Quick quiz: What do you do from 4pm to midnight on New Year's Eve when the temperature is -10 with a wind chill factor of -5? Obvious. You stand out in the middle of Times Square, baracaded into a police pen, surrounded by approximately a million and a half drunk revellers brandishing party tooters, cardboard hats and poor singing voices waiting for a ball to drop and occassionally being hugged by a college student from Iowa.
Oh and did I mention you're not allowed out to urinate - not even on an annoying college student from Iowa? Pure joy. Now I am outside in below freezing temperatures, surrounded by dancing lunatics AND risking a kidney infection.
The night was memorable - if only for being able to witness Belinda, dressed like some sort of op shop volunteer, shimmying and dancing non-stop for six hours. This wasn't because the music choice was exceeding danceable - its because she was trying to get the feeling back in her limbs, shoulders, ears, back and arse.
The stroke of midnight was special I have to admit. Seeing the Times Square Waterford Crystal ball drop, the enormous confetti shower and singing along to Sinatra's `New York, New York' whilst in the hub of America's biggest city was pretty cool. Kissed the wife, kissed the kids, then got hugged again by that bloke from Iowa.
There were other highlights:
- Elly and Lucy twice saw close up the Jonas Brothers getting in and out of their hired van. For those of you back in Oz who don't know who the Jonas Brothers are, they are like a 2008/9 version of Hanson. For those of you who don't know who Hanson were, they were sort of like The Monkees from back in the 60s, and for those of you who don't know who the heck the Monkees were ... google them.
- Bill and Hillary Clinton (who were there to press the button to release the ball) arrived and accidentally walked into our `pen'. Five or six feet away from us. Belinda was most impressed and even stopped shimmying for a second.
- I spotted Ryan Seacrest arriving. He is the MC for the event having taken over from Dick Clark. Sadly, I think I squealed when I saw him.
- We all received blue collectible Nivea hats (Nivea sponsored the event this year) and 2009 Pepsi scarves. Gotta love a freebie.
- They played `Imagine' over the loud speakers leading up to midnight. Quite beautiful and moving.
- A bloke delivered piping hot pizzas about four hours into the event. Set me back 30 dollars but it did help my sanity.
Anyway, I'm led to believe it was the coldest NYE for twenty years or so but we did it! Elly told me it was something she will never ever forget and I suppose that was the aim of it all.
PS ON the way back to Grand Central, a girl rushed 50 metres up the street and hugged me screaming Happy New Year! Didn't mind that. Sorta made up for the guy who propostioned me a couple of days earlier in Greenwich Village ... just don't tell the college student from Iowa. Reckon he'd get jealous.
It was a great tip to watch the web cam albeit slightly nauseating in a sea-sickness kind of way, due to rollicking camera technque - maybe camera operator was also drunk!! We sang along with John, and watch in awe as the balloons went up and the confetti came down - what a moment!!! Definately one to remember! You only live once etc... Well done for taking the bull by the balls however frozen, and going in hard! Ohh to be there with you all xx
Hope you still have all your toes and the recovery was painless. Happy New Year and keep the crazy news rolling..
XX Fi, Phil and Sascha.
PS Sascha pulled out a wooden drink coaster this morning and put it on the coffee table and then placed his bottle on it! Thought you would appreciate that Rob!