Here's to New Year's Eve plans that don't wind up panning out. This year, I was presented a variety of options:

• a 24-hour movie marathon
• a night of homophobia fun with my brothers and some friends
• dinner and partying at a gay bar with a bunch of gay friends

All were such tempting and juicy options. Oh, but to pick the one best way to end the year 2007 and ring in the oh-eight. Remembering that this is the one and only chance for me to celebrate this occasion, forever, it was important to consider all my options.

Re: movie marathon - I spent two days confined to my apartment in a haze of fever and sickness. And because I wasn't able to utilize any of my brain cells in such a state, I watched movies pretty much the entire time. I'll pass on that one.

Re: "night of fun" - To start, most of the discussion of the evening would, given past precedent, involve talking about how much fun you've had tonight while you're still at the party. When not talking about all of said fun, topics will shift between all the "hot girls" everywhere and the latest and greatest jokes that involve gay guys on barstools. Raucous laughter will, of course, ensue. This one didn't even make it to the top ten for the decision making process. Pity.

Re: totally gay new year! - Dinner at Macaroni Grill and then hanging out at a local gay bar afterward. The best part about this deal: I could spend the evening with my partner, and we could enjoy the company of friends. Bingo.

But WAIT! There's a fourth option:

• relax at home with your honey!

Given the above mentioned options, and taking into consideration the fact that I'm still recovering from, uh, the flu, I opted for this fourth choice. A nice rich Italian food dinner, followed by a few hours in nice, loud bar just didn't seem to be, how you say, "what the doctor ordered." Another time, perhaps. Because hey, New Year's isn't the only time of year to celebrate.

So, how has my New Year's Eve gone? Like this: relaxing at home watching The Twilight Zone with Robert. Going to dinner at a local coffee shop/restaurant. Eating about one-third of my meal. (Which, by the way, only took me, like, an hour.) Going back home. Thawing out. Relaxing some more.

Indeed, with the exception of the extremely cold temperature outside, a truly fabulous evening. Granted, last year we had about two feet of snow on the ground, so in some ways, this is preferable. But. According to weather reports, it was 29 degrees outside when we were out. Which is totally impossible. My chattering teeth and shivering body probably would have provided a more reliable reading of the temperature. Maybe something in the vicinity of, oh, I don't know, Zero Kelvin.

Am I excited for 2008? Absolutely. It brings with it the promise of newness, school of the graduate variety, love that will continue to grow, and much more. I'll not drink to all that tonight, but I will at some point in the near future.