Almost 2010…

Is there a bah humbug equivalent for New Years Eve?
I have to admit I absolutely hate New Years Eve. If I were to name the worst parties I’d ever been to, probably 4 of the top 5 would be New Years Eve and would be the only New Years Eve parties I’ve ever been to. Its not the parties themselves thats the problem, its getting to and from them or its being forced to go to family parties by the other half. I dont have an other half at the minute so I’m at least spared the requirement to spend hours with people you havent spent that much time with since this time last year.
When I was a kid we’d always go ‘first footing’ with some coal and some bread in hand to neighbours and friends. The idea being the first person through a door after midnight on new years day brings symbols of heat and food for the year to come. If they had a lucky year you would be welcomed with open arms, if they had a rubbish year they would peer out the window and ignore you.
I had the reputation of being a lucky kid so was sent up and down the street which was great as in return you got sweets. Everyones a winner.
Good job I didnt need to get a taxi to friends, family and neighbours.
I remember trying to make my way home with a young lady who was helping to prop me up, well in fact we were not so much attracted physically rather we both seemed to repel gravity better as a pairing. I stopped at a taxi rank and when asked where I was going I gave my home address. The response was ‘Im not going there, sorry.’ This did not compute. There is a protocol in engineering called full duplex, thats where both sides communicating can talk at once. Its usually not known in human behaviour but was in full flow now. Obviously this taxi driver was a bus or train driver and didnt realise he had full control over the steering wheel. As a generally sober person I realise the pain people have when trying to rationalise with drunk people but this was entirely warranted. Of course it being the early hours of new years day there were loads of people in our predicament so full duplex doesnt really cover about 30-40 people all standing round a taxi giving their opinion.
The only taxi drivers willing to drive ‘out to the sticks’ (a distance of 11 miles) wanted me to remortgage.
I can see their point, they want to make loads of shorter more lucrative in town runs but do they really think we wont remember this the rest of the year? A couple of months ago I got a taxi to take me to the car dealership to pick up my car and I asked how was business. In the downturn they had been hit hard by people with other jobs moonlighting as taxi drivers, no insurance blah blah blah, tell me about it, I’m a photographer. I had to stop myself laughing though when he complained about people walking, I mean how dare they! Walking when they would have taken a taxi in the past!
Its lighthearted comment but its tough times for most self employed people so hopefully next year will be stable for most but I still think people are better off walking when they can.