The most famous image that welcomes each New Year for many millions around the world is the dropping of the Ball in Times Square, NYC, on New Year's Eve.
The tradition began more than a century ago when Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of the New York Times, hired Jacob Star, a metalworker to build & lower the first Ball, a 700 pound wood & iron ball--5 feet in diameter & illuminated by 100 - 25 watt bulbs, to mark the passing from 1907 to 1908.
This year's new Times Square New Year's Eve Ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter, double the size of previous balls & weighs 11,875 pounds. It is covered in 2,668 triangle shaped crystals made in Ireland by Waterford artisans, most of these featuring the design of an angel with uplifted wings, the rest adorned with a starburst. It is powered by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs designed to create a spectacular multi-colored kaleidoscopic effect of more than 16 million colors & billions of patterns.The cost of the New Year's Eve Ball? Two million dollars, twice as much as the last ball built in 2007. The ball drops 77 feet in 60 seconds. Before 1995, it was done by 'six guys with ropes & a stopwatch'. In 1995, computer controls were added and now it's 'one guy & a button for the winch', according to Countdown Entertainment, that oversees the event.
The Ball has been lowered every year since 1907, with the exception of 1942 & 1943, when the ceremony was suspended due to the wartime 'dimout' of lights in NYC. The crowds still gathered in Times Square in those years & greeted the New Year with a minute of silence followed by the ringing of chimes from sound trucks parked at the base of the tower---symbolic of the past, when New Yorkers gathered at Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan, where the chiming of the bells 'rang out the old & rang in the new'.
The original ball was replaced by Jacob Star's company, Artkraft Strauss in 1920 with one made of wrought iron, then in 1955 it was again replaced with an aluminum ball that weighed just 200 pounds.
In 1981, to reflect the 'I Love New York' campaign, red lights & a green stem were added to make it an apple.
A more traditional white ball replaced the apple in 1987 & was upgraded with strobe lights, rhinestones, computer controls, until it was retired in 1998.
Waterford Crystal designed the Millennium Ball for the 2000 ceremony & has rebuilt or tweaked it each year since. The Millennium Ball, is in the so-called ball vault in the building's basement. The Centennial Ball, built in 2007 went on display this month at the new Times Square Information Center. And the aluminum ball (that became the Apple) between 1955 to 1998 is in Atlanta at the headquarters of Jamestown, the real estate concern that owns One Times Square.
The tradition of ball 'dropping' to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's
Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first, 'time-ball' was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon, allowing the captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers. The tradition is carried on today in places like the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C.,where a time-ball descends from a flagpole at noon each day.
So when the countdown begins on December 31, 2009, 10...9...8....7...6....5....4....3...2....Welcome to 2010Happy New Year!
174 comments:
2010 is less than 2 days away, so thought it
was a good time to take a look at one of the most well-known images of New Year's Eve.
And though I live just about 1 hour from NYC,
I, nor any of my friends, has ever had the desire to go to Times Sqaure to ring in the New Year.
Raleigh, of course, drops an acorn. Just more proof to my assumption all NC'ers are nuts.
Solar, girl friend said she met her parents at the pub every night after school. It was a community thing. She said she even had her dental exams there. Dentist sat her up on a bar stool and looked over her teeth between sips.
Anthony Quinn eh, now I know the pinks will be chasing you.
Me, I ended up with reddish brown hair and brown eyes, with a round Charlie Brown head. Not the actor I wanted to look like.
Coreen, I'd like to go to New York, but I want a hotel room where I can drink and watch from a warm room.
New Year's Eve in Las Vegas is great. I got soaked with champagne at midnight. I was in the old part of town with the overhead light show.
My goal though is to spend New Years in Rio on the beach.
Hi, Don, down in sunny, warm Florida...a bit
envious today....
Times Sqaure on New Year's Eve, the NY radio
just said, it will be closed off to traffic
at 4 p.m. tomorrow, & reminded anyone well
crazy enough to go there...that there are no
restroom facilities....
And the latest weather is that it will now
either be raining/snowing before midnight there.
By the way, are you on the East coast near the
ocean....and are you staying through the
holiday....
You are kidding about the acorn.....
In Key West a guy dressed like a gal,sitting in a shoe is dropped from a restaurant, have
to try to find it again.....
I'm near West Palm Springs on the east side. I like the west/gulf coast better, but it's better than the 20s in NC.
Not kidding. It's called First Night.First Night
Coreen,
A very nice information about 'dropping' the Ball.....yeah bad joke..but the info was good.
Don, An 60 yr old Quinn is not going to make anyone chase him....except the law....
I spent a lot of time in one tavern or another, and by all types of names...most of the time, not even drinking..just talking away, or listening...that was my favorite thing...listening. But only with people that I liked...It was well known, that I liked sitting by my self...or with a close friend..
R U going to try to hook up with Tony?
