Apparently I will be spending the new year in lovely Sheffield, at a party with my sister's trashy friends. Exciting.
I will be flying over to the other side of the country to visit two of my best friends and partake in a ridiculous bender, phase 1 of which will be attending this: Last time I went to Melbourne with these friends, we didn't sleep for about 4 days and I was almost certainly legally insane by the end of the trip. I am excited.
I have an exciting NYE planned, I can't wait! I will have a nice dinner with my wife. Probably hot dogs. Then, I'll have some coffee while I play a video game and she watches the crap she watches. I'll make fun of Dick Clark for about 5 minutes and told that I'm an insensitive asshole. I'll go back to playing video games. I'll take the monster out at 10. 'Monster' is a euphemism. For my dog. I'll have some ice cream, at this point, the wife will be asleep. I'll read, stay up until about 12:15, and fall asleep with some shitty movie on. In other words, same as every night. I did all the crazy NYE shit already, and it was fun, but I enjoy my low key evenings now. To the rest of you with big plans: hope it works out and is a great time for you and your friends. Stay safe.
For the first time in...ever...I will have the perfect storm of: 1. No children. 2. No period. I've been on my period for New Year's since...forever. 3. No work. Two years ago, we went to the bar and rang in with Kevin Fowler. Last year we laid in bed all day and watched Lonesome Dove. This year? I'm at a loss. His friends in Dallas will want to do something, and if he wants to go, I'm totally fine with that...but I won't go. We'll see. I don't like big crowds, and I don't like being bumped into. Maybe somewhere with fireworks.
NYE used to be a big deal because Mrs. Noland and I started dating on New Years back in 95 to 96, but over the years that's sort of faded away. For the past couple of years I just drank too much and staggered out to the levee for the fireworks and then went to sleep, but since I quit drinking, oddly enough, I go to bed far earlier, so this year will probably be one big pathetic pile of nothing.
I usually hate New Year's Eve and always opted to work when I was in the restaurant business. Made a ton of money, drank for free, and didn't have to worry about anything but getting the champagne out before midnight. I always find the holiday so full of unnecessary pressure...like if you're not doing the exact right thing that night then your year is going to suck donkey ass. I like being away from amateur drinkers, overpriced liquor, and squeally girls in sequence. Last year I went to the three-night-run of Phish at MSG. It was the perfect way to celebrate. We danced, sang, drank, and just had a great time in the usual chaos of a Phish show. One of my favorite memories of all time because we were doing what we love to do all year, it just happened to turn from 2010 to 2011 as we did it. Just sheer bliss. This year we had plans to go to Widespread Panic and mirror the fun we had last year only dirty Southern style. My participation in those plans have since fallen through so instead I'm hijacking my whatever's apartment (while HE'S at WSP--jerk) and throwing a party with some close friends. Paying 15 bucks to throw the Phish broadcast up on the tv and dancing the night away in my pajamas while drinking champagne from the bottle and laughing with my friends. Creating our own madness inside away from the madness outside. So excited.
Plans are vague at the moment, but I may wind up just inviting myself to my buddy's place in Chicago. Probably the two best NYEs were when I was in Chicago. The first was a big bash at his apartment where random folks were filing in and out all night. Drinking Maker's, chatting with new folks, spending time with my best friends. Awesome experience all around. Second time a group of us hit up this nicer Asian restaurant which was BYOB. My buddy's gf (now ex) drank too much and we wound up just heading back to his apt and drinking there while watching Blazing Saddles. Loved it. I mean, I felt bad for the gf, but I was perfectly content not going out. Like most, I loathe clubs, and don't really feel like getting buttfucked on liquor prices at bars. I can just buy a bottle of Woodford or Maker's and be set for the night.
I'll be venturing out - all the way to the end of our street, where our neighbors are throwing a party. Should be a great time. Beginning last Saturday, when we started drinking at one house and moved the festivities over to my house, there will be party a weekend through New Years.
Correction, drinking *tap* water is for poor people. Bottled water is letting everyone know you have the means, you just don't want to. Like couture and luxury cars.
Oh, not public transport! B-b-but there's black people there! And POOR people! And it's just so...public! Next you'll demand he puts his balls in a purse so his future wife can...oh wait.
FOCUS: What are your NYE plans? Are you one of those people that go Full Retard for NYE, or prefer to just stay in and away from the chaos?[/quote] I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing. Two options: 1. Stay in town and celebrate a friend's 30th birthday. She wants to go out with a bunch of girls. It should be fun, but I've never been a huge fan of super big crowds and not being able to get a cab/drink. 2. Go to Galveston with a group of friends who are renting a house down there. Either way, it'll be fun.
The last couple of New Year's were pretty good. I was on vacation both years. This is the first year I'll be single and not out of the country in quite a while and I don't really know what exactly I'll do. I do have one tradition that I'm sure I'll keep up: getting really depressed about another year passing, feeling like I haven't accomplished anything the last year and that I'll never accomplish anything. It's a solid past time, it goes well with alcohol and you can do it alone or with other people.
Turn that frown upside down. What I love about New Year's is celebrating that this awful year is over (if that's the case) and the holiday represents hope and optimism that things will turn around for the better. I love the idea of getting a clean slate, even if it's an imaginary, superficial one.
Last year, my friends insisted we go to an ultra-trendy hipster gala instead of the party organized by one of our college buddies. It sucked as much as you would expect a hipster gala to suck. My favorite part of the whole night was drinking 40s in line to ring in the new year, because obviously we were still waiting in line at midnight. They all seem to collectively forget how atrocious that was, because once again, they are complaining about going to a party that will be full of people we know from college. Holy fuck. New Years is not the night to try to meet anyone new.
My little group always does a feast of a dinner party on NYE. The core group is five of us girls, plus significant others and usually somebody's friend or two that happens to be around and without plans. It is traditional for she with the newest living situation to host (for those unfamiliar with the female WASP/Yuppie, she likes to show off her home decor, particularly if it's new), so this year it's my BFF who got married and bought a condo. The menu is as follows: -oysters -crab salad -roast goose -potatoes cooked in goose fat (BEST. THING. EVER.) -brussels sprouts, likely with bacon -cheese course -chocolate salted caramel layer cake (baked by yours truly) -ocean of wine -gin cocktails likely We always have a goose, which started with my foodiest friend wanting to try cooking one because she never had, and then she kept wanting to make tweaks to get it right so we kept doing it and really none of us could now do NYE without goose fat potatoes. This year she's going to confit the legs, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I should also note that this menu represents cutting back from last year, when we also had steak tartare for an appetizer and the first course was Julia Child's crab bisque which is possibly the richest thing I've ever consumed in my life. I kind of wanted to die, even though it was amazing. It is, in my opinion, the best way to spend NYE ever. No crowds, people we like, food and booze for days. It's just comfortable and happy and warm and everyone drinks way too much without realizing and spends the entire night laughing. My husband and I also have dibs on their guest room. Score!
I plan to be safely indoors by 9 p.m. on Amateur Night. Where we live, it gets dark early, it gets cold and icy, and there are always two or three new crosses on the main road through town after New Year's from drunks sliding off the road and killing themselves. Fuck that.