Absenting myself from New Year was actually rather liberating. I had a few possibilities, but decided I would stick to my guns, stay in and not worry about it. I watched "Life of Brian" which I haven't seen for a while and read Charlie Brooker's marvellous book,
Dawn of the Dumb , which is in places just painfully funny. You must buy it and read it straight away.
It felt wonderful to be in a little oasis of calm, whilst I imagined all the chaos and unpleasantness and desperation going on in the outside world. I have just had enough of partying for the moment and very hopeful that the new year will bring a new attitude of commitment to work and to getting fit.
Being alone at midnight should have felt wrong, but it was a novelty to be sober - I was drinking camomile tea - and meant I could think back over the year and look forward to the new one with some kind of clarity. And I suppose in the end 2007 was a pretty good year for me, at least professionally and it's good to end it in a positive frame of mind, even if I am not totally sure what I will be doing to fill my time or my bank account. I am hopeful that I might leave behind the sloth and fuggy mindedness and get on with pushing forwards. And it's good to have a 2008 full of possibilities, but not really knowing where I will be this time next year, nor indeed what I will be doing. Will I have written another 366 Warming Ups, or will I finally falter? Will I have another Edinburgh show under my belt? Will I have fathered my first child - will really have to get a move on with that one, but as Take That realised, it only takes a minute (not even that usually)? Will I be lying mouldering in my grave?
Will I be on my own listening to the next door neighbours constantly blowing little party trumpets, as if trying to convince themselves that that is actually fun, whilst I try to convince myself that being alone at new year isn't ultimately tragic? I don't think it is, but maybe I have just done a good job of convincing myself of that.
So the plan is to get up early in the morning, go to the gym, see how many other people manage to get down there on the morning of 1st January, write a book proposal and start work on the new sitcom script I have to do. Well at least day one of the year is sorted. And I've already managed one day without drinking before the year has even begun. Place your bets now on how many days I will last. If you email them in by the end of January 1st I will provide some kind of prize for the person who gets the closest to the correct number of booze free days (with a draw out of a hat if more than one of you get the right number). I am aiming for at least a month, but wouldn't it be cool if I managed a year?
No it wouldn't. Let's see what you think.
Happy New Year. Hope you all have a great one. Even though realistically that is pretty unlikely. But have as good a one as you can and make the most of every hour! I am going to bed.
