Falling Bullets Do Kill

There is nothing I like more than getting to know new people, places, or things.  I love to drive or walk around New Orleans and study the architecture, people watch fools in the Quarter, and drool over the greasy smells permeating from the numerous kitchens on every block.  However, this is my first New Years Eve in this city and if I am to learn anything from my birthday it is that I will begin participating in celebrations I used to scoff at in the past.  And judging by the groggy hangover that has a hold on me right now I am not one to ever get up and preach on a soap box.  Except for right now.

Tonight, let's drink in celebration.

In a city where overindulgence is part of everyday life I understand that this statement is, well, confusing. Sure, you can celebrate the beginning of a new year with 10 Jameson shots with friends and a 12-pack of High Life, but when you wake up tomorrow on the first day of 2012 with a moral hangover are you really setting yourself up for success?  Did we not learn from 2011 that things are only meant to start picking up and making things better.  Too many years went by where I did not celebrate New Years because to me it stood for crying girlfriends yelling at inebriated boyfriends, overzealous drinking and a coma before the ball drop, and way too many ambient ambulance siren noises.  But even New Orleans has a way of stepping it up a notch, as I listened to on a local radio station:

"Hey everybody, the lineup for New Years bands is looking good, but let's remember that falling bullets do kill people.  So let's not have a re-do of last year and let's keep guns out of the celebration and violence off our streets."

Instead of a birthday cake, my parents graciously bestowed to me a shrink-wrapped filet and a bottle of Garnache wine.  With a side of green beans and roasted potatoes my night will certainly be beginning with a celebration.  A new city, a new neighborhood, a new home, a new family of friends, and a new outlook of optimism and prosperity for my new year is how I will be ringing in this year. 

So whether it is with a "salu", "chin-chin", "slainte", or "cheers", please think to what you are drinking to,  who you are drinking for, and how your celebration can become other people's morning newspaper news with one fatal shot.