Happy New Year in Finnish is Onnellista Uutta Vuotta. Folks claim that because Finnish is a phonetic language, the words are easy to pronouce. It's like saying that you don't feel the heat in Phoenix in the summer time because it's a dry heat.

My Finnish is limited to a few words and phrases of greeting (Päivää), well-wishing (Näkemiin), and something else entirely (Haistaa napa, or "smell my belly button"). Of course, I had to look up the spelling of these words; I've rarely needed to write them. When my parents wanted to talk about something in secret, they would talk in Finnish. There might have been good reasons for learning Finnish, but eavesdropping on my parents' conversations isn't among them. There are some things that a kid doesn't need to know.

So, a new year. The day has dawned sunny and mild. We don't make resolutions for the new year. The cycle of our years doesn't begin on January 1. Most of the time, our year begins in the spring. For one thing, it's a time of renewal. For another, it marks the time when we spend most of our weekends at the camp, changing the pace of our weeks. And, finally, in April we will have just paid our taxes and reviewed our financial state in the process.

We stayed in last night, enjoying a fine meal of take-out lasagna from our favorite local restaurant. We watched Spider Man II (a pretty good movie) and stayed awake, more or less, until midnight. Earlier in the day, we went with Sandra's parents to see The Avaitor (also a good movie, although not, IMO, the Oscar contender that some have proclaimed).

Today we'll visit my father and tend to chores around the house. It will be a quiet start to this new year. Excitement, in the forms of elation, anxiety, and befuddlement, will find us soon enough.