New Year 20 10

New Year's Eve the party day of the year. Hah! Kissed 2009 good-bye and was in bed at 9; even slept through the fireworks that went off in the neighborhood.

This morning, though, what's on T.V. THE ROSE BOWL PARADE. Yay! I laugh quietly to myself as I remember this parade. I watched it twice in person. Well sort of.
When I was about 16 or so the highlight of my New Year's Eve was to baby sit. Guanteed big money, because for the married couples the evening started young with dinner and went late after ringing in the new year. This particular year, I got a call from my mom to join her and my brothers and sisters, an aunt and some cousins to go to Pasadena. I said yes, I mean, why not. Doesn't it just sound like a blast????? We got down there around 3 in the morning and piled out of the car. The older kids headed out to find some empty space to sit in while the two old ladies parked and found us later. We found a spot at the curbside and hunkered down in the cold of the evening to wait for the parade to start....5 hours later. As daylight broke most everyone around us began waking from their stupors from partying into the wee hours of the morning before we arrived. One of the guys next to us apparently thought we took their spots and started yelling at us to move out. Of course we didnt budge...Before i knew what happened, he was behind me, lifting me by the shoulders of my jacket, and throwing me backwards over his shoulders. Of course the cops came to break up the rest of the party and advised all of us to share the space we had and settle down for the rest of the time. So we did. And the parade was good.

The second time I went with two good friends. We were not quite 20 years old then. We packed up sleeping bags and snacks and took off for Colorado Blvd. It was after dark when we arrived in my little Chevy Vega. Why we decided to go down the Blvd. is beyond me, but we did. Millions of peeps already lined the street, staking out their spot for the parade in the morning. What we didn't know is if they would choose our car to rock and roll ~ a scary thought indeed. We just rolled up the windows and locked the doors. The crowd was C R A Z Y! We managed to get off the Blvd. unscathed, found a parking spot and hiked back to the action. Those not already sitting in the gutter were lined up against the business fronts. Weirdos. Gobs of them! I swear to this day the guy in the black trench coat and sunglasses was Woody Allen...okay, maybe his brother. We got out our sunflower seeds and sodas (yes, we were wild!) and started our own little party. At ten til twelve the rain started. As the clock struck twelve the downpour hit. At ten after twelve, we were packed up and heading for the car ~ soggy sleeping bags in tow ~ leaving the soggy crowd behind. We wound up in a sleezy hotel (even had a red light out front) in Burbank and fell asleep. 8 am....the parade came on tv. we watched for 10 minutes and left for home. e-yep. high times for this kid.

One of these days, maybe, if I ever do go back, I am going to buy a seat in the bleachers. In the meantime, Stephanie Edwards and Bob Eubanks remain quite the hosts of a grand parade ~ on TV.

Happy New Year!