Kiss Me at Midnight...

16 days ago we all rang in a brand new year.  And for the first time since being out of college I was ringing it in alone.  Not actually alone in the sense that  I had no one to party with but alone as in single, unattached.  No date, no prospect, no predetermined midnight make out.  I was scared…no, wait maybe  a little terrified.  I know so many people who think New Years Eve is a big waste of time.  Too much hype for one event.  But can’t the same be said for so many things?  Not that I want to go there but look at a wedding for example…you plan, plan, plan and stress the fuck out all for a few hours that are over before you even have a chance to touch your salad.  Despite all that people still do it as people will always still do New Years.

I’ve always been part of the ‘I love NYE’ crowd.  There is something so exciting about it.  I’m not sure where I got this from or when exactly I started saying it but my mantra for NYE has become “how you are now will carry through with you through the year”  In other words if your angry, miserable and argumentative while ringing in the new year expect to find that carrying through the year  If you are excited, hopeful and happy then yep, better believe you’ll experience that through the year.  I know it seems silly but as I review all my NYE experiences since high school I think my theory holds some weight.  I know it was definitely the case back with dipshit when I would find him always being a piss ass baby on NYE.  We would get into little tiffs during the night and even though over all I’d call it a success the fact that he couldn’t even pull it the fuck together for one night and just be easy going and happy I always found it would resonate with us for the rest of the year.  And like clockwork, we’d be broken up by summer.  Call it coincidence but I think I’m onto something.

Well, I was so worried about this year because it would be different and I had no idea how I was going to handle it.  I was determined to have a good night and as the day approached I became more and more optimistic the evening was going to kick ass.  When I got a call from my college roomie Cheerbear saying that she and a friend were coming to NYC to join in my festivities I was ecstatic!!!  I hadn’t seen her in so long and getting to ring in the New  Year with her was going to be epic.

The evening was kicked off at Mama Mexico in NYC for some delicious food and pitcher after pitcher of sangria and a few margaritas for good measure.  Then we all headed over to the party.  We walked along the streets with stolen balloons in hand causing quite a scene.  This wasn’t going to be your typical apartment party.  There was beruit (beer pong to the rest of you…but they are two different games so I refuse to use the wrong term), a full bar which was completely stocked as well as a ton of food/dessert and excellent music.  There was even a disco ball in the middle of the room.  And the night progressed.

There was one guy there who I could honestly say was cute.  He would have been midnight kiss potential except for the fact that he’s hooked up with a fairly decent number of my friends in the past…no go.  So as the ball began to drop and we were all counting down Patches knew to come find me.  Three, two, one…and the kissing began.  I kissed Patches, Cheerbear and at least three of my other friends.  I rang in the New Year being a total lip slut…is this my fate for the rest of 2011?  I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Once the bubbly was popped and poured I took control of the extra bottles and became the official advocate of “Champagne to the Face”.  If you haven’t done it go out right now, (no I don’t give a shit if youre at work) buy a bottle of champagne and put it to your face and chug.  It’s fabulous, fun and delicious.  It makes you happy and it makes me happy to watch.  Now don’t you feel better? I know I do.

Fast forward to about 3am and we are getting ready to hit the bar.  While Cheerbear, her friend and I are in the cab I notice her starting to get upset.  Turns out her douchebag ex…who is even worse than my dipshit ex…was texting her (she blocked his number but he apparently got a new one and was using that to contact her…psycho!!!).  By the time we get out of the cab she’s in tears.  We head into the bathroom at the bar to help her pull it together when Cheerbear realizes her phone is now MIA.  So, now we’ve got tears and a missing phone…fuck.  As we scour the bar floor and the bathroom I begin to think the chance is she dropped it in the cab.  We head outside to check the street.  When we pretty much lost hope this adorable guy stumbles up to us…he takes one look at Cheerbear’s face and says with the biggest and brightest smile…”Why so sad?  Turn that frown upside down.”  To which none of us could stop from cracking up.  I immediately love this guy.  We proceed to explain that Cheerbear lost her phone and to top it off her ex was being an asshole.  To which he replies “Are you just telling me you lost your phone so I can ask you to give me your number to call it and see if anyone answers and then use it to call you this week to take you out for lunch??”  WHAT?  This guy is hilarious and totally what the doctor ordered at this point.  Cheerbear is smiling and laughing and things are looking up.

We tell him we’re heading back across the street to the bar and he should join us if he wants.  To which he replies “I’ll come but only if you three let me buy you a round of drinks.”  Um, done.  You don’t have to twist my arm buddy.  Once inside this guy is like a ray of sunshine.  Totally a social butterfly, totally a flirt and just all around totally a blast.  We find a table in the back and cue the dance party between sunshine and Cheerbear.  They are singing their hearts out and dancing like no one is watching.  Except I was and documented the whole thing.  Eventually our new friend had to leave but not before he not so discreetly scrambled off to the side to write an adorable message on a napkin for my Cheerbear.  He slipped it to her, said his goodbyes (I was so sad to see him go) and was off.  The note said “Call me for a fun lunch” with his name and number.  I really wish Cheerbear lived here so she could follow through with this.  Bummer.

While I may not have had any luck with the men on NYE seeing this guy get my Cheerbear to do a complete 180 with such ease, charm and such beautiful spirit was the perfect end to the night.  This is why I love NYE and I love NYC.  You don’t get experiences like this just anywhere.  If something so awesome and so random can happen on a street corner at almost 4am…call me crazy…but I have a lot of hope for this year.  2011 you’re already kicking ass and taking names!!