I forgot about Tony being down here. Probably not this time, I believe he's over near Orlando. Going to interview, visit my Godson and head home.
The dropping of the acorn, makes sense now that I know Raleigh is the city of the oaks...
Do they light up the acorn, it's pretty big,
will have to check that out...
And if Rio is the place you would like to see on New Year's Eve, then that may be the goal
to set for next year...
Are you going to find out if you have a job
in Florida soon.
Solar,
Italian, Greek, Mexican, whatever, you know
we love you just the way you are.....(I think
that may just be a song).....
AWwww shucks...
I read your post again. It is very good actually....the weight of the ball went from 700 pounds to 200, and all of the other info...thanks
Don, get your favorite donuts for N Yr's day..all of the pinks, and us purples are having some in when we get on line, on the first day of the new year....Coreens great Idea of a swamp tradition...
Hey Don,
U R a cold dude.! even making fun of us in your avatar.
How about lox and bagels, solar? I'm not a greasy foods person. And I love salmon.
My aunt used to make donuts with bacon fat. Never had a chance to try those, unfortunately. :^)
I think we should all meet in Rio. It'll be summer down there.
I've had a phone interview Coreen, in-person tomorrow. But I specialize in the software they use. A trade that's short in supply right now, especially since the White House announced the switch of their web site to it.
Solar,
That photo was taken on top of a mountain in Fairbanks, AK. Real cold. And it was only October. That was the winter they set a record. Well, they think. The thermometers aren't made to go that cold and aren't reliable.
Evening folkes. Nice Post Coreen. So you haven't been to NYC on New Year's Eve? I can barely stand to watch that crowd. I'm not a crowd kind of person. I'd rather see it in quietly with just a few people or even alone.
Is our new follower a person or an advertisement someone added to our blog? Anyone know? If it is a person, he/she is welcome but if it is an ad then I think we will be the ones who decide what ads we want here.
Link spam.
Chloe, I have four days off but I'm always on call. Being on call does not usually require going in to work except in extreme circumstances. Of course, at times, I'm on the phone almost as much time as I would spend at work. Sometimes it's harder to deal with things over the phone than it is when I'm there but I'm close to the frig and I can stay in my comfortable clothes.
You think it is an ad Don? If so I'm going to try to remove it.
Link spam is making random comments on blogs with links back to your own site to build Google ranking.
Pretty sure this is one.
Great post Coreen! And beautiful pictures.
Here's a site of past Times Square New Years, with a really neat old picture (about 3/4 of the way down) of the one in 1978. For some reason, the picture looks a lot older than that, I guess because it's in black and white. Previous New Year's Eve Ball
Where's the spam y'all were talking about?
"I'd rather see it in quietly with just a few people or even alone."
Carol, I'm the same way. A nice quiet New Years Eve, except for a bunch of fireworks going off all night.
I've been spending a lot of time by the fridge too (the advantage of being on call that you mentioned). My kitchen is one of the warmest places in the house, so I've been spending a lot of time in here during the winter, on my computer, etc. Only an arm length away to the food.
Speaking of food, I'm going to pick up a dozen donuts tomorrow morning to have here for our good luck ritual (any excuse for donuts, is a good one to me).
Hi Chlo,
What kind of donuts do you like?
Carol, Did you see that star out in the middle of the water? I'm wondering if that's Jan. Is the location about right?
Hi Solar, I love the cake donuts. I like crumb, cinnamon, old fashioned (buttermilk glazed) powdered. Usually in that order, depending on what they've got. I'm very picky that they're fresh though.
How about you? Which ones do you like?
U were reading my mind.! A dozen, some rituals are just hard to take advantage of...Im going to make my donut..wanna know?
You're going to make your donuts?
Another question. You said you eat them by starting with the center. How do you do that?
In addition to Don's acorn falling in Raleigh, I found the Key West red shoe drop, Sushi, drag queen who performs at the Bourbon Bar is lowered from the 2nd story balcony sitting in a giant high-heel redshoe...first saw it on CNN, silly but fun.....
Other new year's eve drops....the atlanta peach, the dillsburg, PA pickle, flagstaff pine
cone, & port clinton, ohio walleye drop.
Unique New Year's EveDrops
I particularly like being in this kitchen after dark, with all the lights out, so I can lose track of time, like we were talking about a while back on this site.
All I can hear is the hum of my computer, and a quiet hum from the fridge. Sounds like I'm in my time machine. Except for first thing in the morning, it's my favorite time of the day, because it's really quiet. It has to be very quiet for me to be happy.
Coreen! That is funny! How did you eve find that site?
They all pale in comparison to NY though. Ha!
Thats two questions. which one do you want answered?
Coreen, You're such a good person to have around for holidays. You know how to keep things moving.
Are you going to be the same for Easter, etc. I have a feeling Solar will be the one celebrating on Valentines Day though. :)
Both Solar! And now!!
