The year is going, let him go;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

--- From Lord Alfred Tennyson's "Ring Out, Wild Bells"

This year was a strange one - though aren't they all?  2013 held many unique adventures for me.  Work-wise, I travelled to Sundance, Miami Art Basel, the Venice Biennale, Rio (my first time in South America), and Palm Beach.  I hosted a private dinner on the roof of the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation in Venice, stared in awe at the Cristo statue on Corcovado, ate in a restaurant carved out of a mountainside that looks like a treehouse.  In my personal life, I turned 35, had my first serious and longterm relationship in several years, my best friend became a US citizen, my beloved cousin suffered and beat ovarian cancer, I lost friends, gained friends, I have friends that have still not recovered from the financial crash of several years ago, others that have had amazing career successes. I gained even more appreciation for my wonderful parents that forever love and support me, I found out how important all of my many homes are.  I learned a lot about myself this year and feel entirely ready to say goodbye to 2013.  I spent New Year's Eve watching Auntie Mame, drinking champagne, and eating caviar pasta with some of my favorite people in NYC (recipe to be posted later).

People make resolutions every year. It's a joke - for 2 weeks, we all hit the gym, but by President's Day, it's empty.... I often make nebulous resolutions, but this year, I'm making a few concrete ones... I'm taking it one month at a time, so for the month of January - here they are:

1) Eat vegan for the month of January (with several pre-planned breaks for specific events).

2) Not order takeout for the entire month (a high-stress job, cold weather, and NYC living make this a true challenge, but I am determined for my health and financial management to kick this habit).

3) Watch one Italian movie per week (I used to speak almost fluently but have let it slide terribly. Spending a week in Venice last year had me speaking like practically a native by the time I landed back home in JFK.    So this year, I want to do enough to at least keep the rhythms in my head).

4) Take a samba dance class (this is the wild card/fun resolution.  I kinda fell in love with this music in Rio and am determined to do something totally different - and heat up this cold, cold January just a little bit).

Ultimately, here are my thoughts on 2013... Bette Davis in All About Eve, "A-men"

So let's ring in the new...