December 29, 2007
New Yorkers shred bad memories of 2007
New Yorkers who suffered a tough 2007 took their anger out on photographs of ex-husbands, old letters and annoying cell phones on Friday, consigning their bad memories to a giant shredder. The AFP reports.
"The event took place in the Times Square intersection. Most of those at the "Good Riddance Day" came with bad memories they were keen to forget.
I shredded the obsession to drink, the obsession to use drugs, the obsession to women," said one man in his 40s.
Others threw in files of paperwork. One threw in documents relating to a home loan that he -- like so many other Americans -- was unable to pay off.
One woman was destroying a pile of papers: "10 years of a bad relationship," she said, smiling.
Joe Costanella brought along the bane of his life: a garbage can bought by his wife. To the surprise of onlookers, he took a sledgehammer to the can, prompting others to throw in cellphones for similar treatment.
At the end of the event, a garbage truck took away the shredded papers for recycling. A 250 dollar prize for the most creative act of riddance went to New Yorker Eileen Lawrence, who symbolically shredded her former boss.
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