What Are You Doing for New Year's Eve?

[Jeff Wrangler]

I have no idea why, but I took it into my head to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and so I just did.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I have no idea why, but I took it into my head to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and so I just did.

Actually, staying at home by myself New Year's Eve wasn't that bad. I just wish I could have fixed myself a nicer dinner than chicken noodle soup, white bread, and applesauce.   

After I finished the movie, I decided to go on line to see if I could learn anything new about David Jacobs. He's a now-retired history professor at Temple University who actually did his own doctoral dissertation on the controversy in the U.S. over UFOs. Jacobs has concluded that the aliens are actually conducting a deliberate program of interbreeding to create a population of human-alien hybrids with an ultimate goal of taking over the earth. 

He's also come to conclude that people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder are human-alien hybrids that didn't turn out right. I'd like to see him say that to the face of parents of a child with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder.

[serious crayons]

He's also come to conclude that people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder are human-alien hybrids that didn't turn out right. I'd like to see him say that to the face of parents of a child with severe Autism Spectrum Disorder.

At the very least, they'd be pretty puzzled if they're the kid's biological parents. At what point do the alien genes get, er, inserted?

And if the aliens are that advanced, wouldn't it be easier to just create realistic AI beings? Easier to control, too -- using bots, the aliens wouldn't have to worry about the unpredictable and potentially counterproductive behavior of the human side. Even Mr. Spock occasionally fell under the influence of his half-human heritage.

How did a guy like that get to be a professor at Temple University? You'd think he'd be out roaming the streets and shouting out to no one in particular.

[Jeff Wrangler]

How did a guy like that get to be a professor at Temple University? You'd think he'd be out roaming the streets and shouting out to no one in particular.

Search me. His field was actually contemporary U.S. history. The Wikipedia article on him says where he got his PhD, but I don't remember. I do remember it saying that his dissertation on the UFO controversy was adapted into a book, and the book sold out. That's kind of rare for a dissertation adapted into a book. It could also be that Temple was taking anyone it could get when he got his job. 

Might be that today's techniques of genetic testing could disprove his theory of alien-human hybridization. I didn't think of that last night.

The late Budd Hopkins's books--which are highly entertaining, in my opinion--talk a lot about alien-human babies.

[CellarDweller]

No matter how bad our NYE was, it wasn' t worse then Mariah Carey's.

[Kananaskis]

Have you ever spent New Year’s Eve in the mountains?

Currently heading for the Austrian Alps, more precisely Carinthia, down on the border with Italy. My family and I set out on a short skiing getaway.

It’s a marvelous location. We’re staying at a hotel adjacent to the ski slope. It’s extremely convenient, as you step out of the building and hop into your skis right away. We used to visit that particular place every year for a couple winters, and stay up there through New Year’s Eve. Back then we would bring our friends along from Poland, and other families came through from Germany, Austria and France, so there was always enough people (those I’d already known and those just met) to throw a decent party. (Granted, the drinking age in Austria is 16.)

Nowadays, however, interest in family vacation has dropped off sharply among people of my age (myself included). For this reason, I decided to stay home during the Christmas break last year, when my family left for Austria. I didn’t regret my decision, as I went to a great party with my friends, but this time around I thought it’d be the only chance to practice my snowboarding, and, after all, NYE is just a party like any other. Plus, I get to unwind, stray from the mundane and grueling path of constant studying and mock exams, become suspended above ordinary affairs, right ?

What about you? Do you ski/snowboard? If so, where do you usually go?

(I like to think that Jack and Ennis did once spend NYE with each other. That would be so nice. I doubt Ennis would ever gather up the courage to meet up with Jack at Christmas, let alone the fact that he arguably wouldn’t miss the opportunity to spend the holidays with his girls.)

[Corax]

We didn't make final plans yet. Maybe we'll go skiing, if the weather is fine and if there is at least a bit of snow. There are some places in Bavaria and Austria, where there are NYE Après-Ski parties and great fireworks. I think I'll have to look for a place for us to stay there - tonight at the latest.
Most of my friends prefer sitting together the whole evening eating Fondue or Raclette while waiting for midnight. I always found that a bit boring after a bit, because everyone was just killing time.
I'd like to go on vacation for NYE some time, maybe to NY, Prague or London. But that's really really expensive.

Wojtek, am I right  that you are a student at university (you wrote about exams and studying)? So if you like Austria, you should try Innsbruck for NYE. It's a lovely city, where there are big parties, many young people are having fun. And you are right - drinking age is 16, but only for beer and such. You aren't allowed to drink hard liquor. 
The "Bergsilvester" there is really great.

[Kananaskis]

Wojtek, am I right  that you are a student at university

I'm actually in my "senior" year in high school, and the exams I'm referring to are the final exams summing up your secondary education. (When you apply for university, whether you get in or not is based upon the results of these exams.)

The "Bergsilvester" there is really great.

Thanks for the recommendation! I must check it out someday, I googled it and it truly looks spectacular. Not this time, though, as we're most likely going to stick with Kärnten.

I'd like to go on vacation for NYE some time, maybe to NY, Prague or London. But that's really really expensive.

I agree. Also, I'm afraid such a vacation needs to be carefully planned out. Luckily I've got friends in both NYC and London, but I doubt either would see fit to get crammed into a vast crowd gathered in the city center. In the future, though, I'd love to visit some amazing city for NYE, maybe Hong Kong or Sydney. (I know it's rather far-fetched, but am I not permitted to dream? haha.)

[CellarDweller]

I'll be at my friends' house for a party, I'll be making some stromboli, and some  of the mini-hot dogs in puff pastry.

[Front-Ranger]

I'll probably stay home NYE, but, come New Year's night, January 1, I want to get away from the light pollution of the city so I can enjoy the first Supermoon of the new year! I might go up north and visit our friend Offline Chuck Destry.

Envious of the people in Austria! In 2014, EDelMar and I were traveling by back roads into Austria from the south, and we found an old Nazi gatehouse. Creepy!