.. I mean, please.
About our donut caper...I think if Don wants to
substitute bagels, that could count, they are
shaped like a ring as well, what do you think...
Chloe, a dozen donuts, you would have to give
me something for sugar shock....I will get a few, hopefully tomorrow, but the weather is now
being forecast to be slippery early, not later
as they said yesterday....othewise maybe New Years Day morning....Dunkin Donuts
Now I'm tempted to run out to Key West. Takes a long time and there's never parking. Would be quite a photo.
Stayed a week on Fiesta Key once and I don't think I've ever been so content in my life. If my girlfriend (who was 5 years older than me) hadn't been kicking me in the shins I might never have left.
It's going to be cold in Raleigh, glad I'm not there. It'll be way down to 40. Low of 65 here. 79 tomorrow, I'm going to roast in a sports coat and tie. That's dress up for computer geeks.
Oh, and make sure you don't miss tomorrow's blue moon. It only happens once in a...
The answers are only a cpl of days away....a little Patience Side Saddle....
Don, I think seeing Sushi in the shoe would be
hysterical...the guy that covers it for CNN
was pretty funny, he had differnt drag queens,
hugging him while he tried to stay sorta serious....great theater.....
"a dozen donuts, you would have to give
me something for sugar shock"
LOL Coreen. I'm not going to eat them all (besides, I'm immune to sugar shock). I freeze them while they're still fresh, and if you handle them correctly, they taste like you just got them a few days later. The secret is in the thawing.
I don't do 'patience' Solar. I have a short attention span. I said please, what more can you ask.
"Stayed a week on Fiesta Key once and I don't think I've ever been so content in my life"
That sounds heavenly Don. Why didn't you take some more comfortable clothes. Is your interview tomorrow?
Hey mister weather man...no bagels, donuts...never mind..bagels are cool, cos im making my donut. so I better go along....
What is Solar talking about in a couple of days...I'm lost....
About that blue moon, have to say the last few
days the moon has been really bright just about 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the yard looks like I have stadium lights....
I vote the bagel in, after all its 'our tradition' so we can do what we want...donuts,
bagels, but I want the donut....
79, that sounds too good. I'm finding out this winter, just how much I love the sun. I can take the cold, if it's sunny enough to shine through my southern windows and warm the house.
Tony's got it made living there in Florida. I went to Hawaii for Christmas about 20 years ago, and it was great. Layed out on the beach every day. Loved it.
I want the donut to Coreen. But the bagel works just as well for anyone that prefers it. They're both the same shape, and present the circle of 'whatever'. :)
It's for an interview Chloe. Then I'll run around the area on Friday with a friend. Forgot to bring my short pants with me. Will have to wear khaki's, jeans are too warm.
I really like it here. It was light till 6 pm tonight. The warmth just soaks into my bones and I don't want to do nuthin'. The water here is a beautiful turquoise too. My favorite photo is on my other computer. I'll dig it out when I get a chance.
Bagels are just donuts that haven't been deep fried. Kind of like raw snickers bars.
How can you possibly bake your own donut. Don't you have a favorite donut shop you just love to go to Solar? One that also has really good coffee (as good as your hobo coffee).
"The warmth just soaks into my bones and I don't want to do nuthin'. The water here is a beautiful turquoise too. My favorite photo is on my other computer. I'll dig it out when I get a chance."
Now you're getting me in the mood to go to Florida. The beach here is not that great, so I rarely go. That weather sounds so inviting. Please post those pics.
Don, I do like florida in January & February,
& in addition to, as you said turqouise water, to me the night sky was more of a deep
midnight blue, not black, like here...
"About that blue moon, have to say the last few
days the moon has been really bright just about 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the yard looks like I have stadium lights...."
Oh man, I slept right through it. I love those nights, when you can look out and see shadows, when it's almost like day light. I haven't seen one in a while. Actually, I think it's been too cloudy here. I think we get sun tomorrow.
Ok, It is Don's hobo coffee, and what i was going to do, was to do a wheat pancake donut. with apple pile filling and cinnamon. same with a blue berry...but maybe now Im going for the real stuff....there is a bakery near here that is just the best..used to be one of my clients, when i was in advertising...Weber's bakery.....
Don, you changed your avatar. Is that the pic? It's beautiful!
Don, I never got your email address so I can add you to our list of contributors.
Um, strawberry jellies for me & a glazed....I can almost taste them...
"t maybe now Im going for the real stuff....there is a bakery near here that is just the best."
Solar! A wheat pancake donut? Are you crazy? Ha! The bakery sounds good Solar.
'Always' go for the real thing Solar. We only live once.
Carol, Can you give him your email address so he can send it to you. If you don't want to put it out here, I'll put mine out there. Or maybe Solar still has it.
The glazed are good Coreen, but they're so airy, that they're not very filling.
