Partying Like It's 1999 ...

... Except it's not. It's 2009.

This past week, I've come home at 5am and 6am. I slept in my clothes again. I didn't get anything done this past weekend (laundry, cleaning my apartment, writing, grocery shopping among other things). In short, I've been acting like I'm 20. But I'm not.

I was describing this to a couple friends recently, and one said, "Well, you're making up for lost time" and another said, "You need to get it out of your system." And I suppose, in some ways, I kind of rebooted my life three years ago and picked up where I was B.L.T.R. (Before Long Term Relationship).

But, you know ... it's not like 1999 - 2006 never happened, though those years do seem like a completely different life. I wasn't frozen in carbonite. Sure, I didn't party hard, drink too much, sleep with the wrong people and generally make bad decisions when most people my age were doing just that. But do I really want to be doing that now?

Time for a little less boozing -- a little more Listing. It's mid-September, and I haven't made much of a dent on the 30 List. Sadly, I'm very, very, very poor, so some things might prove difficult (like, going to South America or taking guitar lessons). Maybe I'll head out to Montauk or the OBX before winter sets in and take care of a few of the easier items (flying a kite? seeing the sun rise?). Also, get back to quiet activities I used to enjoy, that don't involve getting wasted and passing out, like -- reading books, cooking and baking, eating at new restaurants, going to movies, attending concerts.

It's fall, my favorite season. There's always that bit of struggle when summer's coming to an end, when I can't let go of it. But I do love the decaying leaves, and apple cider, and woolen scarves and mittens, and brilliant sunsets, and burnished gold mountainsides, and playing spades by a fireplace.

Some list updates:
17. Cook or bake something new/untried at least twice a month
Made a triple berry pie, which was sort of new. Cheated, though, and used a pre-made pie shell. Next up: a tuna/white bean panzanella salad this weekend.

New:
25. Visit the Cloisters
26. Make pie crust, from scratch
27. Ski or snowboard