I never got the hang of New Year's. It seemed like people treated it as a time to party because it was party time. It rubbed me the wrong way. I still prefer to avoid New Year's when I can or find something low key to do with people I like.

I find celebrating the arbitrary flip of a calendar page extremely specious. The year is always ending, and always beginning. Every day could be the New Year, if one wanted, so picking one above the rest doesn't make much sense. What does make sense is marking the division between what is and what was and taking the time then to contemplate what we hope will be.

Last night I got to attend a full Samhain ritual for the first time. It was a fine thing that genuinely made me feel like I'm looking at a coming year and I'm glad of it's newness. I'm not truly going pagan, but as a ritual it makes sense to me. It was good to recall family member who've passed on - people I got to know and a few who I know about only from stories. It was good to recognize and push away all the thing that have brought me pain in the past year and invite good things for the coming year.

If every day begins a new year then I can let go and embrace every day. But the mundane gets in the way of such mindful living and so most ordinary folks need rituals and special dates set aside for such things. We need special days to remember to be grateful for our blessings. We need special occasions to shower our loved ones with tokens of affection and caring.

Anyway, I'm breathing easier today, though I have quite a lot to do. This month I really ought to find a job. I'm also going to throw my lot in and try to participate in NaNoWriMo. I've got to keep up exercising and dieting. I've put on between five and ten pounds since the height of summer. I ought to clean my home and unload anything I that's just cluttering the place. I have to sort out what's going on with my computer (long story - I'm borrowing one now).

But this Halloween past was pretty awesome. Last weekend I got to a very big Day of the Dead celebration at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary, had pumpking pancakes at IHOP and met Sally Field (she came to Midsummer!). I also attended a Halloween tea party and saw an extravagant house haunting featuring professional voice over acting and musical scoring. Last night after the ritual I got to a different haunting that was somewhat smaller scale but much more beautiful and subtle. And all in all, more candy corn than you can shake a stick at!

But all things must pass and today I attended mass for All Saint's Day. I walked to and from church so my feet hurt a bit. I helped a little old lady walk across the street... well she did straight out ask for the help. And now to shower, eat something and try to write out a letter to convince some folks to give me money in exchange for services. Tonight we start up the last weekend of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It's bittersweet. We're all running ragged and need to rest (and some of us could use the break from dreaming in verse!), but we've gotten really close and the show is so fantastic that it's going to be sad to see it all end. We're going to have to tear down that beautiful set! *sob*