Walmart was out of cabbage today. None, nada. I hope some of the other stores in town have some.
... and if they're not airy, and heavy instead, then I don't like them. I'm very picky about my donuts. Very picky!
You can't count on Walmart anymore Carol. Do you have a Krogers?
Solar, do you have Don's email address? If so, send it to me.
I was only checking to see how you would re-act...I knew that one of you would call me nuts...the only respectable donut is the one that you described..the one that crumbles, and then there is all of the custard, filled, ones, the.....
going to be a donut pig out...
Solar has my email address.
That photo is from the Monterey Aquarium. I'm too lazy to drag out my other computer. I have thousands from roaming around the country for several years.
Carol 10-4
Yes we have Krogers, Market Basket and Albertsons. I will go on a search in the morning. Gots to have my cabbage on New Years.
Some bakery in town brings a huge plastic bin of donuts to the jail twice a week. There is some connection between cops and donuts.
"going to be a donut pig out..."
Now you're talkin'!!
Solar, you can send my email to Don also.
Chloe, I can't figure out how to get that ad follower off our blog.
Our Albertson's here all closed down at once, a couple or so years ago. I liked them a lot, because I was used to them from California. Now I've started liking Krogers a lot too. Them and Randalls and HEB.
I'm sure you'll find your cabbage.
Are there Publix outside of Florida....they
do really nice grocery stores....We don't have
them here, our chains are New England based,
stop & shop, big y & a few Whole Foods just
starting to come in to CT.
I didn't see it. Is it on the last thread?
I sure wouldn't worry about it for now though. Unless it shows up again. Then I'm sure we can figure something out, especially if Don will help us. He's the expert here.
Carol, I sent U Don's email.
That was about the ad you mentioned Carol.
My favorite donut is the one stuffed with a sweet cream cheese.
Coreen, I've never heard of those stores, and I'm not sure about Florida.
Look at the first follower up there, the one with the car Chloe.
Solar, You answered the first question, but not the second one. And I did say please twice.
How can eat a donut starting in the center? Ha!
Albertsons is still in Phoenix. They closed in Florida too.
There was a something Oats I really like. I'm not a fan of Whole Foods, just high priced fake stuff. Give me a Trader Joe's any time instead.
Our stores are regional...Publix is a Florida
grocery store chain, they keep really nice stores....
Whole Foods is I believe from CA...I haven't been here, but everyone who has likes it...but
pricey, so I'm told. Same with Trader Joes.
Hmmm Carol. You can't remove a follower, even though you're the administrator of the site?
Coreen, Trader Joe's is really, really cheap and healthy. Not to mention two buck chuck
Donuts are made solid sometime, or most times they used to be. cut out the middle and eat it....ok, ok U caught me.....but haven't you ever eaten donuts holes...from dunking?
I thought that Whole Foods originated in Austin, Tx.
Albertson was bought by I believe Cerebrus? Group & then they closed/sold off many of the
stores to other grocery chains.. Pretty sure
it is the same Cerebrus that owns/owned about
80% of Chrysler...and I wonder what debt was
taken on to buy Albertsons...
Oh yes, I do remember Whole Foods from California, and I did see that they have a Whole Foods here in the Houston area a few weeks ago. That surprised me.
The pricey thing is probably why I have never frequented the place.
It is:
Whole Foods
Whole Food may be based in Texas, I think recently the guy who started it said he wants
to return to his health food, organic roots....
but I'm sure that the prices will still be high. He was on CNBC, but can't remember his
name.
Whole Foods is one of my favorite places to frequent when in Seattle. I think they have one of the biggest. It's a vacation thing. I couldn't afford to shop there often but I would go for a treat. Kind of like window shopping.
Well, that's weird. There were a whole lotta 'Whole Foods' in California. California is a very health conscious state. The food is very different there, although Texas has changed a lot, and now I'm not sure there is much difference.
Houston gotten so big, and so many people from so many states have moved here, that I hardly recognize it as the same place we moved to in '93. It's come a long way. But I haven't been to California in so long, if I did go there. it's probably changed tremendously too.
They used to say that N.Y. and California were about 15 years ahead of other states, and I don't know if that's right, but it seemed that way when I moved here back then. They were way behind here. One thing was the ATM machines. Albertsons was the only store that had them at first. It took forever before they had them everywhere.
Whole Foods CEO has been in all kinds of trouble for coming out against health care. Kind of dumb for a health food CEO of a public company. Now he's had to give up his chairmanship.
"Donuts are made solid sometime, or most times they used to be. cut out the middle and eat it....ok, ok U caught me.....but haven't you ever eaten donuts holes...?"
I love donut holes Solar. The glazed ones. I just thought it would be fun to hear you explain what you meant. Love kidding around with you, keeping you on your toes.
