Would it be cliché for my first column of 2007 to be about my New Year's Eve excursions?

Probably.

Am I gonna write about it anyway?

You betchya.

This column is supposed to be about my meanderings through Broad Ripple, the things I see, the people I meet, the conversations I overhear, etc. I can guarantee I stop in Broad Ripple at least once a day, whether to pick up a pack of cigarettes or grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat. I did not, however, spend my New Years Eve in Broad Ripple. Frankly, if you spend so much time in one spot, you're just itchin' to get out - and then once you do, you appreciate that place more.

So ¾ of the Peggy Sues (yes, that would be ¾ of the band I'm in and myself) bought tickets to the Whiskey Tits show at the Melody Inn, another historic highlight of Indianapolis. I had heard good things about the Whiskey Tits, wanted to spend New Year's with two of my favorite girls, and my boyfriend was busy doing his own thing anyway.

And, friends, gather closely. Let me tell you of the bad decision I made that evening.

I don't know if you'll believe it, what with it being New Years Eve and all, but um. . .

Yeah, I had a little too much to drink.

And I leave the really juicy details to the people who were with me that evening. It involved a lot of dancing and singing to the Killers in my house with fellow Peggy Sues, silly pictures with cigarettes, buying bartenders a drink, and introducing myself to people I didn't know. I also missed the Whiskey Tits - I was sort of, well. . . Yeah, I was in bed by midnight, having missed most of the bands that played that night.

That evening, though, made me realize I have people that genuinely care about my well-being. This, too, sounds slightly cliché, but I have the best friends I could've ever hoped to have.

And I don't want you readers to think I'm writing about this to brag about what a great time I had or what awesome people I know (okay, well, I'm bragging a little, but still - that isn't the point). Really, I want you to know that I hope, while ringing in 2007, that you were able to have what I had - lots of music, lots of friends, and just a genuinely good time. After musing about it for a while, I realized that I have Broad Ripple to thank for these people who care about me - I've met them all here in the Village. It makes me proud to be able to write this column for a village that attracts and breeds such good-natured and honest people, people that I am honored to call friends.

So, Broad Ripple? Thank you for my friends, thank you for the people who read the Gazette, and a special thank you to the people who send me mail. New Year's Eve made me appreciate the people who are important to me and where I found them - it made me appreciate the people and the place I can count on. And you might think it silly, a night of drinking to make a girl realize how much she really loves her friends, how much she likes where she hangs out in Broad Ripple, how much she likes her little column. But frankly? I don't care how I came to realize these things - I'm just glad I did.