My first thought, when I saw the new #BoW topic, was "I have no plans for New Year's Eve this year. That would be quite a boring post."
To add to the excitement, I thought back to 1992, and realized I was probably in bed by midnight that year. At the time, I was chief of everything at my upscale deli/bakery/catering operation in Brooklyn, New York, and New Year's Eve was the single most busy day of the year. Nearly everyone shopped for their New Years Eve goodies on New Years Eve, and almost no one pre-ordered. We would stock the store to the rafters, and hope we had enough product to last until we closed up shop at 9pm. It was a mad house the entire day. At closing time, I'd have gone home to my 6 month old baby and crashed, long before midnight.
Where’s the post in all that?
Then I remembered a New Year's Eve that was forty three years ago, in 1979, and my post appeared. I hope we can stretch the prompt for this contest to include a year 13 years earlier than the one we’ve been asked to write about.
After obtaining a master of arts degree in mathematics, I went back to my tiny hometown in upstate New York, and moved back in with my parents. Kids then did what kids now still do after graduation—head home for room and board.
I got a job in a bank, which was my very first, and as it turned out my last, 9 to 5 job. I worked in the general ledger department, balancing the whole bank for the day. I really liked the job. The people were all very kind to me. I learned a lot of bookkeeping, which turned out to come in very handy in my future career as head bottle scrubber in a series of food businesses. My favorite tidbit to know was that, if your balance is off by a factor of nine, someone somewhere in the bank had probably transposed two adjacent digits. It was my job to find the transpositions.
My social life was quite bleak. Absolutely ALL of my high school friends had left town, never to return. I was far younger than everyone else at the bank. Making friends proved very difficult. I made one friend, and leaned on her too much for my human contact. When New Year’s Eve rolled around, I knew where she would be going, and hoped she’d let me tag along with her. But, she never asked. While she was at Ernie’s house, I sat at home with my parents, miserable. Later on, I learned that this particular friend was known for being quite mean. I knew how to pick them back then.
I left for Boston soon after that to look for employment as a computer programmer. No laughing from those of you who know just how hopeless I am at technology today!
Let’s fast forward forty three years, skipping over the events that got me into the food business. My parents are both gone from this earth, but I recently moved back to my hometown. I bought the house my aunt and uncle lived in, which was a short walk from my own childhood home, and was a house I spent quite a bit of time in; my cousin Peter was born just a few weeks after I was, and we were close throughout high school.
The town has not gone overboard with covid restrictions, which I like very much, and you might even think that nothing was amiss at all if you didn’t open the newspaper or listen to the news. But, even though I know a great many people in this town, I still have no good friends here. Not a single person has mentioned New Year’s Eve to me. It looks like I’ll be spending this New Year’s Eve home alone too.
What a difference forty three years has made! Absolutely none!!!
This is my entry to The Silver Bloggers Community's current Blog of the Week contest.
If you are young at heart but getting up there in years, check out the Silver Bloggers Community.
footer by our dear SilverFish, @mondoshawan
A treasure in our midst goes unnoticed, unappreciated... people should be competing for the honor of who gets to have Stacey at their New Year's Eve party! The invites should pile in you should be debating which one to accept.
Everything in this post is worthy of highlighting, reacting to - and I'm nine days late finding it. I'm one of those blockheads overlooking treasure at my fingertips.
This made me laugh:
And the irony of a "master of arts" degree in math.... but, but, math is elegant, math is truth, math is God, and aside from the [daunting, to me] accounting aspects of it, math is art and beauty. I'd love to have the acument to deduce this:
Like you, I find myself alone even when in the midst of a community. No one is pounding at my door, seeking my attention, my advice, my wisdom. Money is what everyone wants. Most of my mail is from Kohls, thanking me for patronizing them, telling me how VALUED I am as a consumer. Someday I'll write a story about a woman and her mailbox, and the surprise twist at the end is that she is beloved by.... A DEPARTMENT STORE!
I'd love to spend New Year's Eve with you in New York, in your hometown, in the home that goes back to your childhood and your cousin Peter. (And with Freddy!)
Today our son heads back to Mexico. We are in the throes of a winter weather advisory. Cold and blowing snow and noisy winds to see him off to the land of sunshine and honey (or something as metaphorically sweet as honey). Better get offf the pc and get ready to see him off......
I seek your attention, your advice and your wisdom!!!! I DON'T WANT YOUR MONEY!
That idea for a story is wonderful. I adore it!
Few people read post as closely as you do. @futuremind does. I am so lucky to have found the two of you.
I wish you to find real friends who will not leave you alone during the holidays!
I still have time for New Year's, and all my children will be here for Xmas. Thanks for the good wishes.