I loved the food in California. In one of Woody Allen's movies, he made a joke about them, saying California is the only place that when you order a sandwich, you have to tell them to hold the sprouts. I never liked sprouts, but I love the good, clean taste of the food.
Carol, you love lots of spices, but I love salt and pepper mainly, and that's it. I love the taste of meats, potatoes, everything, without and special gravies or anything to change them. It's a California thing.
every time that I come here, I have to be on my toes....pinks to the right of me..pinks to the left. ..always on my toes.....
.. stuck in the middle with you.
Carol, Is that Jan out in the ocean?
I think that is the Hawaiian Islands. I've seen them on our map before.
One of the most unique grocery stores, very local, here in Norwalk,CT,& I think Danbury, CT
& westchester county, NY is Stew Leonards.
There are all kinds of things going on as you
walk through the store & you can only go in one way, & wind around the store from area to area, there is a short cut to get to the cash registers, but otherwise you go through the store, they have a big following, always busy,
always good food...
I found their website, the pics are of the things going on as you walk through the store...
Stew Leonards
Someone is lurking from Kailua Kona.
Stuck in the middle with you
That looks like a great store Coreen.
I enjoyed that store tour Coreen.
"Whole Foods CEO has been in all kinds of trouble for coming out against health care. Kind of dumb for a health food CEO of a public company. Now he's had to give up his chairmanship."
A lot of people sure have had to take a dive lately, for saying what they think. I don't remember ever seeing anything quite like it.
Chloe, there is a story about the family, the
dad the founder wound up going to jail for tax fraud, many years ago, both the father & his son, Stew(the one in the pic) were & are well liked, & everyone kind of rallied around the father when that happened.
Then tragedy struck the son's family, his child
drowned in their swimming pool & he has since
been involved in efforts to protect kids from
such accidents.
Going to Stew Leonards is an adventure, NY cars
are always pulling in, the original store in Norwalk, a town next to Westport, so over the
years lots of celebrities have been seen there.
Did you guys notice if the prices advertised
were in line with your areas, I'm not a good
shopper, I just get what I need so I never know
if costs are high or not.
Liberals tend to like healthy food. Don't blast your customers if you want to stay in business. They might protest.
It would be like Fox News calling Cheney a paranoid schizo.
And now I made myself hungry, I need to go get
a snack....
"Then tragedy struck the son's family, his child
drowned in their swimming pool & he has since
been involved in efforts to protect kids from
such accidents."
What a sad story Coreen. It's so great that a lot of people who make it through things like that, are able to find the will to move forward again, by helping others. They end up contributing so much to society, and help to ensure that others don't have to go through the same thing they've gone through.
I'm glad you told us about that Coreen.
It's also great fun to hear you describe your life in Connecticut, as well as N.Y. I've never been either place. Connecticut is so beautiful, and I knew it was tiny, but didn't realize just how small it was, until you said you can drive across it in a couple of hours (at least I think that's what you said).
It sounds like such a wonderful life there. Now NY, I don't think so.
"And now I made myself hungry, I need to go get
a snack...."
Well, I'm glad to hear you do get hungry though. Carol and I are always talking about how we love to eat, but you keep saying you eat to live. I hope you also enjoy what you eat too. :)
I just had a snack, but didn't have to go far. I only allow myself fruit this time of the evening. I try to eat the donuts, etc. earlier in the day.
"It would be like Fox News calling Cheney a paranoid schizo."
Ha Don!
", I just get what I need so I never know
if costs are high or not."
I always know what prices should be.
Ok, see all you 'truly beautiful' people tomorrow. (Do we eat the donuts tomorrow or on New Years day?0
Nite.
Nite Chloe.
I do shop for grocery bargains. I have all my grocery store weekly ads bookmarked and check them every week.
Back with my milk, & a couple of slices of rye bread/butter....
Good night, Chloe. The donut tradition is
for new year's day a dutch tradition to wish
good luck to others & yourself.....but go for
it both days, if you can eat that many donuts....
The wonder of reading a real newspaper(NYT), things you see that are too often missed when viewing on the internet.
Carol, a melancholy story about Southern ties
in the big city.
And a recipe for Brooklyn style hoppin John...black eyed peas, ham hocks and Brooklyn style collard greens.
Brooklyn's Flavor Route to the South
Coreen, the Cajuns often use a piece of highly seasoned smoked pork called Tasso to flavor up their red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbos etc. Can use it to season up the cabbage, greens and black eyed peas also.
Tasso Recipe
I sometimes forget you guys aren't native to the Swamp so I do need to school ya every now and again. You might be able to find this at grocery stores everywhere. You ought to ask. Might want to try some in your New Years fare.
You ought to try smothering down some cabbage Coreen. You like Broccoli and both create some what of a stench when cooking. Both have good healing qualities. Very healthy foods. They also help clean your colon of that donut you plan to eat earlier. If it doesn't slide out, it will definitely blow out later.
