We had a nice weekend in Dallas but I sure wish I had a few days to be at home and PREPARE for the coming year.

I drove to Dallas Friday with another "band wife." We had a lot of fun getting to know each other. I liked her a lot until later in the evening.

As evening got there she decided her boyfriend/husband (they aren't married) had insulted her when he told her her hairstyle was "different." That delayed them getting to our special New Year's Eve dinner at a nice restaurant, Canyon Cafe, and then caused her to snipe at him all through dinner.

"Isn't this delicious? I love this Southwestern Grilled Tuna!"

"Fuck You! I should just go back to the hotel."

We were all willing to pay for her cab but she insisted on going to the club and ruin the rest of night for her significant other and the rest of us.

The other "band wife" (a long distance girlfriend) was also with us through the evening and she was fun until she had has, let's see, her third of the bottle of wine we split and about six martinis. He boyfriend got jealous as she danced with cute young men to celebrate the new year while he was onstage. He told her to cut it out. She did, but with some resentment of being "committed" yet not having someone with her on New Year's. It's a paradox all band wives must learn to live with. Just because you're in a bar partying doesn't mean the husband/boyfriend isn't WORKING!! Oh, well.

Other than the two less-than-ecstatic couples, there was the unhappy piano player. I felt sorry for him because I thought he was sad over his failed marriage and young baby he left this year, then found out he was only unhappy because he wasn't making enough money, he felt.

The sax player smiled all night and seemed quite content. But then, he's a sax player. He's got it all.

And then there was the drummer and his wife (moi). We had a wonderful evening, I didn't get drunk or silly, only danced by myself through the stroke of midnight and didn't do anything to embarass me or anyone else.

The club itself was quite dead. I'd never seen so few people there on a weekend night. It was reasonably full by midnight but not packed wall-to-wall like it often is. I think people decided to stay home for the New Year or maybe the place caters more to singles and they stayed home. Wish I could have!

Saturday was low-key but fun. Visited the sister and all the family was there. She cooked a nice big meal but we didn't eat until late in the day. The hubby had also made plans for us to join the band members but we didn't make it before their party broke up. Hubby wasn't happy but got over it.

Saturday night at the club proved more fun than New Year's Eve. The mood was less tense. There's just something about New Year's that "we must have fun!!" Saturday had no such pressure. Also, band wife/bitch didn't come Saturday night. A long night but the band was happy and having fun and I was too. One new "friend" joined our group and kept urging me to drink. She wanted me to "party." Obviously not someone that knows me very well. It really irritates me when someone encourages anyone to drink. I was drinking but I was taking it slowly and did not want Sunday to be a wasted day.

Today (Sunday) we ate with friends for lunch and headed home to Austin, listening to the Cowboys scrape through a win over the Giants and limp into the playoffs.

I've got so many things I could be accomplishing tonight. I especially need to undecorate this dead Christmas tree and start getting ORGANIZED for the New Year (see previous entry for New Year's Resolutions). I only managed to eat half of our leftover Christmas candy and throw out half of the newspapers that are piled in the living room. Sure wish there were a few extra days before the workweek started up again. The pizza will be here any minute. And thus another year begins. It may have the number 2000 on it but I think it will be remarkably like the previous 40.