It's New Years Eve. About 3.5 hours from 2012. And what has 2011 taught me?

To not be an asshole.

To enjoy life when it presents itself.

To listen to someone else's top 3 songs of 2011.

To be strong. Yes... strong. No matter what life throws at you, be strong. There are more people than you realize that are depending on you. And ya'gotta be strong.

To be me. Stupid, bleached tips, chuck wearing, drunk-ass ME. Yep, ME.

To not be an asshole. (Did I mention that?)

To give credit where credit is due when I copy a really good idea. (Thanks, Gwen)

To. Be. Me.

To have faith. And hope. And love.

To remember that I am good. I know I am good. Deep down, I am good. Anyone who tells me otherwise, can go screw. (Then, I am reminded that I should not be an asshole.)

To try wine. It's so godddamn good. At least, the right wine is. Especially when it reminds you of a beautiful woman. That other wine reminds me of a not-so-beautiful woman. HA!

To have faith. And to remember why I am a romantic.

And hope.

To not worry about 30 cats.

To be strong.

To avoid Federal Agents when at all possible.

To accept help (and advice, and money, and love) when offered to me.

Especially to accept Love. True love.

To listen to Allo Darlin', and embrace the ucalele. It's only a little like a banjo. Just much more hotter when a girl plays it. Thanks, Elizabeth Morris for enlightening me.

To not fret when Aqua sends a shut off notice. Fuck them.

To have hope.

To have memory, and remember the things that have happened so we can learn from them. And to have the opposite of memory: HOPE.

To. Have. Hope.

And not to be an asshole.

I don't expect any of this to make sense to a normal person. I am not normal. I accept that. I embrace it. I don't want to be normal. "Normal" is fucking boring. How many Ford Taurus's can you see before you just say "ENOUGH!"

I never want to be a Taurus.

Happy New Year.

I am so pessimistic about 2011, and simultaneously so optimisitic about 2012.

I love you 2012. And I dare you.

I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid. You're afraid of us. You're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin.

As a very wise and wonderfully beautiful girl once said, "Let's dance, 2012"

I dare you. Bring it.

Happy New Year. I love you all.

Yes, I do.