New Year's Eve - Part 1 (belatedly!!)

Really wasn’t bothered about New Years Eve this year, not because I was a miserable moping cow, but more because I simply couldn’t be arsed!! However, the day dawned, and I thought “Fuck it! Might as well go out and enjoy it!”.

I’d had two main invitations (poor I know!), one to a party at Meg Ryan’s ex/current partner Knightrider, who is also a friend of mine, and another invite to a gathering with my favourite work colleague, Lily’s who is currently pregnant and had very kindly offered to have X for the night. (Y was at his dad’s for a couple of days).

I was in the mood to see where the night took me, so was quite reticent about making any really firm plans, but I loosely arranged to spend a couple of hours with Lily et al and then move on to Knightriders, with the potential to catch up with mate B at some point also.

So, 7pm I took X to Lily’s, where there were about 8 of us. Lots of chat, drinks (not me, as usual I was driving – much prefer the freedom driving brings to the fuzzy glow alcohol brings), and home cooked Thai food later and Buzz on the Playstation makes an appearance. Now, I have to confess, what I know about music you could write on the back of a postage stamp, but man I was quick on that damn buzzer!!! All those years of wrist action must have paid off!

About 10.30pm I get a text from mate JG to say where was I as they were all down the local dive and going to be shutting the doors soon. In the meantime Knightrider had text to say just him and Meg at Meg’s house as everyone else had party poopers. So, a few random muddled texts later and I agreed to go down to the dive, texting Knightrider to say I was still at Lily’s, was going to the dive and would then be up to see them.

Finally left Lily’s about 11.15pm, after a particularly heated round of Buzz (it’s amazing how competitive otherwise rational people get!), and headed to the dive. Doors were still open, and although it was busy, particularly round the back where “dancing (allegedly)” occurs, mates had been in there since 8, so had managed to snag a table round the front. Plenty of chat, beers, giggling, singing, reminiscing, drunken rambling and the countdown began. 10… 9…8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Year!

After several rounds of Auld Lang Syne, enough party poppers to bring out shell shock in any forces man, a free bottle of champers (read cheap fizz) from the landlady for being such regular customers, and a few chaste New Year kisses, it was time to look around for something slightly more interesting with which to celebrate the New Year….