December 31, 2013 (Tuesday)
New Years Eve! That’s this evening.
Keeping in mind that the International Date Line takes you forward 24 hours as you travel from east to west, no doubt many people are already living in 2014 as you in the U.S.A. read this on December 31, 2013.
A fan of the Houston Texans football team received a call from his friend in Japan. It was late Saturday, and the Texans would play the following day on Sunday. His friend in Japan mentioned to the Houston guy that it was already Sunday evening in Japan, where he was calling from. “Really?” the Houston fan replied. “Then I have a question.” “Ask your question,” the Tokyo traveler said. “What I would like to know is,” pleaded the Houston supporter, “did the Texans win?”
The answer might be difficult to explain to the Texan fan, since obviously he does not understand how the system works.
So, wish yourself a Happy New Year right now if you like, because, as Jimmy Buffet and Alan Jackson would tell you, “It’s Midnight January 1, 2014 somewhere.”
Seriously, I wish for this weary world a Happy New Year, but we all have to remember that it depends on us. Will your new year be happy? It sort of depends on you, doesn’t it?