New Year’s Eve is one of those nights (Black calls them “forced” celebrations) that often have great expectations attached to it. Many people make a big deal of it, but we prefer a lowkey approach, making the evening “special” by spending it with special people – for Red, her daughters, and for Black, close friends.
Some years it can be a bittersweet celebration (if loved ones have passed or no longer live close to home), but that can remind you of what’s most important.
So, let’s all toast to the promise and hope of a new year … and to champagne and toilet paper.
| New Year's Eve seems like the perfect time to stroll down memory lane, although I'm guessing your memories are much more interesting than mine. |
| "Interesting" is a subjective word. Regardless, are you talking about memories in general? Or, New Year's Eve celebrations? |
| Actually, it was just a passing comment. But since you've always seemed to make a bigger deal out of New Year's Eve than I have, are there any years that really stand out? |
| Truth is the most memorable ones are the ones spent with celebrating with closest friends versus crowds. In fact, I think I have spent more than half of my New Year's Eves with John and Diana. Although, I will never forget bringing in 2000. |
| Oh, this should be interesting. Where were you? What did you do? |
| I do not remember the details. But, I do remember everyone was panicked about Y2K. In fact, for almost the entire year leading up to it, people were certain it would create havoc with computers and computer networks. It turned out to be a non-event. |
| That's it? I thought you were going to talk about some major celebration to mark the turn of the century. |
| No, although not always successful, I always tried to avoid major celebrations. Anyway, 1999 was when I was collecting wine and many of us were certain there would be a shortage of vintage Champagne. And before you ask, vintage Champagne means it is made with grapes from a single year's harvest which happens only three or four times in a decade. |
| Was 1999 one of those years? |
| I will not bore you with the details, but Champagne is aged in the bottle (vintage for significantly longer than non-vintage releases) so it was from earlier in the decade. Anyway, collectors starting buying large quantities of vintage Champagne, which can last decades when stored properly, thinking it was "now or never" … |
| I know better than to ask how much you bought. |
| Enough to last a lifetime. Maybe two lifetimes. Which was a good thing as I lost most of it in the divorce. Anyway, the interesting thing was that because so many wine collectors were stocking up on vintage Champagne, the shortage became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Similar to when people were hoarding toilet paper. |
| Only you would compare the two. One's a luxury item and one's a necessity you'll ultimately use. I guess the good news though is that now you'll never run out of Champagne. |
| Except, my offsite wine storage was broken into years ago – and they stole all the Champagne. Good news is John and Diana still have their stash. |
| So, are you going to spend New Year's Eve with them? |
| Not the entire evening, but the three of us plan to toast love, friendship, and the end of 2020 … with masks, social distance, and some vintage Champagne. |
| I’m curious, since you were recently at the Make-A-Wish conference at Disney World in Orlando, did you take your Minnie Mouse ears or oversized Mickey Mouse hands with you? |
| No, but I told a few people how I wore them on “Dress as your favorite character day” when we were teaching at KIPP Houston High School. |
| That was one of the funniest Red & Black classes. Ever. |
| The funny thing is that other than wearing the ears and oversized hands, everything else was impromptu. |
red head
assets.rebelmouse.io
Black
assets.rebelmouse.io
| Perhaps, but I also remember you wore a short black leather skirt and your usual Christian Louboutin black heels with red soles, except this time they were boots. Which, I might add, are the perfect Minnie Mouse colors. |
| Well, there was no way I would wear a red polka dress. |
| Which you proceeded to explain to the students is also how Minnie feels. That she only wears it “at work” because she’s paid to. After all, she’s a business tycoon, and prefers designer clothing to tacky dresses. Not to mention, outside of work, she’d never wear the same exact outfit every day. |
| Yes, and your point is? |
| That alone was funny enough but explaining it while “in character” and gesturing with those oversized white hands, just made every word hilarious. |
| I did not even need to do a squeaky Minnie Mouse voice. |
| All I know is that if someone had told me when we were kids and visiting Disney World shortly after they opened, that my big sister would one day entertain high school seniors with a business lesson about Minnie while “in costume”, I’d have said they were crazy. |
| I cannot believe that was 50 years ago. And, that Mickey and Minnie were born on the same day and are over 90 years old. Animation is the ultimate fountain of youth. |
| Is that why you like to use our animated creatures, rather than us, as often as possible?! But if they’re ageless, what determines their birthday? |
| November 18, 1928, was the day “Steamboat Willy,” the animated short film that made Mickey (and his girlfriend, Minnie) famous, was released. |
| Even though they were never my favorite cartoon characters, I still remember the first time I saw that film. It was somewhere on Main Street, USA at Disney World, and it was in black and white. I’ve never forgotten it. |
| I am fascinated by how one animated short became an entertainment empire. And, to think that Mickey was a mouse because Walt Disney signed over the rights to his first creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. |
| Is that why when Red & Black was first created, you refused to give over the rights to anything and everything that we created? I always assumed it was because you were a control freak. |
| I admit I am a control freak, but would like to think it is selective. For example, controlling the Red & Black brand so that it represents what we stand for and believe. When you say “Disney,” it conjures up an image of being wholesome and family appropriate. And, Mickey and Minnie are an integral part of that. It is the power of a brand and has made Disney the brand it is today. |
| Yes, and I remember you telling that to the students, even going so far as to explain the value of the brand as an intangible asset. It was probably the funniest explanation of the concept anyone’s ever heard, but that’s because you did it while wearing those oversized white mouse gloves. |
| Who knew that Minnie could make learning so much fun? |
| So, what do you think Mickey would’ve thought of that? Especially as he’s used to getting top billing. |
| I know that Mickey may get most of the attention, and even his own day, but never underestimate the power of Minnie … |