Dearest
reader - Happy New Year 2013.
New Years Reykjavík 2012-2013 - clip off youtube (prakkari)
Having previously
blogged about my feelings towards even and odd numbers I am a bit hesitant
regarding the changing of the timekeeping guard this time around. The figure
has an ominous feel to it, as if the coming twelve months could have something
rather odd planned for us. There is no reason behind this hunch, all we will
probably experience is more of the same old – government fiscal fiascoes and
uprisings that bring no apparent change for the positive.
How cheery
of me. I guess it has something to do with the loss of Tim´s contribution to
this page and the temporary loss of Dan’s. Loss is never a good way to begin
anything. Least of all a new year. So I will focus on the positive – the addition
of Lisa and Caro.
In Iceland we
celebrated the turning of the year in the usual fashion – by bombing the old
year away with tons upon tons of fireworks, sold once a year for this
particular purpose. Other than that they are banned. No one is thus tempted to
explode the winter to hell come early spring – at that time there are no
fireworks to be had. In Iceland however there is no danger of ambers or sparks
setting forests on fire. This scenario requires a forest. They are banned for
other reasons, not the least because of the loud and percussive sounds they
make – scaring farm animals to death or loss of functionality (no milk).
Due to a
rather nasty turn in the health of my father-in-law the day before New Year’s
our annual crazy party was cancelled. We did however partake in the fireworks
frenzy, taking up an offer of a couple our neighbors to combine our artillery and
bomb the end of the street into oblivion. We tried our best for a little under
two hours but despite this the end of the street is still there. Next year we
must increase our numbers and powder mass, this particular street-end is going
down.
Tonight PBS
in the States is showing two programs where Iceland has a big mention – one is
called Doomsday, or something similarly lovely, and the other Life on Fire. If
you saw them – keep calm and carry on, we are not about to bomb the world into apocalypse
with our overdue volcanic eruptions. Promise.
Footnote: this
promise does not extend to the end of our street – Ragnarrök awaits this
section of the world, 31.12.2013.
Yrsa -
Wednesday
Posts
I watched the video and at first wondered why you were posting about the Green Zone. We Americans tend to think that way in the face of such shock and awe fireworks displays.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read about your father-in-law, but happy to learn your street is still there; and on your advice I skipped watching the PBS Doomsday special. The fact it ran opposite the Sugar Bowl Football game was pure coincidence.
And speaking of happy, Happy New Year.