NEW YEAR’S EVE: we can never decide whether to love it or hate it. Somehow we’re always making grand plans that never materialize — and when things have panned out, too often we’ve spent the evening nine cocktails deep and making out with whomever happens to be sitting next to us when the clock strikes midnight. In fact, some of our best New Year’s Eves have been the nights that we’ve stayed in on the couch with Dick Clark, slugging Champagne with the most random groups of friends. But that’s just us. What about you?
Sabrina Haller
Age: 19
Occupation: au pair
Lives in: Wayland
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I’m not sure, but I think I will be in New York. Last year, I was at a friend’s house in Austria.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? I don’t know.
Best New Year’s Eve? I was on Nantucket, on vacation with my whole family.
What was the best part of 2007? I did a lot of things — I was in New York, New Hampshire, then I was here in Boston. So, all this traveling.
Worst part? Nothing.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. Stay with my friends, have a party, meet other friends in New York.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Play more sports, eat healthier.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? Lose weight.
Aileen Scott
Age: 27
Occupation: HR recruiter
Lives in: Brookline
What are your New Year’s plans this year? Celebrate my two-year anniversary.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Of course — if I’m celebrating my anniversary, I’d better.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. When my plans got cancelled last minute and I sat at home watching Dick Clark.
Best New Year’s Eve? Meeting my boyfriend — I always hated New Year’s before then.
What was the best part of 2007? Moving to Boston.
Worst part? Saying goodbye to all my friends in New York.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. I would go back to Aruba and celebrate it on the beach.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? Edinburgh, Scotland.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, because they’re never kept.
Robby Thomas
Age: 42
Occupation: banker
Lives in: Dorchester
What are your New Year’s plans this year? To spend some time with friends and family. To kick back and relax and make sure we make it to the New Year.
What was the best part of 2007? This was a really difficult year, but a really great year in a lot of respects. Career-wise, it was a great year, and there was some extracurricular stuff I’m involved with that was really good. And the Sox won.
Worst part? That it isn’t done yet — I want to see it leave pretty quickly.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. You experience New Year’s Eve in one part of the world, then fly to another part of the world to experience the same thing in a different time zone.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Tighten up [my] budget, [my] financial goals. Saving more money, paying off [my] bills, looking for new things to invest in.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? I try to keep mine. I don’t think there’s one that I make and never follow through on.
Liz Vancheri
Age: 23
Occupation: CSN Stores, an online e-commerce company
Lives in: the North End
What are your New Year’s plans this year? As of right now, I don’t really know, but a few of my friends and I were talking about going to this restaurant in the North End called Tresca.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? I do not — I just broke up with my boyfriend.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Last year, maybe. It wasn’t really bad — just boring. I went to visit my boyfriend in college and was in a dorm room.
Best New Year’s Eve? Probably being underage and sneaking into clubs.
What was the best part of 2007? Moving to the city.
Worst part? Working from nine to six.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. A tropical destination — that would be fun. With all my friends.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? I would say all of them are really crazy, because you don’t remember them.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Just try to save money.
Kristina Lueck
Age: 19
Occupation: au pair
Lives in: Framingham
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I want to stay in Boston, but I don’t know yet. Last year, I spent New Year’s Eve with my family.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? No.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Too many old people and too [much] bad music.
Best New Year’s Eve? Together with my friends.
What was the best part of 2007? Coming to the United States.
Worst part? My summer vacation. It was a very weird hotel, weird food — was not good.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. Be at the top of a very high building and see the fireworks and everything unfold underneath.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Have a good year here.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? Eat healthier things.
Mook Poontastarn
Age: 22
Occupation: Boston College graduate student
Lives in: Brighton
What are your New Year’s plans this year? Bahamas with my friends.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? No.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Last year, I went to Las Vegas, and it was my worst experience — I don’t like Las Vegas.
Best New Year’s Eve? I never had one, actually, because I always stayed home and relaxed. Hopefully this year.
What was the best part of 2007? My life has been changing. I graduated from college and moved to Boston — I like it a lot. And I broke up with my boyfriend — it’s great.
Worst part? I don’t see any bad parts of this year.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. I want to go home to Thailand to surprise my parents.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? I want to get a real job.
Matt Bucklin
Age: 34
Occupation: restaurant manager
Lives in: Back Bay
What are your New Year’s plans this year? To work.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Yeah, I do, actually.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Being a waiter in Savannah, Georgia.
Best New Year’s Eve? I don’t know — I’m always working. Y2K, I think, was the funnest one, because the world was going to end.
What was the best part of 2007? Getting this job, I suppose.
Worst part? My mother died.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. Not having to work, and having no lines.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? Years ago, when I was in college, I was an emcee in a strip club, and that got pretty crazy.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Stay healthy, I guess. My last year’s resolution was to quit smoking, so I did that.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? To actually exer-cise. I really only run when I’m chased, and that’s, like, never.
Luciano Pio
Age: 27
Occupation: mover
Lives in: Allston
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I’ll be honest with you: lay low, definitely not too raucous.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? No, no I don’t. I’m a single dad, so ...
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. I had a huge break-up right before, so I would say that’s pretty bad.
Best New Year’s Eve? I went to New York, and I saw this band called the New Deal at B.B. King’s in Times Square.
What was the best part of 2007? My daughter was born.
Worst part? A break-up.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. I’d probably go back home to Brazil, Rio.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? My New Year’s resolution would probably be to save money this year.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? Good diet.
