Let’s Get This Over With

15 years ago, as the clock was nearing midnight, I spent my New Year’s Eve dancing on the seats of a booth at Bill’s Bar. I felt damn good, on top of the world…or at least one small vinyl piece of it. At 22 years old, and newly into my drinking career, Bill’s was an education for me. (For example: that night I learned that even an apparent “sure thing” can be lost to the gods of drunken vomiting, as I watched her run for the bathroom and out of my life forever.)

15 years later, with an upcoming New Year’s weekend that promises to easily eclipse that night at Bill’s, I feel I’m more looking forward for it to be over than looking forward to it. It’s funny how times change. Don’t get me wrong, I have some pretty excellent plans—in fact, the entire weekend is more or less booked—but I’m not looking forward to the tiredness, hangovers, and generally feeling crappy that’s going to fall in between.

I suppose it’s only right to cap off what seemed like a pretty busy year with a pretty busy weekend, but it does leave me wishing for the easier NYE celebrations of the past few years: an apartment, some drinks, friends, and the inevitable late night INXS dance party. Simple. Cheap.

I suppose that’s a factor as well: the money. This is going to prove to be an expensive weekend, I’m sure. But at least it’ll be a lot of money spent over the span of three days.  Not like those days gone by when I would spend $50 to get into Axis (which didn’t include drinks save for that mythical “free champagne toast” at midnight which never seemed to materialize), or the one time I spent $75 to get into Avalon. (The highlight of that otherwise unmemorable night was not the 30 second welcome in the new year speech made by special guest, Ron Jeremy, but the beeline he immediately afterwards made for the door with a blonde bimbo in tow and I’m sure some ridiculous appearance fee in the bank.) Those types of options still abound, and I’m glad I’m no longer interested in them.  I’m quite happy with the $14.75 ticket price for my evening, and even that could have been $10 had I not been too lazy to walk 20 minutes to the venue and buy the ticket there instead of buying it online.

So what am I doing this weekend? I’m glad you asked.

Friday night starts off with a pre-New Year’s Eve party at some friends’ apartment in Quincy. Cost: the price of one 12-pack of beer. That will be followed up with some hair rocking with Backstage Pass over at the Varsity Club. Cost: depends on how much I drink from their often disgusting tap lines and how many times the word “shots!” is uttered.

Saturday night consists of a New Year’s Eve pre-party (not to be confused with the pre-New Year’s Eve party mentioned above) at some friends’ apartment in Arlington. Cost: nothing. From there, it’s off to the Middle East for Mellow Bravo, Cocked n’ Loaded, Township (who coincidentally happen to currently be my three favorite bands in Boston), and two other bands I know nothing about. Cost: my sobriety, my shame, my voice.

Sunday will consist of gathering up about 20 of our closest friends for the second annual pig roast at Citizen Public House in Boston, because there’s no better cure for two days’ accumulated hangover than by stuffing yourself full of delicious pig, sides, and of course more booze.  Cost: all the remaining money in my bank account, plus a second mortgage taken out on a house I don’t even own yet.

Monday, I predict, will consist largely of a quiet contemplation into the nature of vomiting and how to prevent it.