Amateur Night
I heard New Year's Eve called this for many years. My mom and dad, both working in the business, truly saw those who were not used to drinking cavorting and becoming a menace to society on the road.
As a result, I've spent very few NYE's out. Having kids is a convenient excuse. Heck, if I had friends with kids, I'd be offering to watch the little ones if the parents wanted to go out. It's far less stressful to be at home.
So, you ask, did you *ever* go out for NYE? Yes, I did. One year (my first dating my ex), we spent a lot of money to go to a fancy dinner at a place on the North Shore (the Pig and Whistle). It was good, but not 100 bucks a head (in 1985) good.
A couple of years later, I went out again. Our friend Lisa had a party at her house, the dozen or so of us in the crowd met up at her place. It was memorable for a few reasons. Two bottles of 100 proof booze (1 SoCo and one Absolut) were dropped on her tile kitchen floor. Byebye booze. I also took a spill on the ice outside the liquor store. I still have an indentation on one shin from that fall. Finally, Lisa's dad decided the group was too loud (seriously, we were talking-the fact that we were having a good time pissed him off) and kicked us out.
Ed was so drunk, he should not have been driving, but none of us were much better off. He did not remember getting home or dropping Jim off, for that matter. That was the dawn of 1988 and my last New Years were I left the place where I'd sleep for New Years.
Well, not quite. I spent New Year's '89 and '92 moving. My lease was up on the 31st of December when I moved into and out of 212. Other than that, I've hosted parties (quite a few) or been to a party at my sister's house. Back before having the kids, we'd have the whole gang down from NY. They had a place to veg and I didn't have to go anywhere. It was a win/win.
In '92, I had my wrist reconstructed the day before Thanksgiving. I was still in a long arm cast for New Year's. I'd invited the friends down with the annual letter and had promised my famous Eggplant Parmesan. When they arrived, I begged off and Ed harrassed me that it was BAIT AND SWITCH!!!! You can't make people come 300 miles with the promise of Guplant and not deliver. I relented and fried the eggplant with the arm encased in fiberglass. While I did so, Ed and the ex took my 'surprise me' to the drink order seriously and video taped a secret drink concoction being prepared. (Ed also videotaped 'puppy cam', through the eyes of my lab, Bear).
The last party with more than two people coming to our place was the year Gameboy was born. Since then, it's been relatively quiet. I think we're both of the mind that there is no sense spending a ton of money to watch the ball drop on a tv outside of the house.
Yeah, we'd contemplated going to Sea World or Busch Gardens today, but two things made us change our minds. The weather was iffy and we are kinda spoiled visiting those parks without the crowds. Instead, we went out to lunch and got some snack things for dinner and we're playing the Wii. It's 10:30 and the kids are still up, so we may actually have the first New Years that they see arrive.
Happy New Year, everyone!
As a result, I've spent very few NYE's out. Having kids is a convenient excuse. Heck, if I had friends with kids, I'd be offering to watch the little ones if the parents wanted to go out. It's far less stressful to be at home.
So, you ask, did you *ever* go out for NYE? Yes, I did. One year (my first dating my ex), we spent a lot of money to go to a fancy dinner at a place on the North Shore (the Pig and Whistle). It was good, but not 100 bucks a head (in 1985) good.
A couple of years later, I went out again. Our friend Lisa had a party at her house, the dozen or so of us in the crowd met up at her place. It was memorable for a few reasons. Two bottles of 100 proof booze (1 SoCo and one Absolut) were dropped on her tile kitchen floor. Byebye booze. I also took a spill on the ice outside the liquor store. I still have an indentation on one shin from that fall. Finally, Lisa's dad decided the group was too loud (seriously, we were talking-the fact that we were having a good time pissed him off) and kicked us out.
Ed was so drunk, he should not have been driving, but none of us were much better off. He did not remember getting home or dropping Jim off, for that matter. That was the dawn of 1988 and my last New Years were I left the place where I'd sleep for New Years.
Well, not quite. I spent New Year's '89 and '92 moving. My lease was up on the 31st of December when I moved into and out of 212. Other than that, I've hosted parties (quite a few) or been to a party at my sister's house. Back before having the kids, we'd have the whole gang down from NY. They had a place to veg and I didn't have to go anywhere. It was a win/win.
In '92, I had my wrist reconstructed the day before Thanksgiving. I was still in a long arm cast for New Year's. I'd invited the friends down with the annual letter and had promised my famous Eggplant Parmesan. When they arrived, I begged off and Ed harrassed me that it was BAIT AND SWITCH!!!! You can't make people come 300 miles with the promise of Guplant and not deliver. I relented and fried the eggplant with the arm encased in fiberglass. While I did so, Ed and the ex took my 'surprise me' to the drink order seriously and video taped a secret drink concoction being prepared. (Ed also videotaped 'puppy cam', through the eyes of my lab, Bear).
The last party with more than two people coming to our place was the year Gameboy was born. Since then, it's been relatively quiet. I think we're both of the mind that there is no sense spending a ton of money to watch the ball drop on a tv outside of the house.
Yeah, we'd contemplated going to Sea World or Busch Gardens today, but two things made us change our minds. The weather was iffy and we are kinda spoiled visiting those parks without the crowds. Instead, we went out to lunch and got some snack things for dinner and we're playing the Wii. It's 10:30 and the kids are still up, so we may actually have the first New Years that they see arrive.
Happy New Year, everyone!
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