Cameron Montgomery
Age: 18
Occupation: baker
Lives in: Atlanta, Georgia
What are your New Year’s plans this year? Partying. Last year, I went to sleep.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Yes — I have a couple.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Last year, when I was sick. I fell asleep, and my brother and all my friends left me at home, so I was all alone.
Best New Year’s Eve? Probably when I was in New York the year before last.
What was the best part of 2007? My birthday.
Worst part? Yesterday — when I got here, the morning of my flight, someone had started a rumor about me, and it’s really shitty. And she’s one of my best friends.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? I want to lose seven pounds.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? Lose seven pounds and get a job.
Alexandra Matteo
Age: 19
Occupation: Boston Conservatory student
Lives in: Back Bay/Fenway area
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I’m going back home. I’ll see my friends and hang out with my family.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Not as of now.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. I don’t know that I have a worst-ever New Year’s Eve. I’m always having fun on New Year’s Eve.
Best New Year’s Eve? Last New Year’s Eve. My boyfriend, one of my best friends from home, her boyfriend, and my sister were all in town — and my parents were out of town. We went around to different stores trying to find the most unique games. We just played games and watched the ball drop. It was really fun and really chill, and it was with all my best friends.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. I would be in New York or Paris — one of the two. Something dressy, and go out to a nice cocktail party with all of my friends. At Elton John’s house. And end the night with a kiss from Matt Damon.
Dave Ladetto
Age: 22
Occupation: marketing
Lives in: Cambridge
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I’m going to go out in Boston, probably with my co-workers or my buddies. Probably be the same thing I do every weekend.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? I don’t know — quite possibly.
Best New Year’s Eve? My parents live in Texas, so I went down there. Texas New Year’s — crazier than here. I heard gunshots going off and stuff like that.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. It would be going in a couple black SUVs to New York City with a bunch of buddies. Having VIP [treatment] there.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? At UMass. I went to a frat party with like 500 people.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? To stop smoking, to be more focused on my job, to move closer to the city, and to see my family more — all the typical things. Floss, that’s a big one.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? To floss.
Melissa Meadows
Age: 23
Occupation: sales
Lives in: Lexington
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I’m actually going to a wedding. I’m going to buy my dress right now.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Yup, my boyfriend. It’s his cousin’s wedding.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. I usually have good ones. I don’t think I have had a bad New Year’s, to be honest.
Best New Year’s Eve? Probably two years ago: it was at the Westin in Waltham. It was open bar, with all my girlfriends. We stayed there. I think it was the best because we didn’t have to worry about anything — we were just there.
What was the best part of 2007? I started dating my boyfriend.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. To be honest, probably Times Square — just to say I did it.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? [In] 2000 — I was in high school. It was crazy.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Stop swearing.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? To quit smoking.
Lisa Woodbury
Age: 19
Occupation: student
Lives in: Roxbury
What are your New Year’s plans this year? Going to a party, going to New York — who knows? Something fun.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Him [points to the guy next to her].
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. When I didn’t have somebody to kiss on New Year’s.
What was the best part of 2007? I worked at Mantra, and we had a Halloween party — that was one of the better nights they had there.
Worst part? There hasn’t been that much snow; I like going snowboarding.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. I want to go somewhere warm, bunch of drinks, be with all my friends, go clubbing.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? In Worcester.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? My New Year’s resolution is to get a steady job.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? That I’m going to work out every day.
Bill Gile
Age: 20
Occupation: New England Tech student
Lives in: Warwick, Rhode Island
What are your New Year’s plans this year? Probably spending it with my girlfriend, going to a party or something.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? I think I have a kiss lined up; I’m pretty sure.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. My buddy Brian’s house — it was me and him and his family. Pretty boring.
Best New Year’s Eve? Probably the last one, whatever we did.
What was the best part of 2007? The Red Sox.
Worst part? The seasons changing, going from fall to winter.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. Be somewhere warm, somewhere nice, the South.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Not to be so dependent on people.
What’s the New Year’s resolution you make over and over but never keep? I don’t really every make one — I’m usually pretty happy with the way I’m going.
Mike Janetakos
Age: 26
Occupation: HR recruiter
Lives in: Woburn
What are your New Year’s plans this year? Probably going to watch the ball drop in New York — annual tradition.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Not yet.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Probably having a few too many drinks, then going to the Frog Pond to skate with a few of my friends and basically falling on my ass numerous times.
What was the best part of 2007? Getting into shape. I’ve lost 90 pounds, and [I’m] just happy to fit into designer clothing again. Also, spending two weeks in Europe.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. I would probably be in Paris, standing at the top of the Eiffel Tower with my ideal partner, having that first kiss of the year.
Craziest New Year’s bash you’ve ever attended? At an old renovated firehouse in Malden where they have tons of vintage neon signs and a diner inside the house.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? My New Year’s resolution is to get beach-ready by June.
Rose McCarthy
Age: 28
Occupation: advertising copywriter
Lives in: Back Bay
What are your New Year’s plans this year? I’m being really lame — I’m actually spending New Year’s with my sister, her husband, and their two babies in California.
Do you have a New Year’s kiss lined up? Not yet, but I probably should by now. You’re motivating me.
Describe your worst New Year’s Eve experience. Last year I got really trashed and ended up bursting into tears at a party where I didn’t know anybody, because my boyfriend at the time lived in LA. I had just moved here.
Best New Year’s Eve? There was one year where my girlfriends and I did a big sleepover and spent the night in our pajamas, just watching movies and drinking wine and being girls.
Describe your fantasy New Year’s Eve. My fantasy New Year’s Eve is just spending New Year’s with my family and closest friends in an intimate setting.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? Try and work out at least three days a week. That’s been my resolution for, like, the last five years. @
