After Midnight

Cue Eric Clapton...

I'm not much of a new year celebrator.  I don't find it all that different from any other day with the exception that for the next few weeks I will on occasion incorrectly write down the previous year.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do this year.  I could make my way to the South Side and partake in one of the various musical celebrations.  That would involve driving which I really preferred to avoid.  I could stay in the Main Street area popping into different venues.  Or maybe I could do none of the above.

I always had the thought that it would be cool to go running as soon as the clock hit 12.  I never actually did it.  It hardly seemed like the greatest idea when you live in more rural areas with few sidewalks, dark streets and drivers who I rightly can assume might have been imbibing earlier and never expect to see someone jogging on the road.  The thought didn't cross my mind this year until I noticed in the paper, that day, all the events taking place in my area.  If bars and restaurants were going to stay open late then all of the town would still be quite lively even after midnight.  Might be on to something now.

I had gone to work early New Year's Eve (to get out early) and stayed out and up a bit later than normal the night before.  If the plan was to at least make it to midnight and possibly run I was at least going to see how I'd feel as the night progressed.  There would be no strolling around town.  With a few hours to go before 12 I started playing some music to get me in the mood.  It worked quite well.  There was no doubt about my plan now.

Earlier in the day with the idea of going for a run on my mind I tried to guess how many times I would have a car horn honked at me or someone yell out a window.  It happens when there isn't a holiday.  There would only be one way to find out.  I put on my reflective vest and favorite shorts, of course shorts, and headed out.

I made it all of one block before I was greeted by a parade of children and adults walking down Prospect blowing kazoo's and wearing party hats.  This was going to be fun.  It was then on to Broad.  I passed Main Street with little fanfare as most of the action remained inside.  Sometime around Center Street I startled an older gentleman who seemed a bit out of it as he walked on the sidewalk.  I had noticed him a block before I approached as he tried to get the attention of someone else across the street.  He gave a drunken apology as I passed after I believe he might have attempted a roundhouse.  Then it was over the Minsi and passed the casino which was quite busy with traffic.  I stayed down on 2nd before going up to the Hill to Hill.  From there I stayed on the bridge into Main Street which seemed pretty quiet by that time before heading up Spring.

The finally tally was unexpected.  1 car horn.  That was it.  At one point I was starting to hope for some horns.  The only police car I saw zoomed past me with no interest at all I was running at 12:30 am.  I didn't have a single drop of alcohol that night just in case I would be questioned.  Now the real kicker.  I passed six other runners.  6.  Runner runners.  Not people who left the bar in jeans and decided to run down the block.  I had even looked earlier for any groups going out but didn't find any.

Not likely to register another line like this anytime soon.