My grandiose New Years 2012 in Time Square, New York

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A New Year's celebration does not get any more official than the ball drop at Times Square, New York. From our point at 42nd and 8th Streets, amidst lots of people, we saw the fireworks drop, not quite the ball, but it was good enough. In a surprising 50 degree weather, we took with us more clothes than we were to need - scarfs that never came out of the backpacks and gloves that didn't even get unhooked.

By 8.30 pm the streets were filled with thousands of people. One would think the police would corral the sidewalks at noon knowing perfectly what is to come, but I guess the city streets can not be rendered completely useless all day long on account of the holiday. The result is that people gather tightly hoping for a good spot, most of them in good spirits and ready to enjoy, but others either 16-years-old or turned-16-year-olds-by-alcohol who every so often push and shove and make the situation a little uncomfortable... and scary.

The night is truly cosmopolitan with people from all over speaking all sorts of languages yet gathered for one same reason. My daughter was basically resting on a poor Russian woman's back who looked at her kindly because she must have understood that we all had someone resting on our back... I had an Indian woman resting her elbow on my shoulder to level her camera as she took pictures...

One very serious issue was having to use the restroom. There is no such a thing as lots of beer drinking under these circumstances. Not because one doesn't want the spirit, but because one does not want to have to pee! But in a group of five people there will always be one who needs to go, and sure enough, we had one. The thought of it sounded more like a tragedy than it actually turned out to be. We humans are extremely resourceful... and business minded... and so I (many of us) found a pastry shop with a toilet, and the pastry shop's owner found a gold mine. "Buy something and you can use the toilet!" And so, for two beautiful cookies priced an exorbitant eight dollars, our troubles were remedied.

After three and a half hours of waiting, fireworks began to flash, noise began to build, and emotion filled the air. I felt the goose bumps that I always feel while welcoming a new year... realized the magnificence and the grandiose luck of being alive to see another one begin. I kissed the ones I love the most, texted those dear to my heart, and resolved, as I do every year...

to get to the gym.

Happy New Year 2012!

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