I like my cabbage drizzled with a little red wine vinagar but then I like that on all my greens and broccoli.
And Coreen, who pays for that new 2 million dollar ball that will be dropping tonight? They just had a new one three years ago. Not good enough? Who votes to replace it? Who sells it to the city? Anyone ever ask?
And Ivy, these foods also are a Jewish tradition.
"The tradition actually has roots much deeper and is referenced in the Babylonian Talmud, compiled in 500 A.D. It was written that black-eyed peas, gourds, leeks, spinach, and dates were good luck symbols and should be on the table on the first day of the new year. By the 16th century, the tradition was written into the standard code of Jewish law."
Good morning Carol,
Seems we are the early birds here.
Not completely sure, but I believe that much of the cost of creating, maintaining the new year's eve balls & the event itself is assumed by contributions from businesses, entities & likely from those companies that actually manufactured the ball.
The Times Square Alliance is a non-profit organization, that promotes Times Square, events, etc, including the New Year's Eve
party.
More particularly, the new crytstal ball
for this year, was created by replacing more than half of the waterford crystal triangles on the previous ball with newly designed ones, & lighting changes all to create a new version of the one previously created.
History of the New Year's Eve Ball
If you follow the narrative of the crystal ball, the 2007 one was retired & another one
created, which has now been updated to make
the new one for tonite.
And watching CNN, its New Years in Sydney, Australia, & the fireworks they do on that bridge are really exceptional.
Mary, have you been busy, missed you here lately....
And to have prosperity all year long you must eat at least 365 black eyed peas, one for each day of the year. I wonder what quantity I would have to consume to be sure I get enough?
Morning Coreen. I was surfing the web for suggestions for cooking black eyed peas. I wanted to see if I could find any other flavorful hints.
More fun with the iphony Carol, if you know someone who also has one:
"They also demonstrated a new "Clink-Clink" iPhone application for virtual toasts, which Waterford helped design. It enables two people make a toast with images of Waterford champagne flutes and cocktail glasses displayed on their phones' tiny screens.
"It is a way for people to share a virtual toast all around the world," said Regan Iglesia, Waterford's senior brand director." New Years Eve Ball
I love the bean count....365 beans, I guess that's possible, maybe eat them all during the
course of the day to....
As far as cabbage, I only occassionaly eat cole slaw, so that would have to do as the cabbage choice. And I think I told you that
I use red wine vinegar dressing on most of my
salad's (I like Marie's, & I remember you said
you make your own because of the additives)
Waiting for the snow to start here this a.m., so I will be in until its over. Wasn't planning on being out tonite anyway, as my
hairdresser said yesterday, he's going to the
'feather ball' tonite, me too.....
p.s. we will likely need a new post before
midnite. Carol, any pics to greet the new year, if you have some, maybe we can add to yours later & tomorrow, just a thought....
Chloe, good morning, did you see Carol's comment about eating 365 beans to have the luck take all year....
Trust me, no way I will be eating 365 donuts
though......
I've been busy this morning surfing the web, preparing myself for leaving behind the old, and welcoming in the new. It's nice having this distinct dividing line once a year, as well as the ones that mark the end and beginning of the seasons. Keeps things a little more organized in my noggin.
Swine flu not as catchy as other pandemic strains Wed Dec 30, 5:00 pm ET
"How contagious is swine flu? Less than the novel viruses that have caused big world outbreaks in the past, new research suggests.
If someone in your home has swine flu, your odds of catching it are about one in eight, although children are twice as susceptible as adults, the study found. It is one of the first big scientific attempts to find out how much the illness spreads in homes versus at work or school, and who is most at risk." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091230/ap_on_he_me/us_med_swine_flu
Ha Coreen!
I saw what she said about 365 beans, and that sounded like a lot of beans. Especially if it's black eyed peas, which I don't eat.
Thought I'd get on a little early, because I'm going to have a pretty busy morning around here, until I get a few things done.
It looks like we might run over on our posts later today, if we get talkative. I've been talking way too much. As Max would say, I'm using more than my share of bandwidth.
One more link though:
3 of 4 Americans Agree: 2010 Offers Hope
Most Think '09 Was Lousy Year for Nation but 72% are Optimistic about 2010; Americans Still Wary of Economy, Wars 3 of 4 Americans Agree: 2010 Offers Hope
Black eyed pea recipe, try them you may like them.
Start tonight. If you are going to use dried black eyed peas you need to remove any stones from the peas and rinse off the dirt.
Then you need to soak them overnight. It's been reported that you can reduce the gas they cause by:
"In a stockpot or dutch oven, place 1 pound of dry beans (sorted and rinsed) in 10 or more cups of boiling water; boil for 2-3 minutes, cover and set aside overnight. The next day approximately 75 to 90 percent of the indigestible sugars will have dissolved into the soaking water. Drain and then rinse the beans thoroughly before cooking them."
