What were you doing on New Year’s Eve 1999? If Y2K means anything to you, you may have been worried about what would happen at the stroke of midnight. Today’s author had bigger problems to tackle on New Year’s eve 1999, but that didn’t stop him and his friends from making it a wild night to remember.
December 31st, 1999.
I was on the threshold of a new year and a new millennium – and a looming computer-induced apocalypse known as Y2K.
But truthfully, at this point in time the threat of widespread chaos brought on by a massive computer glitch at midnight was really the least of my worries.
I’d already endured a strained and very unpleasant holiday season. I’d discovered a cheating wife. I’d confronted the aforementioned cheating wife. I was in the process of moving out of the house I purchased with the cheating wife only months earlier. You could say 1999 wasn’t my year. But all this drama was finally coming to a close and the process of extracting myself from its vortex was underway.
Needless to say, I was ready for a break. I’d earned it. Maybe I could salvage the last day of the year by accepting an invitation from my good friend Jason to hang out that New Year’s Eve. The get-together, hosted by another friend Michael, sounded like a proper stress-reliever. Or at least a much-needed diversion.
The party was on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. On our way over, Jason and I made a feeble attempt to be thoughtful guests and we picked up a few things for our host. Our contribution to the evening would consist of a few bags of chips and a one-liter bottle of cinnamon schnapps liqueur called “Hot Damn.” Bring on the single guy vibes. It was an uneducated choice, and if I’m honest it was based purely on our attraction to the shiny gold flakes floating freely within the long-necked bottle.
“This looks good,” we said in unison with ignorant confidence, transfixed in front of the store display.
We arrived at Michael’s house. I told myself I wouldn’t stay too long. I had a lot of packing to do back at my house– the house I had shared with my ex-wife. I assumed I’d ring in the new year gathering the last of my belongings and making my final escape, probably shouting “good riddance” over my shoulder. I kept my expectations low for the evening, and just wanted to enjoy myself, if only for a few hours.
Jason and I were in agreement. We weren't normally partygoers, and for the most part we were non-drinkers. At first we snacked, drank sodas, and played pool on Michael’s enclosed porch. I relished the guy talk and the laughter over the games of eight-ball, and found myself smiling for the first time in weeks - maybe even months.
As the hours passed, Michael, who was the drinker of the bunch, brought out an impressive array of beer and spirits. Now, I had little experience with alcohol. I’d been tipsy before but I considered myself a lightweight when it came to drinking.
Jason was the same. The two of us weren’t particularly drawn to the alcohol buffet set up by Michael, but there were plenty of reasons to celebrate on that particular night. And afterall, who knew what was lurking ahead in the Year 2000. Taking our cue from the Prince song, it was time to party like it's 1999.
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