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so what were YOU doing 10 years ago...
Dec. 31st, 2009 10:22 am1999->2000 was probably the busiest NYE I'd ever had.
The morning was simple enough, morning tea (I hadn't started the coffee addiction yet), watching the PBS coverage of each time zone's NY moment (at that point, things were already starting in China and SE Asia, and I'd missed New Zealand and Japan already). I can't remember exactly when![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
faireraven arrived, if she'd been around for a while or arrived that day. Things do blur as a result of the rest of the night...
Most of the afternoon was also a blur, as it was mostly prepping for the night.
430-530pm, faireraven and I have dinner (and I have a beer) in Old Town Alexandria at Virginia Beverage (now long gone :( ), watching the midnight events of Jerusalem, Finland, Cairo, Moscow, and South Africa.
For all of the fireworks and music and dancing, South Africa's New Year was probably the most stirring: President Nelson Mandela led a candlelight vigil through the prison he's spend most of the last 30 years in.
Unfortunately, I missed seeing GMT's change (London, Paris, Mike Oldfield in Berlin) due to having to be at a coffee shop closer to the King Street Metro, as a courtyard on King Street was the location Foggy Bottom Morris had been assigned to entertain audiences at First Night Alexandria. We did one stand, then a beer or two in Hard Times, then another stand, freezing, but the audiences seemed amused. First time I'd played "Devil Doubt" in the mummers play, 'cause Bill had to leave early for events in Maryland. Fortunately, I didn't have to freeze anymore as I wasn't among the two picked to dance Lord of the Dance with Revels' performance at First Night Alexandria over at the courthouse square.
We leave Old Town Alexandria and head up Braddock Road to the Clan McArgh dinner party, which was amusing as always. As that faded, we head to my office.
Yes, my office.
No, I didn't have to work.
At the time, my office building was the triangle-shaped SRA building by the Courthouse in Arlington. My window had THE VIEW - I could see unblocked from the Cathedral all the way to the Pentagon. It was an annual tradition to gather up there, 11th floor, to see the fireworks on July 4th. So knowing this, we came up to watch the fireworks on the mall for the New Year.
It was a bit of a mess, really, as they had the fireworks in two waves - the first wave was small one that happened right at 12, and then a subsequent wave happened at about 12:45, coordinated with the show actually happening on the mall (a show running horribly behind schedule, as usual - DC's gotten better since then). We were listening to the radio broadcast of WTOP through the 'net to find out what was going on, as even they didn't know. We also flipped through and saw the grainy video of Philadelphia's party as well. Nobody reported any major Y2K bluffs at all...
Come 1pm, show's over, we head home, forgetting that like July 4, most of the Potomac roads I know are closed. Oops. Takes about 45 minutes to get back to Burke. Zonk and good night.
Next day was (I *think*) our first visit to thequeenmaggie First Day party in Frederick, a tradition that sadly is no more (but we'll still see her tomorrow!).
So that was our day, 10 years ago. What was yours?
The morning was simple enough, morning tea (I hadn't started the coffee addiction yet), watching the PBS coverage of each time zone's NY moment (at that point, things were already starting in China and SE Asia, and I'd missed New Zealand and Japan already). I can't remember exactly when
faireraven arrived, if she'd been around for a while or arrived that day. Things do blur as a result of the rest of the night...Most of the afternoon was also a blur, as it was mostly prepping for the night.
430-530pm, faireraven and I have dinner (and I have a beer) in Old Town Alexandria at Virginia Beverage (now long gone :( ), watching the midnight events of Jerusalem, Finland, Cairo, Moscow, and South Africa.
For all of the fireworks and music and dancing, South Africa's New Year was probably the most stirring: President Nelson Mandela led a candlelight vigil through the prison he's spend most of the last 30 years in.
Unfortunately, I missed seeing GMT's change (London, Paris, Mike Oldfield in Berlin) due to having to be at a coffee shop closer to the King Street Metro, as a courtyard on King Street was the location Foggy Bottom Morris had been assigned to entertain audiences at First Night Alexandria. We did one stand, then a beer or two in Hard Times, then another stand, freezing, but the audiences seemed amused. First time I'd played "Devil Doubt" in the mummers play, 'cause Bill had to leave early for events in Maryland. Fortunately, I didn't have to freeze anymore as I wasn't among the two picked to dance Lord of the Dance with Revels' performance at First Night Alexandria over at the courthouse square.
We leave Old Town Alexandria and head up Braddock Road to the Clan McArgh dinner party, which was amusing as always. As that faded, we head to my office.
Yes, my office.
No, I didn't have to work.
At the time, my office building was the triangle-shaped SRA building by the Courthouse in Arlington. My window had THE VIEW - I could see unblocked from the Cathedral all the way to the Pentagon. It was an annual tradition to gather up there, 11th floor, to see the fireworks on July 4th. So knowing this, we came up to watch the fireworks on the mall for the New Year.
It was a bit of a mess, really, as they had the fireworks in two waves - the first wave was small one that happened right at 12, and then a subsequent wave happened at about 12:45, coordinated with the show actually happening on the mall (a show running horribly behind schedule, as usual - DC's gotten better since then). We were listening to the radio broadcast of WTOP through the 'net to find out what was going on, as even they didn't know. We also flipped through and saw the grainy video of Philadelphia's party as well. Nobody reported any major Y2K bluffs at all...
Come 1pm, show's over, we head home, forgetting that like July 4, most of the Potomac roads I know are closed. Oops. Takes about 45 minutes to get back to Burke. Zonk and good night.
Next day was (I *think*) our first visit to the
queenmaggie First Day party in Frederick, a tradition that sadly is no more (but we'll still see her tomorrow!).So that was our day, 10 years ago. What was yours?
The Morris Dancers themselves defend themselves against accusations that their occupation is unhealthy and sordid. ‘I’m proud of my interest in English folk traditions and if other men want to pay me good money to prance about on the table in front of them, I can’t see how that means I am being exploited,’ said one dancer from ‘Secrets’ in Euston, North London.
Nick wasn't a regular attendee of the Maryland festival, but in little ways his influence and friendship has inspired many of its performers over the years. He was the author of "Hellship", performed by the Pyrates Royale on Lyve at First Night, and "Hot Meat" performed on rare occasion by me at gatherings of MDRF fans and once or twice the old cast talent show (never in front of patrons).