The "changing calendar day" celebration never made much sense to me, but I remember my parents allowing me to stay up late that night to watch a giant ball drop in NYC. When I got older, I learned it was customary to have a gf to kiss on the new year - that never happened. Now I'm married (10 years!) and my wife and I don't really celebrate the new year, but I take the opportunity to kiss my wife at midnight anyway.
It's nice you have someone to kiss!
Good plan, she find you kissing someone else and you'd be in trouble!
😆🤠💗
I understand too well that the food business means you'll be working extra hard on New Year haha. I think I would like to be in your town with no overboard restrictions.
Any how I hope you are okay with being alone on New year. I don't take these occasions too seriously, but I've never been alone for it. I'll be working though.
We are in the same time zone I'll think of you at midnight and make a toast to you.
Do you work in restaurants or catering?
I don't mind being home alone that much. Once the kids started coming, I always drove home before midnight anyway. I don't trust anyone on the road after 12.
But I'll also think of you - we can have an invisible virtual toast with each other at midnight. If you're in catering, you'll be standing still watching the guests raise their glasses and kissing each other, and take a tiny break.
I'll be home early. We are doing deliveries only that night. I won't have to see that display from guests haha.
😁
Thanks for the groovy footer!
With pleasure! Anytime!
One News Years' eve that I will never forget, We were in our thirties, pompano fishing at night, this was before the net ban. We were in the ocean, close to a public beach. We each had a pompano in our hands, picking them from the net when the people on the beach came to life and fireworks were being sent up. That told us that it was midnight. I told my husband that we were starting the new year with gold in our hands. Pompano has a gold color and they are the most expensive fish that we catch.
Hands full of gold indeed! It sounds like a nice night.
yes, it was, this tells how exciting my New Year's Eve has been.
I'd rather be out on a boat, hands full of gold, fireworks on shore, than at any party!
what a great anecdote, @myjob -- working when everyone else is partying - but I'd say you chose the "better portion" and I love the image of gold in your hands (as opposed to the hangover and wasted money everyone else faces). I'd say it's #intoxicating to be productive, not wasted!
Thank you for your insight.
A wonderful slice of American life. Beautifully told.
Thank you my newest friend and fellow writer!
What a memory to reminisce 43 years ago. And I hope you will get to enjoy New Year's Eve with your virtual friends at least :)
I've had quite a few virtual friends offer to toast with with me in mind. That's very comforting. I didn't mean to complain or fish for sympathy with this. I thought it was funny!
I just felt you are a very busy bee during the occasions so virtual toast could be fun😁
What a difference that comes with time!
Even while alone, I hope you enjoy the season to the fullest 🥂
I'll make the best of it. Thanks.
Oh boy digging up the past is like dragging out memories, much the same then as it is now. Well 'constant' must be your middle name!
!LOLZ
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@owasco, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of @joanstewart
Use the !LOL or !LOLZ command to share a joke and an $LOLZ. (1/2)
Yes, I am very constant, that's true. Nothing capsizes me. Thanks for the LOLZ!
As we did then we will do again, go to bed around eleven to rise early for beach walk the next day.
We stay in more often than not looking after dogs that are terrified when fireworks explode around the neighbourhood, hopefully fully banned this year, or there is no money available to waste.
Yes the animals! My last neighborhood was horrible. Hopefully this one will be tamer. That everyone has a tiny back yard like mine can't hurt.
Working in the food business is hard work indeed! I did part time catering years ago, loved it but was pooped by the time I got home.
Our new year will be quiet and I'll be thinking of you, but hope you're not going to be alone. Otherwise it can be a Hive New Year's Eve virtual party😉
Great #bow response @owasco🥰
Thank you Silver-Blond Lizzie! I won't be all alone. I live with my son. And I haven't spoken to my neighbors. Maybe they are all saying "Not one person has said a thing about New Year's Eve" too!
With Hive a keyboard away, I am never alone. Thanks for being in my world!
Working in the food industry around the holidays must be tough. We will spend a quiet new year here. I hope you will get someone to celebrate it with, even if it's only for a toast. If not, there is always the possibility of a virtual toast. Cheers!
I was always working whenever most people were sitting together eating, especially on holidays. I'm glad that's over. I won't be alone, I live with my son.
This is exactly the kind of contribution...funny how the more things change, the more they stay the same...
Could have something to do with our being who we are, over the years. I'm not a big fan of large drunken parties anyway. Unless there's dancing. I love to dance.
Me, too! Love dancing...
If you're in the Tulsa area, come on by...my wife and I'd love to see you. We always toast in the new year, but that's about it. Last year was the only year we missed because she was in the hospital. She's doing much better now
We can play cards, and watch the ball drop.
I was happy to find you here, and not just steemit!
👍🤠😆🥳