Happy New Year!

This is the first event of 2003. I was planning to go out and have some fun, but I lost my motivation in the afternoon rain and by the time I had to deal with Muni, I was in a right mood to stay in.

While I was invited to four parties this year, I just went to bed at 10 like I do every Wednesday night.

Burning Off the Old Stuff

Unity Church isn't really big on ritual, but the few we do have are quite popular. My favourite is the NYE ceremony of the burning bowl. Basically, you write down all the stuff you're ready to get rid of and you burn it away. This year, the minister of my church got flash paper for us to use. Those of you not familiar with flash paper, it's kinda thin and made for magicians and special effects. When set on fire, it flashes with a bright orangey-yellow flame and disappears with no ash or smoke.

It was fun to watch all the people in the congregation toss their burning lists into the air and as the oxygen accellerates the flames, the paper flashes into nothingness, just like the items on the list