Then you need plenty of time to cook them tomorrow. It will take hours. Saute onion and garlic in some bacon fat, if you are using bacon to cook them with. If you aren't, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil.
Add the drained peas and cover with water and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer until done. This may take hours. You want them soft, not chewy. For a little spice, top your black eyed peas with some chopped up jalapeno peppers. I remove the seeds to reduce after burn. It's the seeds of those jalapenos that can leave a lasting impression unless you have a ass of brass. Most likely Solar does.
And don't forget the cabbage and cornbread.
My river rat friend just dropped by to visit in his jammie and robe. He was out cruising the river on his pontoon. That's one thing nice about being out here, you don't have to dress up to go out on the river. The wildlife doesn't ask any questions.
I told him that if he goes out later I want to go get some river pics. The river does have on it's dead clothes right now. Kind of a dismal look. But I'm sure the ducks love it.
Now off the find my good luck foods.
Nothing like a quick 2" nuisance snowfall on New Years Eve morning to shake things up....
Not good for commuting, since the snow fell
between 8 am and noon, its getting better,
now....If the sun would come out that would really help, but don't think so for today....
Coreen, it doesn't look like that is all the snow you're going to get. Looks like it may snow up there through Sunday.
The sun just came out here and it looks nice. I just got back from my grocery run. Found all my lucky foods.
I bought some peanuts in the shell for a New Years treat for my squirrels. I got some unshelled pecans for them a while back and they weren't interested. I hope they like unshelled peanuts. It's hard to please my squirrels.
Do you get warm enough for it to melt and freeze, or are you just staying below freezing?
OK, to make everyone happy I bought a donut, it's hole-less for Solar, and i bought an onion bagel with cream cheese for me.
I put out new seed the other day which our squirrels usually horde for themselves. The newly arrived and newly identified juncos came in and escorted our squirrel off the feeder the other day. Wish I still had my video camera.
Carol, glad you managed to find all your good luck new year's foods...
Don, great idea one of each to celebrate the New Year & bring good luck for the year.
When will you know if you have the work in Florida...
As far as the weather here, 20s now, the roads
are in good shape, but will be slippery as the
night goes on, but we are snug as bugs in a rug...not leaving the house...
Possibility for a 'snowburst' around midnight
which will only make driving worse overnight,
supposed to get close to 40 on New Years Day,
which should help, but then cold again, still
the possiblity of snow the rest of the weekend,
but they keep saying it may bypass us & hit
northern new england...they can have it.
By the way, never asked are any of you going out on New Year's Eve....
I get a woodpecker mix along with the sunflower, songmaker mix & cracked corn, it has
lots of peanuts & pretty sure that is the favorite of both birds & squirrels.
In case we don't get together later, Happy New Year's Eve everyone & wishes for a healthy, properous and Happy New Year....
Shouldn't we have 4 donuts? So we can eat a donut on eastern, central, mountain and pacific time zones so we are all eating a donut at midnight together?
.. dang, forgot my more appropriate avatar
Don, Four donuts sounds like a good idea to me. That means I'd have one at 11, 12, 1, and 2. On second thought, I think my good luck will have to wait 'til morning, at breakfast time.
I assume you're having New Years in Florida Don?
We're staying home tonight too Coreen, where it's quiet, just the way I like it. Glad to hear your safe and cozy tonight.
Carol, Hope you let us know if you succeeded in making all your lucky foods, and how they turned out. Hope you and Maggie are safe and cozy like Coreen.
Solar. Hope you're out having a good time and celebrating.
You too Ivy and Mary. Hope everyone's doing whatever it is they want to do.
So far it's fairly quiet here, although I did hear some early fireworks before it even got dark. Toward midnight is going to be a nightmare, and most likely through much of the rest of the night, unless things are quieter this year than in the past. One can always hope. The noise is hard on the animals.
An early 'Happy New Year' everyone!
2010!! How the time flies!
I have high hopes and expectations for us all.
Hi, here at home also. I was outside watching that beautiful, once in a blue, moon ducking in and out of the clouds. Don't forget to check it out. Won't see it again for a while? How long? It was up early tonight.
Fireworks have already started here and Maggie is ducking behind the furniture. I had to stay home to protect her. You couldn't pay me to go out tonight anyway.
For one of the highlights of my New Years Eve celebration, I bought a National Enquirer, gonna read it from cover to cover and believe everything in it.
Hey Carol, promise to share anything interesting in that National Enquirer...I always scan it at the checkout counter in the
grocery store, you just can not resist the
headlines...
And that blue moon, started out really big & golden before dark, but now it is covered in a
haze, can hardly make out the outline, lots of
fireworks in the background, I think another
town nearby does a First Night (Westport) & that is where its coming from....
Believe it or not, I have The Thin Man movie on Turner Classic Movies, they have 3 in a row
on tonite....
