Cheers to Tony Adragna, who included a warm holiday greeting to everyone in the New Year's Eve edition of the Quasipundit blog watch. What a class act. Mine said "don't go away, Frank." Well, I've been trying; I have to admit, though, it seemed a near thing there for awhile. But after spending today fading in and out , alternating between wishing I had never been born and half-wondering whether I had in fact actually ever been born, I have returned. I think. I mean, I'm pretty sure. As long as nobody makes any sudden movements, everything should turn out great.
I had intended to write a little description of New Year's Eve 2001/2 at the George and the Dragon, Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, but it all seems a bit hazy now. I remember having some kind of conversation with somebody about something or other which eludes me at the moment. There was also some sort of amusing misunderstanding about something, I seem to recall, which resulted in a great deal of laughter at somebody's expense. I think it must have been the Old Speckled Hen. No, that wasn't what the misunderstanding was about. I mean, that's what I was drinking at the time, if I have my facts right. It all seems a bit distant, to be honest.
Mostly, my girlfriend and I just relaxed and talked amongst ourselves. I imagine we had a pretty great time, because we usually do when we're relaxing and talking amongst ourselves. It was a bit like New Year's in an American bar, in that there was a countdown (no TV though) followed by a valiant attempt to sing Auld Lang Syne in drunken unison.
But the spirited festivities didn't end there, and that's where it suddenly got very "English." Auld Lang Syne had barely dissolved into the customary confusion, when everybody returned, in an orderly fashion, to their seats and took a collective deep breath. Then, the patrons and staff of the George and the Dragon, one and all, began to sing the one that goes "my old man said follow the band, but don't dilly-dally on the way." This was followed by the "bicycle built for two" song, "Henry VII," and a series of show-tunes which included "Oh What a Beautiful Morning." There were many more, including, I believe, "the Hokey Pokey" (which they pronounce "Hokey Cokey" for some reason) but I lost the thread soon after that.
I've never thought of "Bicycle Built for Two" as particularly relevant to my life. It certainly doesn't "speak to me" as some songs do. Yet in the excitement of the moment, and through the haze of the Old Speckled Hen, I remember glancing over at my lovely young fiancee and thinking how profoundly true it all seemed: I can't afford a carriage! It won't be a stylish marriage! Forgetting for the moment that I'd be just as hard-pressed to afford a bicycle, I was possessed of a sudden sense of warmth and well-being, the sense of warmth and well-being you get from feeling you are not alone. (OK, maybe it also comes from having had one too many.) If things could work out so well for the bicycle guy, the good people at the George seemed to be saying, there's hope for us all. And she sure did look sweet-- who needs a bicycle anyway? At that point I sort of lost track of the proceedings. I'm blaming it all on the Old Speckled Hen.
Anyway, I hope Tony Adragna and everybody else had a great New Year's Eve. Mine was definitely one I'll never forget. Except for all the parts I can't seem to recall for some reason.