Quote of the Day “New Year’s is a harmless annual institution, of no particular use to anybody save as a scapegoat for promiscuous drunks, and friendly calls and humbug resolutions.” —Mark Twain
Have you asked or been asked yet? “What are y’all doin for New Year’s?” It is no simple, innocent question; to the contrary it is a query fraught with uncertainty, tinged with suspicion, steeped in desperation. For on New Year’s Eve, more so than any other day, it is imperative to do something significant and memorable and to end the year on just the right, high note. To fail at New Year’s Eve is to leave a gaping blank space in the part of your memory where the really great times are stored. It is to leave yourself undefended in the face of the ultimate verbal dagger–“man, you shoulda been there”–able only to blank stare in return to your assailant’s slowly shaking head and contemptuously piteous eyes. It is to waste one of that small allotment of days scheduled from the moment of birth as optimum for experiencing pure joy and renewal. The pressure can be overwhelming. The ubiquitous question of the day is more than just a request for information or inspiration, it is a challenge.
As TB reflects on my own checkered New Year’s past, I recall a few good ones, a couple of bad ones, and to complete the cliche, they were most all ugly. But for many years my ARB’s and I redeemed our December 31 mediocrity with a New Year’s Day football, food and beer fest for the ages (not to mention a few infamous moonshine moments). Moderation on the night before could even become a virtue as it allowed one to arrive first to the party, thus claiming the most treasured chair and the honor of flicking the first foam across the room. Scoop was dominant in this category for many years. That party continues, sans Travellinbaen, but with the changes to the NCAA’s bowl system, it lost a bit of its luster.
TB misses attending these celebrations of all the major galaxies of the male world–gambling, debate, one-liners and gluttony. And I miss the occasional challenge to a foot race, or to drink a shot of beer each minute for as long as possible, or if there was moonshine that day, to tackle Waldo in a mudhole.
The crowd I run with these days has its own tradition. We go. In the last few years I’ve rung in the New Year in Kauai, Hawaii overlooking Poipu Beach during a tropical storm, in a hotel room next to the ski slopes in Park City, Utah eating pizza and drinking wine, and in a Breckenridge, Colorado, condo getting the timer of my digital camera to snap our picture at the moment the apple dropped in Times Square and the number “2008” flashed on the TV screen in the background. We watch the red stiletto drop in Key West each year. We discuss the whether to stay up until New Year’s local time, but always decide that once the New Year has reached the central time zone we can call it a night. On New Year’s Eve, we’ve yet to dance at midnight or drink to excess, or even to blow one of those horns that spits out the rolled up paper (what the hell are those called?), and I’ve eschewed football on TV on New Year’s Day in favor of more active pursuits. This year I’ll be at Beech Mountain in North Carolina with more beautiful girls in pajamas in one room than TB once thought possible. At 1, 4, and 7, three of the five don’t yet know the pressure of getting New Year’s right–simply staying up until midnight will be a rousing success for the latter, while the former two will be sensibly sound asleep. I liked it the old way. I like it the new way. But we don’t have a plan yet for New Year’s Eve nor Day. And we gotta do something. Or maybe we don’t. But I gotta decide. The pressure is on. What are y’all doin?
Travellinbaen 
On many occasions I found NYE to be full of pressure and not quite living up to my expectations. Like you, I’ve had the good, the bad and the lonely; moonshine and Dom Perignon; freezing cold and muggy hot. I’ve gotten to where I prefer it to be about a good meal, good wine and good friends. New Year’s Day is all about eating pork roast, rice and gravy, cabbage and black eyed peas at my mom’s and football on TV. Every year my nephews and I have gotten together for pictures since they were old enough to sit still – the yearly transformation is always fun to view. They are all getting older, but I just haven’t aged a bit!
Happy New Year to you and the others on this blog! May we all have learned something in 2008 that we can put to good use in 2009. God Bless and be safe where ever and however you ring it in.
For years, NYE served as a gigantic taunt on the calendar. There it was in black and white; a night on which one had to have a date. Had to. Or you were a bright shining failure to be hung from the ceiling and used as a secondary dance ball for all the world to see.
Thank God I had ugly friends who, more times than not, never had dates either. Actually, if I allow the mental scabs to heal, I’d have to admit that there were only 2 NYEs (that I remember) for which I had no date. But those 2 are seared into my brain like a brand from the URA Loser Ranch.
Now that I’m 124 years old, and because, in no small measure, my neighbors own one of the restaurants in town that has a gigantic NYE party every year, my wife and I attend that party. If we didn’t, we’d sit at home, make sure the Depends weren’t running low, and be in bed by 10pm.
Whether you’re going to get rip roarin’ drunk or read a book, here’s to a Happy New Year to all. (And keep the music down. Some people are trying to sleep for Pete’s sake.)
The New Year’s Day Festivity certainly has lost some of its luster. The party used to start at 10:00 AM with the first kickoff and last until about midnight with everyone loaded up with food and alcohol. Now, people arrive between 1:00 and 2:00 PM and leave at about 5:00 PM wanting to get home before they get too “tipsy” and to get home to get a good night’s sleep. It’s almost enough to make one sick.
Call it the evolution of life. You can’t stay 25-30 your whole life no more than you can stay thin your whole life. It is what it is. I dare say too many folks could keep up with you on a regular basis anyway.
Waiting to the last moment as usual. Most Newyear,s eve parties of the past seem to involve me losing my memory. Don’t party like I used to, however, on New years I am usually as good once as I ever was. Did knelms use the word “tipsy”?………..What a “Nancy” Boy. To him this will probably be the best New Years party of 2009 so far.
sEan,
Note those little double marks around the top of the word tipsy in my post. Those are called quotation marks and are used when the writer is quoting someone else. That means that when I typed the word “tipsy”, I was quoting someone, namely the people leaving at 5:00 PM. If you need further explanation of this principle, please attend a first grade grammer class at Beach Elementary, a third grade grammer class at Eastlawn Elementary or an 8th grade grammer class at Gautier Middle School.
Nelms will kathy be making her delicious sausage balls? Oh bTB the new years day viewing party is down here on “DA Point” Im trying to get my hands on some of Kilns famous monshine as we speak.
Thank God I went to Beach.
Oh yeah, I will be bring the balls.
mad dawg, since you will be attending the party new years day, please make sure to mock Gautier about 4pm, which is about the time fith of crown number 1 will be in me, we will then go out back and discuss, mudhole waiting
Just watching the OK State/Oregon game. Jessie Palmer just said,
“This is one of those games where points are gonna count. Not just field goals but touchdowns too!”
Just boggles the mind. CoachTJ, Have you been involved in many games like that?
not at Biloxi, we dont score many of those points things. They dont use a tight end
Coach,
Why so sensitive about Gautier? it must be Gautier’s inferiority complex with regard to Goula.
Oh, and it’s “Madd Dawg”, not “mad dawg”.
Well everybody, about to head out to the in-laws with the wife and kids to drink and watch fireworks. Just hoping I get to see most of LSU game. Go SEC!! Anyway, may you all have the Happiest of New Years and may the rest of it be prosperous too.
Happy Holidays from the BBRP!!!
still up drinkin…..you guys are gay
not that there’s anything wrong with that
TJ,
you said “you guys”. ba-hah.