Made it through another year, not completely unscathed, but why should 2021 be different than all those other years? A nice hike out in San Antonio during the morning hours. I’ll cover that event at the end of this post. Let’s start out with a recap of the nighttime New Year’s Eve adventures.

I did have an invite to a dinner party out on Baloy beach but I just wasn’t feeling all that sociable. I’d done the late (for me) night on Thursday and after the travel for the hike, I was ready to chill. And yeah, not having a date for what I expected would be a couples event curbed my enthusiasm as well. In fact, as I set out on my planned bar crawl I was in a foul mood and feeling somewhat used and abused. Or maybe just lonely. Well, I figured I could fix that by spending time with some of my favorite bargirls. So I started my evening at Hideaway bar sharing drinks and company with Joy and Jen.

Except it didn’t work. If anything, the shallowness of the interactions just made me feel worse. Clearly, this was the wrong medicine for whatever it was that was ailing me. Finished my beer, said my goodbyes and found myself out on the bustling streets of Barretto once again. Now what? I thought maybe something new was in order and figured that if nothing else, the views from the rooftop bar/restaurant at Central Park Reef hotel would boost my spirits, so I headed off in that direction.

Along the way, I saw that a brand new bar had just opened. I decided to pop in and give it a look-see. It was just me, one waitress, and what I learned later was the owner. I ordered a beer and decided to drink it at the outside table.

The waitress did stand outside with me as I sat and drank my beer. She told me they are going to hire more waitresses and also have karaoke both inside and out. Ah, one of THOSE kinds of bars. No thanks! Too soon to review though. I’ll give it another look when it is fully operational. Finished my beer and departed.

Back on the highway and with the Central Park hotel in view, I changed my mind. I decided to go somewhere more familiar and comfortable. I’d just been to Cheap Charlies the night before, so I decided to climb the steps up to BarCelona. I knew my favorite there, Novi, was no longer working and I had lost interest in the hottie I’d seen there in the red dress upon observing how mercenary she appears to be. Nope, I’d just get my seat with a view and be a solitary drinker. I smiled to myself when the hottie turned out to be my waitress. I could almost see the expectation in her eyes that I’d ask her to join me. Instead, I thanked her, turned my back, and proceeded to enjoy my cold San Miguel Light.

It turned out to be my one and only beer there. When I attempted to order my second SML the hottie returned and said they were sold out. WTF? SML is a local brew that is popular with expats, and I’ve never seen any bar run out. Especially on a Friday night that is also New Year’s frickin’ eve! It wasn’t even 7 o’clock yet. Now, if I was managing the bar, I’d fire the person responsible for keeping beer in stock. And I’d also send one of the waitresses to 7/11 to bring back all the SML she could carry. Instead, they chose to lose a customer. Needless to say, this did not improve my mood.

Back out on the street yet again and needing a new venue to find some holiday spirit. Although I was a little reluctant because of my recent disappointment with Roan, I chose It Doesn’t Matter as my best remaining option. And at least it was nearby. It turned out to be the right call I suppose. Roan was her friendly self and the place started filling up with people I know from the Hash and hikes, so a party-like vibe took hold.

At the beginning of the night, I had no expectation that I’d be around come midnight. But having other people I know there with me made it a matter of pride to not bail out before the arrival of the new year. It was a challenge, but I succeeded. Barely.

Right at the stroke of midnight, I got a “Happy New Year!” message from Pearl. That was surprising. I wished her a happy one as well and mentioned how strange it felt to be in San Antonio again without her. That earned me a heart emoji.

Facebook memories were also powerful reminders of days gone by when I didn’t welcome the new year alone.

So, home by 12:30 and in bed shortly thereafter. It was one of those years, wasn’t it?

To the hike pictures, then.

And now for what I’m sure you’ve all been waiting for:

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for coming here and sharing the tidbits of my so-called life. It’s great to have y’all along for the ride! Let’s see where 2022 takes us.