I proved it.  Maria is teaching me some advanced Excel (I taught myself how to use it and I don't know the complicated stuff), and I caught an error she didn't see.

Finally I do not feel like an utter moron regarding statistics, too.  Keen.

If I knew that having a particular plastic surgery would make me feel better, even if it would strip me of an attribute that has been part of my identity for about twenty years, should I do it?

It wouldn't be anytime soon, don't have the time to spare yet.  But I'm thinking about it.

but it was probably on my old blog.  I should probably go read through some of that stuff, I bet it would be fun.

But what we've been over before is the death penalty.  In light of the recent execution of Saddam Hussein, I feel I should bring it up again.

Of course the US did not do the executing in this case, and I don't even live in the States - the death penalty was abolished in Canada in 1976.  But it still brings all the feelings to the forefront.

I do not believe in killing people.  I do not believe in "an eye for an eye."  I believe that self-defense is the only - yes, only - reason one person should make the choice to kill another human (note: assisted suicide, in my mind, doesn't count here - I think probably I'm OK with that in extreme cases).  In modern American society, if you rape, you don't get raped in return.  If you steal, you aren't stolen from.  Why, when you kill, are you then (sometimes) killed?  The death penalty has not been proven to be a deterrent.  People have been wrongfully executed.  Take a look at who's been executed.  What do you see?  There's no excuse. 

Saddam deserved to be punished heartily.  Now, he's all done with his punishment, because a government killed him.  It's not up to other people to decide who lives and who dies.  And, though this is beside the point, wouldn't you want him to have to watch what happens to Iraq, all of which is outside his control?  I would. 

Whether it's God, some other entity, or plain old nature which gives us life, no one has the right to end someone else's.  That's what we're punishing in the first place, isn't it?  And the government gets to do it?  I don't think so.

Joey wrote that it's traditional to list your resolutions.

I made a New Year's resolution which was sort of a pact with an old friend, years ago, that's sort of my permanent life resolution.  We both promised to take an active role in creating our own happiness.  We've both done pretty well, I would say, so far.

This year my new resolutions are tiny and half complete already - I had my hair cut last night with an actual style, not a trim - and the other is to get a new pair of eyeglasses, with a little more oomph than my current ones.  I just need a little update.  It'll make a difference, trust me.

Welcome to a new year.

We had a lovely New Year's Eve, a few friends including these two, a bunch of food, half a glass of champagne, and no headache when I woke up.  I'm not drinking much these days because of the whole headache thing.  The TV went on about a minute and a half before midnight, the rest of the night was spent chatting.  We played "guess which four foods Joey won't eat," which is always a fun game.  It took maybe fifteen minutes to get all four. Yes, there are really only four, though two are more like categories, and one item is really two items.  You'd understand if you knew what they were.  And one is an allergy.

We hit a lot of parties this holiday season, more than I ever went to in Boston.  Most of us in Boston didn't have room to have parties, we all just went in groups to bars.  I had a huge Halloween party one year though, and fit far, far more people in my apartment in Somerville than I probably should have.  It was so much fun, and the giant beer stain that should have been under my desk was magically not there when I moved out.  I had met Joey at that point but we hadn't started dating.   Now we've been together three years.  Whee!

I did think about the annual Harvard Law School party, which is an afternoon in the big function room with insane amounts of food and wine.  Working at a company with only nine other people is so different.  We had a lovely holiday party but it's a different animal from the hundreds of people who would pack into the HLS one.

Now, on to the next thing.  The next half year will be concerned with my brother's wedding, work, and who knows what else Joey and I will come up with.  I'll turn 33 in the second half of the year.  As Dave would say, my Rolling Rock birthday.  Better yet, a month later, Joey will be 40.  I admitted last night that we're yuppies.  I finally said it out loud.  Eek.