I just found one also, on Classic Cinema Online. It's Thin Man Goes Home. I'll check that one out.
Yea Thin Man. I'm in a Travelodge, so a small selection of channels. I get all the Starz channels though. It may be the Burn Notice marathon for me.
Hmmm, just me and the pinks. Kind of nice being the only male around. Hah, that will teach ya Solar.
And how about this monumental issue, what will
be the correct way to refer to the New Year,
should it be twentyten, two thousand ten, two
thousand & ten, or does it really matter...
The next movie is After the Thin Man & then
Another Thin Man....
And switching over to CNN, Times Square looks
pretty full & calm, but everyone is bundled up pretty good... not sure if it is snowing/raining there
I saw somewhere today that it should be referred to as twenty ten.
Can't be two thousand and ten, 'and' indicates a decimal point.
I'm still trying to figure out how to use the supply term for the last decade, which I will be happy to say goodbye to. Though I think it put in place changes that will continue to be built on.
In supply, a '00' would be 'two balls'. So 2009 2 2 balls 9. Not sure how to use it for the decade, but want to try. Buster might be in there too.
Happy New Year's Everyone!
I'm spending my New Year's eve at home, also. Of course I've got to get up at 4am for work so I doubt I will even see the new year begin. I may hear it tho because the fireworks have been going off all afternoon. Petey(my dog)isn't afraid of much but he hates fireworks.
I like the doughnut idea for New Year's day but I forgot to buy some. I hope I can find some early in the morning. I like the chocolate covered glazed doughnuts.
I hope everyone has a wonderful, lucky, prosperous New Year.
Well I just boiled my black eyed peas for 3 minutes, turned them off and will soak them overnight. We'll just see if that method takes the gas out of them. How will I really know after eating cabbage also??? Hope Maggie doesn't plan on hiding under the covers tomorrow night. There will certainly be some fireworks there.
And I read that the reason for fireworks is to scare the evil spirits away.
Still waiting for my dark complected strange to come over.
You still have a couple of hours to go for that
guy to stroll in...and it is raining in Times
Square, 34 degrees....
And I think I will refer to the New Year as
two thousand ten, don't really like 2010, just
doesn't sound right to me....
Did we say twenty 1 through 9, I know I didn't.
Don, if you are still around, not donuts for me
til morning/lunch time....
Still around Coreen. There's a party and laser light show downtown, but I have no idea where downtown is. I like to stay off the roads on amateur
Guess 1 week rentals are going to be the big thing around here for the superbowl. Everyone is excited.
And just to be really annoying, currently 70 degrees.
Annoying....well, remember I said it was raining in NYC, it is lightly snowing here now,
just a coating so far, hopefully, only snow showers with no more accumulation....
Smart to stay off the road on this night....
Looks like you and I will be the first to
celebrate 2010 shortly....
Coreen, I thought I read where some of you up your way may get about a foot of snow before it's over.
I've been enjoying my Thin Man movie. They are pretty cute. I'd never seen the movies before.
Not that much longer Coreen.
Watching Hancock. I love a smart alek
I'm eating some chocolate candy with pecans I made, green olives and drinking some coke. I'm a party girl, I am.
Don, I found this online site for old classic movies. That's where I'm watching the Thin Man movie. It's called Classic Cinema Online.
Very cool Carol. I love the classics.
Chocolate is the one thing I forgot to get.
Just saw that TCM is showing all 6 Thin Man
movies, throughout the night, the one you are watching, Carol, the thin man goes home is on
at 3:30 am.
TCM has one of my old time favs on at 7am,
Bell, Book & Candle (Pywacket--used to have
Siamese cats)
The potential for snow is here, they are saying
it is going to miss us, hopefully....
Oh, oh, its almost time.....
Happy New Years everyone. Welcom 2010.....
We all made, here's to much better times too...
Happy New Year you east coasters.
Coreen, all I have out here are the major networks. I think I will have my satelitte moved out here. I'm paying for it at my house.
Yes, it will be a marvelous decade. I can feel it.
And in keeping with the Times Square tradition & my Yankees too, ole blue eyes himself....
New York, New York
Carol, Is it only one more hour for you, I will
stay up til then, Don, can you make it too....
I wish I couldn't Coreen. Falling asleep early has never been by problem.
Clockwork Orange on. Been decades since I've seen that.
I'm struggling to stay awake.
Happy New Year to all! I made it.
My new years eve is complete, saw the
clip of sushi in the red shoe drop from key west, & cnn(john Zarella) interviewed him as well...what a hoot....
And amazing how fast Times Square clears out after the ball drops.....
And once again Welcome 2010, Happy
New Year to all of you in the next time zones....
It's really past pumpkin time...so good night.....
Nite all.
Darn, missed her. Happy New Year next anyway.
Post a Comment