And what are you doing to celebrate?
First, I trust you let this man into your house last night. You really should have, you know. His sack carries coal or salt or something else I can’t remember, providing you with plenty for the new year, although chances are in my neighborhood he’d dump the salt/coal and leave with your laptop.
Some particularly dedicated and hardy people celebrate New Year’s Day by going swimming. Outside.
The Chicago Polar Bear Club has these rules:
1. Swimsuits only. No nudity (it’s a family event) and no wetsuits (that’s cheating).
2. Swimmers must go all the way under the water before coming out to be “official.”
3. No whining!
On the left, the Lake View Polar Bears of Chicago in action, chunks of ice and all. Their motto is celebration of shrinkage. Yikes.
This insanity is practiced worldwide. On the right, the Berlin Seals put the old year behind them. It seems to be snowing and swimsuit optional.
Like Eleanor, I don’t really believe in new year’s resolutions. But this year I do want to continue to lose weight (hooray! although recently it’s been a bit of a butterfest), to put the joy back in writing, and to be more generous in my time and resources to others.
How about you? What are you doing today and what are your plans for the new year? And is anyone going swimming today–I’d love to hear from you!
I am in the dangerous land of Hornblower DVDs. Yesterday I went to the library & in order to get “The Duel,” I had to check out the 8-DVD pack. So I’ll probably celebrate the holiday by watching another Hornblower DVD!
Janet, I liked your “put the joy back in writing” resolution. That’s a great one! Do you have a plan??
A very happy new year to the Riskies and Risky Friends! YES!! I’m back home; returned last night. What a great feeling to be starting the new year in such an upbeat celebration.
Happy New Year!
Keira, I’m so glad you’re safely home from your global adventures!!
I spent the day lying on the couch watching the Rose Parade and the Food Network (everyone made brunch food!). Total sloth. 🙂
No swimming today, though I would have gone if the YMCA were open–and they keep the pool at 86. 🙂
Just bumming around, working on a few projects with the kids, expecting some friends over later for snacks and microbrews.
Like the “joy in writing” goal, too, though harder said than done.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Welcome back Keira and congrats on a day of relaxation, everyone! I cleaned my refrigerator and made a beef stew with dumplings that was awesome.
I wish I did have a plan for the joy in writing, thing. Maybe it’s something we should talk about sometime here?
“Maybe it’s something we should talk about sometime here?”
I would definitely like that, Janet–finding the joy in writing, what brought me to it in the first place, can be difficult sometimes. Most of the time.
And no swimming here today, definitely! I would rather stay in my flannel jammies and NOT freeze my heinie off. 🙂
I also vote for a (boost the) joy in writing post. I think there are a lot of sides to the issue. I’ll nominate one:
Subtopic A: why is it always more fun to work on the thing I haven’t got scheduled for completion?
Any other ideas? Does anyone out there find research more fun than writing? (Ahem.)
Brunch, Rose Parade, projects with the kids–sounds like a perfect lazy New Year’s Day. But Janet, the REFRIGERATOR? You get the prize for industry.
& best wishes to all for a wonderful new year!
While most of the country will hate me for pointing this out, it wasn’t bad weather for swimming here today–high of 71. My darling wife and I celebrated by going out for lunch and eating on the patio.
Other than that, bingeing on high quality entertainment video (i.e., more Big Bang Theory) and finishing a sabbatical application (yay!) were the order of the day.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Todd-who-would-like-a-much-much-much-longer-vacation-to-catch-up-on-his-work-from-before-vacation
Greta, I think cleaning the refrigerator once a year is perfectly adequate… I came to the conclusion some time ago that I really hated New Year’s Eve, having got stranded at indifferent parties that lasted far too long. So consequently I go to bed early and treat the next day as, well, the next day.
Todd, 71 degrees is cheating even more than wearing a wetsuit.
I’m with you on the New Year’s Eve parties, Janet.
My husband went to bed and that was fine because Pride & Prejudice was on Oxygen, followed by Phantom of the Opera. Whoo hoo.
Except I fell asleep during P&P and woke up in the middle of POTO. The New Year snuck in somewhere during that time.