Dear Diary,

To start with a quote for a year hopefully filled with more writing than ever:

"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think." Edwin Schlossberg.

I rang in the new year with an auld lang syne in full for the first time, tart sparkling wine, noisemakers, fireworks across the valley.

I sketched some hopes and dreams for the ones I love in my diary, and some predictions for the new year with a reflection upon the old. Am I prepared for this year? Heck yes. I've worked all last year for this year to go off smoothly.

I rose relatively early for getting to bed at 3 AM, and went to knit, which I have refrained from for a week due to having over-strained trying to finish Christmas gifts. I can attest that the simple art of knitting can be an occupational hazard, like any other repetitive-stress injury. I could not finish anyway because both I and the store ran out of the necessary yarn.

I also went to my first South Korean Birthday Party, as it was called, and watched a number of music videos from South Korean pop groups. The birthday girl flaunted a bouncy dress that seemed appropriate compared to the culture portrayed.

My diary book says today Alfred Steiglitz, photographer, was born in 1864, and for fun here's a piece of his work:

A Snapshot: Paris, 1911