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12/31/2003 Entry: "One more New Year's Memory..." We're about two hours away from going to celebrate New Year's with Sean's family, and while I have a headache, backache and bad ankle, I can't miss yet another party where simply me not being there causes someone to go, "You should have seen who came, Punkie!" Last time I missed an old school chum, Michela Worthington, who became a merchant marine and sailed ships all over the Caribbean. I wanted to see her! Anyway, I am watching the news with the sound off and I just saw a shot of New Year's in Moscow's Red Square. It reminded me of another New Year's Eve... I was working the International Desk for a huge ISP, and it was December 31st, 1999. We had been going through Y2K checklists all year, and it boiled down to this day. Our first hit was Australia. We waited. And waited. In my case, I was watching through IM, and seeing if the desk there was signed on or not. Australia was 16 hours ahead, and it was 8am in the morning where I was. When 8am crossed, I got an IM "... hold on sec." According to my timestamps, about 4 minutes passed, but it seemed like a lot longer. Come on... come ON! Are we okay or what? The Japanese desk was also anxious, and IM'd me to see if Australia was okay, since the Australian desk hadn't called them yet. Whatever hit Sydney would hit Tokyo in two hours. Japan was REALLY worried, because the Asian markets were doing poorly, and the last thing they needed was a panic in Japan. They had done extensive Y2K checking, but at this point there was a superstition that something vital somewhere would go "boom" and that would be it. AUTechDesk: Looks good from here. Eerily quiet, but she's all a go! PunkWalrus: JPTechDesk? The Aussies report an all clear! JPTechuuDesk-san: They IM us too and all see okay go to here HKTechDesk-chan: Sorry we late is Australia okay? AUTechDesk: I think we nipped the Y2K! JPTechuuDesk-san: Singapore confirm Pacific connection a yes too PunkWalrus: YAY! I can now breathe! Two hours later, Japan said it was all "nice nice" and Hong Kong (their English was as bad as their skill was good). I was so relieved because we were so worried. I pictured the whole world winking out like blown light bulbs as the midnight hour passed each zone. I feared the chaos that might follow in a post-technological world. Planes that fell from the air, missiles blowing up in their silos, the whole media scare that had been building for two years. And now it was over. What a relief! Best New Year's present yet. So I wish all my blog readers a "nice nice" New Year's!!!!