Be Excellent To Each Other

Does anyone care much about New Year's Eve? I used to, but these days I dunno, I think I'm just getting old Best one for me was actually the 1999/2000 one, as the party I was at really went for it, and people made an effort and for once it lived up to the hype. Other years, mostly just ends up as a house party of some description.

So, what are people doing this year?

I'm going to Wales. Our friends parents have a new holiday home and we're the guinea pigs!

Fuck all this year.

Yeah 1999/2000 was an awesome one for me too.

1999/2000 was indeed awesome. I had an electric blue suit.

Going to my mum's this year. Oh.

I'm watching a load of films with some pals while eating & drinking & being merry. I was swithering about an evening of cheese, wine & techno but that's my summertime thing.

1999/2000 was a good one for me too. Me & 2 pals went to a party in a big fancy house down at Portencross & attempted to drink the place dry. We would've succeeded but the host's daughter stopped us from mixing fancy malts with cola

Party at a chum's with the bottle of JD I got for Christmas. Possibly making the trip to Leeds for the Boro game on New Year's Day though, so might have to take it steady...

Bugger all this year - no babysitter.
An evening in with Blu-Ray and wine I think.

I'll be doing something, but winging the whole thing.

Nothing here, been treating it as another night for some years. Can't remember the last time I went to a decent NY party. Even the 1999/2000 party we went to was crap due to an overbearing host and HC, Carys and my bro' (who was with us at the time) all had 'flu. But it was in Holborn so we walked to the Thames for the firework display which was EPIC.

It would be nice to do something like have 8 or 10 friends round for dinner, but unless you can put them up comfortably then getting around London is eye wateringly difficult and expensive after midnight on that night. That's IF you can get 8-10 friends prepared to come to you in the first place.

Nothing here.. just a chill out. Haven't had a drink since Christmas Eve and don't really have the urge to either.

Hosting a Hollywood themed party... I am Clinteastwood... my girlfriend's son is a hotdog..

I have never really been bothered about new year's eve, but it can be a handy time to catch up with people, as otherwise so many insist on doing boring things like jobs and families instead, especially at christmas. Last year was fantastic, one of the best nights of the year. I had a party with my lovely new friends who helped me out after the Becuntening. Everyone made some food (mine was, naturally, cajun chicken), and we twatted about with various instruments and silly party games until everyone went upstairs to our various rooms to have unusually loud and concurrent sex.

This year, iono. I'm still just glad to have some time off, so will probably stay in, get on the phone and watch a fillum. Might go see a friend in town, but not sure.

Nothing. I've got some cheese, some pate, some wine, some crackers and some bread. We're going to indulge and watch some movies.

In Wales. We arrived at the cottage a day early so it is all ours! For one night. Can't be bothered to light a fire as too late.

Lit the fire anyway.

As we were first here by 24 hours, we got the pick of the rooms.

Round a friends for beers. And probably cake.

Going to bed, probably.

Yep early night for me got a 4am drive to the airport

I plan to go all emo.

Nothing much. Might see if we can stay awake until past midnight or something outrageous like that.

Offer to look after friend's babies so they can go out - not only is this a jolly decent thing for you to do, but they will owe you next year.

This is what I'm doing.

We're going to my parents this year, as the two times I had planned to visit before christmas, the snow came down. I reckon its something like 16 years since I spent NYE at my parents.

Probably be going to the low-rent indie night of champions, Twisted by Design, in Cardiff. The people there are alright and the music is good and it's sort of my regular. The following day will be board games and mulled wine at a friend's house. Not terribly thrilling, but there you go.

I used to for the years 2000-2006 go to various cottages with old friends where we'd indulge in Halo, whiskey, Cranium and (mostly) hiking in beautiful and remote places. The best one was 2000, where we went and stayed in a sleeping barn in the Lake District above Glenriddig. Accidently set fire to a table. It was also the first time I bought whiskey, bringing one bottle of Talisker and one Craggenmore and a box of luxury mince pies - all to share. Probably the most popular I've ever been, that night.

Next year I'd like to do something epic again. I've already got plans brewing of cool stuff to do this year. But New Years Eve I predict will merely be fun, and not awesome. Ah well.

Oh, and good call on the babysitting notion.

best one for me was 98/99 or 25.06, nicecircus party then.. most often it is just a party that has too be fun because it is so bloody exoensuve.. after getting kids i normally spent it at some friends with kids too, this time with 5 couples or something.. just eating the dutch delicacy oliebollen and having a bit of a chat

What if nuclear war breaks out in mid-summer and everyone is killed? EH?

/re-evaluates life

I've offered to baby sit, so I'm happy.

I don't think we've got anything planned for tomorrow night now. There was talk of going to a friend-of-my-girlfriend's gaff for a small NYE party, but I'm not sure if that's still going ahead or not.

If it is: great! I can take along my Lego Creationary board game and finally get to play it!

If it's not: great! Myself and the missus can sit in with crackers and a multitude of cheeses.

Either way, should be a decent enough evening.

I'm now in the process of actively avoiding doing anything tomorrow night. I quite fancy sitting in on my tod.

You have to be not all emo to go all emo. HTH HAND

Cooking a rib of beef for me and my girfriend and maybe watch some movies.

