Adieu, Two Thousand Twelve

My first inclination is to attribute my insomnia to all the overwhelmingly intelligent thoughts and ruminations I am having as the year comes to a close. The truth is, it is most likely due to the lamb curry and red wine I ate for a late supper. Or the anxiety about waking on time for my co-op shift (5:45 a.m.) I will be spending New Year's Eve in my apartment with my husband and two dear friends I met my freshman year of college. We will be eating spicy Sichuan, drinking champagne, and performing the sacred ritual of Bleigießen. You melt lead, pour it into cold water, then read your fortune for the year to come by analyzing the shape of the hardened lead. It's a soothsayer's Rorschach, basically. Incredible things happened in the world and in my microcosm in 2012. I look back fondly on the year, but there were a few blips in both realms, too. Aside from natural disasters, the negatives were caused by people acting badly. It saddens me that just a few can mar twelve months of general goodness. Regardless of age, education and background there are people who act selfishly, and oft out of spite or malice. No matter how the hot lead cools, I will make it my resolution to not let bad behavior stand in my way of a happy and prosperous 2013.