ugggghhhh... just got home after a HORRENDOUS drive from Wrigleyville out to the suburbs. The weather just wasn't right today/tonight/this morning... whatever this time period was...

ooops... so much for that "Rabbit, Rabbit" thing.... there must be a way around that for New year's celebrations

It started snowing while I was at work (yes, I had to actually work today). The drive home wasn't really treacherous yet, as I stayed on the most traveled streets... thank God for the lack of regular traffic.

Picked up Carol and made our way into the city to Barry & Buffy's. The Tollway and expressway were wet and slow... no traffic tie-ups, just a constant slow speed, which, in the long run, was not bad at all. The snow by us was deeper, heavier than what we experienced by them. I felt good, though, knowing that the weather-critters were predicting the snow ending my 11pm, which gave the plows/salt trucks a few hours to work before we had to make it home.

Don't remember what was on TV all night... with all the conversation, ummm... some of it, ummm... LOUD... it was difficult to figure out what was going on anyway. That snow? Just kept comin'. Kenny kept leaving throughout the night, about every half hour or so just to keep on top of it by shoveling the sidewalks.

Had Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on, as usual. It just seems like the right thing, somehow a tradition...

..ummm... even though Buffy's birthday was just Sunday, somehow I wind-up always getting a cake (mine is Friday), which I always feel awkward about, but... turn down cake? Are you crazy?

11pm came and went... the snow kept coming... changing from light snow, to big heavy flakes, to smaller flakes blowing around...

Midnight came as we watched another tradition of our - putting on Channel 7 (the local ABC affiliate - for "Countdown Chicago") to watch Janet Davies make a fool of herself again. She didn't disappoint. She didn't seem as drunk as we've seen in prior years, but still an awful lot of fodder for our comments (thank you You Tube). The local events that were being covered were just... subdued. The Willowbrook Ballroom’s 68th annual Big Band New Year’s Eve Party? After "Dancing With The Stars", the local experts didn't live up to what we're used to seeing.

Well... it was finally time to call it a night... and we made our slow drive home. Snow stopping at 11pm? No... it's after 1am and still snowing. The side streets were bad. Southport was a little better. Addison was almost a little better. the competition on the streets of revelers attempting to get a cab was fierce - we've never seen so many people hailing cabs on New Year's before. The Kennedy - well, not so bad, though we did see a car spin out in the left-hand lane that wound-up pointing toward us (perhaps a New Year's Eve amateur?) The Northwest Tollway - still not great. I wasn't comfortable even doing the limit, though apparently idiots in SUV's were.

From the Tollway home was actually a bit treacherous.The plows were nowhere to be found. We slowly made our way home - to find our driveway still unplowed. Think we're gonna have to find another service, because this guy isn't doing this well, if at all.

So, we're home safe and sound.

Another year starts, still with all the unknowns awaiting ahead.

Here's to a better 2008!