Tag: New Year's Eve

Sorry, Lin-Manuel. I am turning down your New Year’s Eve Invitation.

Lin-Manuel Miranda. Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune

Dear Mr. Miranda,

Thank you so much for the very colorful email invitation you sent me today. You know, the one that offers “the Ultimate New Year’s Eve Experience.”

For a small donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, you are offering me a chance to fly to NYC to see the famous New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square.

Now I think BC/EFA is a great charity, and I have contributed to it in the past, but about seeing the December 31st ball drop…

Don’t get me wrong. Barb and I love New York City. Pre-pandemic, we visited once or twice a year and jammed in as many theater outings as we could. We have seen everything from Osage County to Evan Hansen to that very weird production of Oklahoma with the chili and cornbread at intermission.

As a matter of fact, we plan on going to the Big Apple next spring — Barb can’t wait to see the upcoming Neil Diamond bio-musical, and I have a hankering to see Hugh Jackman lead seventy-six trombones from New York, New York to River City, Iowa.

But back to your invitation. It’s not that I am necessarily against a New Year’s Eve mob scene. We have spent a couple of very enjoyable NYE’s watching fireworks in our own Chicago Loop, though I will admit the last time was so long ago, Jane Byrne was Mayor. I don’t think Rahm or Lori ever put on shows as exciting as good old Jane did back in the ’80s.

It’s just, are you sure Times Square is a good idea? With a few million other people on what could be a freezing cold New Year’s Eve to watch a friggin’ light show? During wave 4, 5, or 6 of the pandemic? You have got to be kidding, man. Nothing that you or Bill de Blasio can do or say is going to get me out there.

Now Lin-Manuel (is it ok if I call you that?) I did notice that for a few extra bucks on behalf of BC/EFA I can register to compete for a different prize; a chance to see Hamilton anywhere in the world. (it’s not really anywhere, just the couple dozen places in which the roadshow will be playing.) The chance to win a trip to Australia may be worth a twenty-buck donation, although I think we’ll pass on the chance to go to Little Rock, Arkansas.

Anyway L-M., thanks for the invite. I’ll R.S.V.P. when we decide what to do. In the meantime, keep your pistol loaded and your powder dry.

And Happy New Year!

Best,

Les

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OUR New Years Eve Drinking Game

lolaWhere you drink champagne…

…and it tastes just like Coca-Cola

The Kinks-Lola

When you get to be a little older, the need for a clear head and fewer calories starts to replace the desire for over-drinking on New Years Eve. And at our age, who wants to be anticipating a morning-after hangover? But drinking games are fun, and even though the only alcohol we served at our New Years Eve Party was wine, we still were able to have one. It’s just that in our game the drinks were all on paper, and most of them were of the “soft” variety. All we asked of our guests was to match a variety of beverages with the year in which they were first introduced. It led to a lot of head scratching and heated debate among each of our teams, and a lot of groans and “I told you so’s” when the correct answers were revealed. I leave it as a challenge to our readers. How many connections can you make. Just match the libation in the left column to the year of origin in the right column. Correct answers will appear at the end of the post. Our guests were awarded Starbucks’ Gift Cards as prizes, but I won’t object if you take a shot of Patron for every match you make. None of our teams could correctly pair up more than 6 drinks with the proper year. Let me know if you score more, assuming you can still find the keyboard after all the tequila.

7UP 1876
A & W Root Beer 1885
Budweiser Beer 1886
Canada Dry Ginger Ale 1904
Coca Cola 1905
Dom Perignon Champagne 1919
Dr. Pepper 1927
Grey Goose Vodka 1929
Hawaiian Punch 1934
Kool-Aid 1936
Mountain Dew 1940
RC Cola 1961
Snapple Ice Tea 1963
Sprite 1987
Tab 1997

To our actual party guests, our apologies for the very cheesy Neil Diamond game that followed the drinks game. I would be the first to admit that it did not live up to the high standards of a usual Barb and Les production. And I am sure even Neil would admit that “Cherry Cherry Christmas” dredges the bottom of the Neil Diamond Songbook sea. As to our third game, congratulations to a few of our friends on some very interesting rhyming. Perhaps you did fortify yourselves with a few shots of Don Julio when no one was looking.

In closing, Happy New Year to all. We hope 2016 will be a special one, with lots to enjoy and lots to write about. After all, it doesn’t count until the paper work is done!

———————————————

Below are the answers to the quiz. Be sure to let us know how you did, and feel free to share and challenge your friends.

Budweiser Beer 1876
Dr. Pepper 1885
Coca Cola 1886
Canada Dry Ginger Ale 1904
RC Cola 1905
A & W Root Beer 1919
Kool-Aid 1927
7UP 1929
Hawaiian Punch 1934
Dom Perignon Champagne 1936
Mountain Dew 1940
Sprite 1961
Tab 1963
Snapple Ice Tea 1987
Grey Goose Vodka 1997

 

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