Ringing UP the new year

Reader advisory:
I had almost 48 oz. of Blue Moon draft down the hatch when I wrote this. It may read a bit rough.

Tallying the cost of New Years holiday in South Lake Tahoe, CA:

• Plane ticket: $629.90
• Assorted airport chow: $31.47
• Party house/chow/booze: $479.00
• Reno-Tahoe round trip shuttle: $43.00
• Half day lift ticket : $66.00
• Full day lift ticket: $81.00
• Souvenir t-shirts: $45.23
• Monetary total: $1375.60
• Good friends, good times, no malaria: priceless

Most people know I’m a cheap bastard. I’ll spend thirty-two hours driving cross-country and $450 on gas rather than a plane ticket for $555. I won’t Supersize for 49 cents more. Hell, I won’t even drink the beer not on special for the night if it’s gonna save me a few bucks. I’m a two-for-one food stamp kind of guy. An “Arab trader,” if you will. I milk every last possible penny out of everything I own, which really doesn’t explain why I buy and sell electronics like an eBay Power Seller (which reminds me, I’ve got a first generation 1GB iPod shuffle for sale at a deep, deep discount price).

But Tahoe is different.

In the late fall of 2006 (I think it was about two weeks before the event), Justin invited me to South Lake Tahoe, CA to ring in 2007 with him and a handful of his friends. I immediately seized the opportunity, had one hell of a time which may or may not have involved a hot tub assisted joystick, and promised my return in 2007 if I was available.

As things turned out, I was available during my leave block after Drill Instructor School.

This year at Tahoe was everything I hoped it would be. We had a kick ass three bedroom house with hot tub, an absurd amount of booze, the best chow ever, and plenty of good company. I got a couple days of snowboarding in and enough drinking to pickle my liver. Despite my eighteen hour transit to Tahoe from North Dakota (seven hours longer than planned), every second and every cent I spent during the evolution was well worth it. It doesn’t even bother me that we found the party hats and noise makers seventeen minutes after the official kick off of the Pacific Coast New Years.

I’m not sure where I’m going with this, since I’m waiting for my flight out of Reno and I’ve got almost forty-eight ounces of beer in me, but I thought I should write something. I’d like to publicly thank Meg and (sort of) Justin for putting this whole thing together and letting me tag along. I’d also like to thank the rest of the crew for the hospitality and joy-joy feelings. You’re a good group.

But before I sign off, I want to throw a few specific shouts out.

Meg: I still don’t believe we ran out of toilet paper. At least you left some napkins. But thanks for letting me join in your reindeer games anyways. Even if I got the collector’s cheese ball plate.
Linda: Regrettably, you couldn’t join us in the people stew this year. Next time, we’ll get you drunker.
Jahon: I hope I spelled your name right, and thanks for being the “other” guy down for a brew when everyone else was racked out and being pussies.
Justin: Whatever your convoluted mind thinks, I still beat your ass at quarters. Thanks for being the common sense advice. Thanks for the beanie. And thanks for the chow. Don’t be a stranger.

Enough said, folks. My plane leaves soon and my laptop is about ready to die. Happy New Years!

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