Well, as of about an hour ago.  I’m a sucker for a excuse to mark a year off – in the absence of any other days in the calendar to attatch importance to, Jan 1st and March 25th, as new year days (and indeed, until 1752, March 25th was New Year’s Day, in  England at least) are big days for me.

So, thanks to anw, alexdecampi, burge, childeric, diffrentcolours,greyeyedeve, lilitufire, stu_n, wehmuth and zoo_music_girl (and my parents, who worryingly, liked the lot of you) for a cracking night out, and I hope to see the rest of you over the next few days, even if the horrors of geography make that slightly unlikely in many cases.

Last December, talking of the previous 2004, I said: “I win.  At everything.  Ever.”

Oddly, I don’t feel the same about having been 27 as I do about 2004, despite the fact that the two were largely coincident.  I’m not sure why.  I’m really not sure how I feel about have got 27 out of the way.  It wasn’t a milestone, it wasn’t an age I’ll really remember, which is, I suppose, as it should be.  One’s age is less important than the times one lives in.  But that lack of memorability does rather cement the urge to do something with 28.  If only I could work out what…  A topic for another time, perhaps, when I’m less drunk and sentimental.

Anyway: cheers for the last year, kids.  It wasn’t terribly striking, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun, and I’m happy to blame my friends for that.

(Oh, and slightly belate happy birthday to tyrell, and a slightly premature (with timezone difference) happy birthday to gregmce.  All the best people are born at this time of year.)