A New Year

I am not a fan of all the new year hype about new year/new you but then again, I never have been.  To a certain extent the premise kind of scares me what with the pressure of new exercise routines, new and better eating habits I am told need to adopt from the nutritional experts splashed all over the media and all those resolutions that need to be made to transform my less than sunny outlook on life and turn me into a more positive and self-actualized person.  Rubbish.  The real new year for me happens about nine months later with the start of school.  I have always loved that fresh start from I was a little girl--new teachers, school supplies, clothes (okay, uniforms but they were still new), opportunities to make new friends and to challenge myself by learning new skills.  So you can keep your noisemakers, confetti and lighted ball dropping in Times Square amid the throngs of drunken revelers.  I will save my celebration for the end of summer and the new year of academic exploration that follows.