Greetings from Lake Forest, California, USA!
Photo taken on Thursday, January 1, 2009.
THREE! TWO! ONE… To my dismay I did not have New Year’s Eve plans until the actual day when an acquaintance forwarded an invitation. I welcomed 2009 at a house in the city of Lake Forest, continuing my quest never to celebrate New Year’s in the same place twice. An extremely thick fog came in the evening and I drove at a snail’s pace, going less than half the normal speed on the freeway. At the house I knew no one except for my acquaintance. Nevertheless I enjoyed the party as the hosting couple had plenty of liquor, food and entertainment, making the time leading to the countdown go quickly.
At midnight the adults toasted with glasses of champagne while the kids ran around, spraying silly string on anyone and everyone. My favorite moment was the guy in the wet suit who took a plunge into the pool. I hoped for a mid-air shot but timing is everything and a lot happens in a split-second. Instead of a photo of the jumper pre-entry, I had one of him post-splash as this week’s photo shows. An hour later I drove home through the still-thick fog with another New Year’s Eve celebration to remember.
An older New Year’s Eve memory involves Calvin & Hobbes (C&H). The comic strip chronicled the (mis-)adventures of Calvin, whose imagination only a six-year-old boy could have. His stuffed toy tiger Hobbes came to life whenever they were alone. I remember when I first read it. As a high school freshman without a first period class, I went to the campus library to thaw from my bike ride in the cold autumn morning. There I browse the Los Angeles Times newspaper and read the very first strip of C&H when it appeared on Monday, November 18, 1985. I loved it immediately.
Despite huge popularity, creator Bill Watterson decided to retire Calvin & Hobbes after 10 years. In contrast Charles Schulz drew Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang for a half-century - 50 years. The end of C&H would coincide with the end of the year. Appearing on New Year’s Eve 1995, a Sunday, strip # 3160 was mostly one large panel. In it the boy and tiger are outside with Calvin saying, “It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy… Let’s go exploring!” as they sled away in the freshly fallen snow.
Here is one final pop culture reference. An ad for the television series Six Feet Under showed a body in a coffin with the line “Your entire life leads to this”. We all die. That is inevitable. We all want to increase our quantity of years but spend time on their quality too. A new year, a new month, a new day. Follow Calvin’s lead. If you live the moment, then you find the magic. And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Photo taken on Thursday, January 1, 2009.
THREE! TWO! ONE… To my dismay I did not have New Year’s Eve plans until the actual day when an acquaintance forwarded an invitation. I welcomed 2009 at a house in the city of Lake Forest, continuing my quest never to celebrate New Year’s in the same place twice. An extremely thick fog came in the evening and I drove at a snail’s pace, going less than half the normal speed on the freeway. At the house I knew no one except for my acquaintance. Nevertheless I enjoyed the party as the hosting couple had plenty of liquor, food and entertainment, making the time leading to the countdown go quickly.
At midnight the adults toasted with glasses of champagne while the kids ran around, spraying silly string on anyone and everyone. My favorite moment was the guy in the wet suit who took a plunge into the pool. I hoped for a mid-air shot but timing is everything and a lot happens in a split-second. Instead of a photo of the jumper pre-entry, I had one of him post-splash as this week’s photo shows. An hour later I drove home through the still-thick fog with another New Year’s Eve celebration to remember.
An older New Year’s Eve memory involves Calvin & Hobbes (C&H). The comic strip chronicled the (mis-)adventures of Calvin, whose imagination only a six-year-old boy could have. His stuffed toy tiger Hobbes came to life whenever they were alone. I remember when I first read it. As a high school freshman without a first period class, I went to the campus library to thaw from my bike ride in the cold autumn morning. There I browse the Los Angeles Times newspaper and read the very first strip of C&H when it appeared on Monday, November 18, 1985. I loved it immediately.
Despite huge popularity, creator Bill Watterson decided to retire Calvin & Hobbes after 10 years. In contrast Charles Schulz drew Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang for a half-century - 50 years. The end of C&H would coincide with the end of the year. Appearing on New Year’s Eve 1995, a Sunday, strip # 3160 was mostly one large panel. In it the boy and tiger are outside with Calvin saying, “It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy… Let’s go exploring!” as they sled away in the freshly fallen snow.
Here is one final pop culture reference. An ad for the television series Six Feet Under showed a body in a coffin with the line “Your entire life leads to this”. We all die. That is inevitable. We all want to increase our quantity of years but spend time on their quality too. A new year, a new month, a new day. Follow Calvin’s lead. If you live the moment, then you find the magic. And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Angelo
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