Chinese takeaway and a quiet night in with the missus in honour of my favourite scene in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd.

*a bit gay, yes

I used to make an effort for New Year's but it was also too cold, too expensive and too shit. I hate that whole linky arms thing. I'd rather get fat on Chinese food and make a few calls at 12 o'clock.

We're going to friends, watching movies and drinking beers*

Me, not the missus, natch

I went out for 99/2000 in Manchester and it was so busy and expensive that I've done house parties ever since.

This year: rocking in Keighley town. With some wine and Rock Band probably.

Surely that'd be a night in with the mister (unless you're female and I never realised...)?

Off to the country pub local with Mrs C and a small group of close friends. They have got a dance marquee sorted and it's really fine dining too - I vastly prefer a top notch, friendly gastro-pub or bistro to any fine dining restaurant anyway.

No doubt I'll get sozzled and make a complete arse of myself on the dancefloor.

Happy New Year everyone!


Cavey

Off to stay with my brother and his kids, not see them over christams as we went to my in laws.

OK. Getting dragged out to a meal with some friends, then seeing a gospel choir in town with some others.

We're actually going out — I'd forgotten about this as it was all so vaguely organised. Off to the local for 9pm then back to a friends for snacks and middle aged mayhem!

C has mentioned something about wanting to go into the West End with some of her friends, and though I'm largely happy for her to do it I can't help feeling reluctant to say yes as she's only 17 and getting home will be an absolute nightmare. So, hivemind, should I let her go or should I say no?

I think I've been out twice for New Years Eve. The first time I was 19 and went to spend it in Swansea with some of my new university friends. We were all a terrible mess by the time we made it in to town, and actually ended up getting a taxi back home well before midnight (when buses were still running). We were in a curry house when it got to midnight.
The other time was a couple of years later, when we went to the pub and then had to walk a few miles back to my friends house where I was staying. I think it's been a good idea to spend all the others either at home, or a friends' house.

Now I come to think about it, I did go out one more time, at a rough guess it was probably three years in a row. This time, I had a couple of friends stay at my parents, and we went out to try and find a pub we could actually get into. This was probably the most successful "going out" new years eve, as we managed to find the most unpopular pub in the world and it was only about 10 minutes from my bed.

99/2000 I'd just got back from holiday, so I was in bed.

I'm supposed to be going to a friend's house for a big get-together. However, I feel like shit so I'm very reluctant to spend my evening that way. But of course I'd be letting people down if I didn't make the effort. Conundrum.

I'd let her go, DB. But, then again, Iknow v. little about that London.

Besides, she's had a very excellent year, and should be rewarded, accordingly.

As it transpires, she's going to a friend's for a sleepover so it's not a problem. I know she's smart, but she's still my little girl and I wouldn't want to be awake worrying about her getting home, which was my main concern. Sigh. To think I was so gnarly about my parents when I was her age, but, having said that my father was a bloody nightmare and would still wait up for me, expect me to call him if I was going to be late even when I was visiting home in my 20's, and that was in bloody Cardiff. I think the crux of the matter is that I discuss my concerns with her, explain how I feel but know that she's becoming more emancipated and you have to let go — I've always been more like that than her mother, so I suppose I'm channeling HC's concerns as well as I have to deal with her worrying when C isn't in/back on time etc.

I think the best New Year's I had was 2001 going into 2002. My bestest buddeh and I went to Metro's in Cardiff and, as we always did, got absolutely trollied and socialized and jumped up and down like maniacs. I think they stayed open even later than usual so we were probably in there until after 4am. Alas, we were standing directly underneath one of the confetti bombs at midnight and got absolutely covered by it, not to mention it going down her top and the back of my collar.

Hell, I remember the phone conversation nearly a week later:
"I'm STILL finding damned confetti when I shower!"
"You too?"

The following day she used her charms on the landlord of our regular pub (the Horse and Groom) as he quite fancied her, and we ended up getting a lock-in, all to ourselves, on New Year's Day! This was quite welcome after wandering around Cardiff bored for about two hours trying to find something to do and everything was closed including Winter Wonderland (which ended at the end of December ffs) as we'd planned to go ice skating.

I know it's a cliché and possibly sexist, but it is factually happening to me right now - she was supposed to be ready at 7:30. She has known the party we're going to is starting at 7:30 for two weeks. She's had ALL FUCKING DAY to get ready if she wanted to. What in the FUCK? WHY? WHY? FUCKING WHYYY?

You're doing it wrong.
For two weeks you should have been telling her the party was going to start at 6:30 and she better be ready by then. If you'd done that, you'd have been in with a chance of getting to the party by, ooh, 8:30 at the earliest.

AH-HA! The party actually starts at 8 (she doesn't know that), but I guarantee we won't be there until half past at the earliest. She's catastrophically late to every meal/party/event we go to. So much so that I'd actually convinced myself the party starts at 7:30 in order to make it sound more believable and possibly get her somewhere on time for once.

Mrs Meaty has no sympathy for you. Unless she's your brand new missus, you've had time to realize this is what she's like and that you should anticipate and plan appropriately.

Or just leave her behind.

Only squares show up on time, man. Fashionably late, innit. And by association, she's making you more fashionable, right now.

Everybody is late to parties. If you turn up early, you set yourself up for some prime awkward silences.