: new years eve, the millennium

i wasnt born tall or handsome or wealthy or with any magical skills

but somehow ive always been very lucky to be surrounded by really awesome friends.

right around the turn of the century i had a great job, a really supportive boss, and my closest friends were in the best rock band in town.

and they were about to fly to spain for ten days to decompress after recording their debut album.

not only did my boss give me time off to enjoy that celebration with 20 of our amigos, but she surprised me with a little christmas bonus that would allow me to take my true love with me.

it was butt cold in Madrid. especially at night which was the only time that we found ourselves awake. my truest and i were in agreement that after the holidays we would break up and move away from each other, but for that last wintery vacation, we would love each other as if doom and gloom were not right around the corner.

thanks to delicious paella, endless amounts of sangria and cheap bottles of wine, thanks to fresh shrimp and late night subway rides, and thanks to several Tsar shows and the promise of a worldwide computer crash called Y2K, we were able to party like it was 1999 (even though it was about to be 2000).

it was one of the best vacations ever. mostly because it was with so many of my closest friends all gathered for some of the best music. and it didnt suck to be so far away from home – as much as we loved home.