The New Year January 1, 2008
Posted by Conrad Hubbard in : The Chip , trackbackAs the last seconds of 2007 ticked away, my friends raced to get a TV to actually show the ball dropping in Times Square. We were all at a New Year’s Eve party, held by my friend Mike Todd, and people were spread around the house—drinking, eating, talking, playing video games, and generally having a good time. New experiences and general merriment joined with old friends and new. I had “white chili” for the first time (and it was vegetarian), and Jeff Bishop brought a bottle of Feckin Irish Whiskey specifically because it had an amusing name (someone at the party said it wasn’t that great, but as I am not a whiskey drinker it tasted pretty much like any other whiskey to me).
As the last minutes of the year fled, we were all distracted. Suddenly somebody realized that about 2 minutes were left in the year, and most of us rushed to catch the Times Square ritual. Guitar hero players were encouraged to finish that last game (which I think was being played by Melvin Davis’s girlfriend Tacha), and remote controller comedy ensued. Eventually, the familiar images of Times Square filled the screen, and about 4 seconds remained, 3, 2, 1… Happy New Year!
We returned to other activities, a fire was lit in a low brazier-like contraption on the back porch, and we laughed that we had barely watched that particular ritual. In retrospect, describing the evening doesn’t make it sound super exciting, maybe because it lacked the stereotype White Wolf absurdities. It was fun, however, and it was what every holiday should be: time spent enjoying the company of friends and/or family. I had been surrounded by friends and co-workers for the entire evening, and (perhaps miraculously) scarcely gotten tipsy in the process.
Eventually, sometime after 2 a.m., I drove home to get some sleep. Awhile after I woke up, I carried out another, more Southern, new year’s ritual. I don’t buy into the superstition of this one, but nonetheless, it is tradition: black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, collard greens and corn bread. (The exact choice of greens is apparently controversial/regional, but a kind old lady at the store on the 31st assured me that I simply must get collard greens.) I cooked them all up and had a nice late brunch. It is still strange cooking for one, even though my estranged wife and her kids have been gone since June at this point.
Reflecting on the past year, and the bad times it brought, makes me pretty sad. It is time to look ahead, though. It is a new year, and last night’s New Year’s Eve party was a reminder that I have good friends and a good job, and that the future holds better times for me.
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