses of wine you can't count!)

With the sound of fireworks surrounding outside, we all hurried to put on our coats and run downstairs and out to the street. In addition to the table bomb, we had a few fireworks of our own. In Switzerland it is completely legal to stand wherever you want, whenever you want and shoot off fireworks. In Virginia, sparklers are illegal, and more than likely party poppers are highly frowned upon... But here, it doesn't matter! Our fireworks were not ginormous, but they were higher than I expected! One of the biggest thrills of the night was the fact that I got to shoot off a completely legal, not to mention totally dangerous firework, while under the influence, and I survived!

To wrap up the evening, we continued drinking wine (of course). I came in and decided that I needed to make my one New Years phone call... you know, like in jail. You get one call, you better make it good, and quick. Since I was flying solo for a holiday you should never fly solo on, I was so excited to call Guy and wish him a happy 2010, even if it was 5.5 hours early for him. It was probably one of the quickest calls ever because when I walked back out to the living room they were all like "that's it?!" When I looked at the phone and saw it only cost about 25 cents I began to wonder what in the world I said to him in such a short amount of time, with so much wine in me. Let's be real, 24 hours later I am still kind of wondering what we talked about, and how quickly it was all said, and whether or not it will affect my new years curse. Let's hope not.

After my speedy call and another glass of wine, we decided to wrap up the evening by going back out and finding a bar for one last drink. There was nothing too exciting at the bar other than a young guy with a marching band drum. I thought the pounding noise was simply my head at first. Thankfully, from what I inferred, he was a Carny, Drum Major who felt it crucial to bring is instrument with him to the bar. I don't really understand, but maybe he was trying to make up for something...

All in all, it was a great way to bring in 2010! Awesome family, more cheese, and even more wine. Here's to 2010 and all the joys it will bring!