The Diatribe * net

One of our favorite games to play each New Years Eve is to look back to recall the New Years celebrations of ‘ole. As I had mentioned in a post earlier this week, this is going to be the first time in several years that I will not be spending New Years with Mrs. Larby, et al.

So, let me take a moment and play the game.. taking a trip back through the years and recount my New Years festivities for as far back as I can remember. If I am forgetting anything, please chime in.

1998 - 1999: New Years in London, England while I spend a year abroad in France.

1999 - 2000: Quiet New Years with co-workers from Best Cellars drinking $80 bottles of Champagne at our manager’s house.

2000 - 2001: Mrs. Larby makes the trip up to Boston and we celebrate with Jacy, Derrick and a few other college friends galavanting around the city and Lansdowne Street (??). Somehow we ended up at the New England Blood Research Center around 3:00 am to get a bottle of champagne.

2001 - 2002: The crew heads up to Montreal to celebrate New Years Canadian-style. I recall experiencing some of the coldest weather that I can remember, and we tried to take full advantage of the underground tunnels whenever possible to reduce exposure to the extreme cold. Despite buying pre-sale tickets to a venue in downtown Montreal, we were unable to get into the club and headed to a small pub across the street. Brandon-duty was apparently very lax this year, due to the events that occurred at the pub. Highlights of the weekend include: Jen, The Bloody Ear-Kissing incident, and the Candian Leg Lock.

2002 - 2003: Cool Jesus and I head down to Jersey City to visit the Captain and Mrs. Larby down in the New York Area. This trip was my first exposure to the ‘Boken where we went to the Black Bear one evening. New Years Eve was spent at Scaletta’s for dinner (so many old people!) followed by a party at Morgan’s place. Highlights for the evening include: Things that went on behind closed doors, The Jew for Jesus, and CJ in a Powder-Blue Tux (??).

2003 - 2004: This was my first NYE with Miss Possible. CJ and I drove down to NYC while MP came down later via bus. We all met up after a Knicks game, if my memory serves. For New Years, the plan was to go to Toshi’s party at the Puck Building. After midnight, the place became a disaster. Miss Possible split open her chin.. we headed to another party. I’ll leave it at that. Highlights for the evening included: Champagne Slippin’ & Sliding, Naked People, Mrs. Larby’s Coat, Evil LTJ and again.. things that went on behind closed doors.

2004 - 2005: After the chaos that ensued the prior year, Mrs. Larby decided to host her own New Years party in Jersey City. This was a great reunion which included Terrence, Suzi and even James! Proper attire was required, which made things so much more fun. A great deal of fun was had with cigars as well as Mrs. Larby’s computer. Highlights include: The loving of Jeremul, The various phases of tuxedo-wear, and of course the dangers of waking MP.

2005 - 2006: Matty and Mrs. Ballgame played hosts to this year’s celebration. After a few cocktails and dinner at Scaletta’s (So many old people!), we headed over to Mr. & Mrs. Ballgame’s house to ring in the new year. Cigars have become a staple of the New Year and were enjoyed this evening as well. Highlights include: The Videotape, Connect-Four, and Matty Ballgame playing Solo Hide N Seek.

2006 - 2007: Sigh. For the Santa Claran contingent, this will be a quiet New Years as the parental units cannot leave little Bogart unattended for longer than a few hours. Planned activities for today include: Bowling (if it’s open), TGIF Appetizers, Dinner at Chili’s (maybe), Cigars on the Patio, and a bottle or two of Asti Spu.

Happy New Everyone!