Toni Dockter: Filosophy with a Fuchsia Flair

In 1850 Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote:

“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 new.”

Amen, brother. Speaking of which, doesn’t Al look like the Amish man doorknocker?

Mr. Tennyson

Mr. Amish

Back to the New Year. There’s an old saying:

“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.”

Or, you could do like me: Knock back three glasses of champagne (it was for a taste test—really) while watching a Thomas Jefferson documentary. There used to be a time when the thought of not partying on New Year’s Eve was blasphemous. Now it’s a treat.

Quiet and free time: that’s my “cup of kindness yet.”

I fell asleep at around 10:30 PM—again, blame it on the taste test—not Mr. Jefferson, who is a very interesting fellow (farmer, lawyer, violinist, architect, philosopher, slave owner, linguist, writer, diplomat, politician, practical joker, educator, horseman, surveyor, inventor, scientist, Francophile, bibliophile, oenophile and Sallyophile). Yeesh that’s a lot of interests. I don’t think he slept.

I’m assuming 2011 rolled around right on time. Now it’s time for resolutions. I had thought about not flying off the handle as much. However, I was also thinking that might be part of my charm!

Or maybe I’ll follow Oscar Wilde’s advice:

“Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account.”

Speaking of which, if you add Oscar Wilde to Michael Chabon, you get Hugh Grant.

Mr. Wilde

Mr. Chabon

Mr. Grant

Hope y’all have a fantastic — or at least pretty good — New Year.