Monday, April 24, 2006
Monday Memories: Y2K
Did I Tell You About The Time We Bought A Bunch of Cans of Beans?
Do you remember all the hype leading up to the change-over from 1999 to 2000? Yeah, that whole Y2K scare.
We really didn't go overboard, as you'll recall there were people building bunkers and arming themselves in expectation of a total return to the Stone Age. We just bought some extra canned food, stored up some water, and made sure we had plenty of diapers on hand (Maya and Sage had just turned 2 on 12/30.)
At about 5pm, my friend Mark called me from England to wish me a Happy New Year. Since he was 7 hours in the future, I asked him if the British Isles were being plunged into chaos or anything. Nope, it all looked good, he assured me. Then, at around 10pm my family on the East Coast called and said the same. So, I felt pretty confident that things were going to be OK. But, as I said before, I was feeling pretty OK about it anyway.
At midnight, we woke up Anya, who was 4 at the time, to ring in the New Year. We figured she was A. the only kid with any hope of remembering it when she was older, and B. probably actually going to go back to sleep after. She wasn't really impressed...but then nothing really impressive happened.
I know this is probably a horrible thought, but I was a little disappointed. I wanted SOMETHING to happen. Certainly nothing major, I didn't want anyone to get hurt. But these folks had really kind of robbed our joy and excitement over the new millennium (don't even start on the whole new millennium not starting until 2001; as Mulder says, "Nobody likes a math geek, Scully.") Maybe our electricity could have gone out for a few hours, or the internet could have gone all wonky for a day or so. I don't know. Something to make us feel we'd SURVIVED the whole non-event.
As it was, life went on as it will when you have 3 kids age four and under. Which means we didn't really have a lot of room in our schedules for extra excitement anyway, we were making plenty of our own.
How was your Y2K experience?
If you're playing Monday Memory this week, please drop a comment and then link yourself up! Don't forget the comment part, though, I get kinda twitchy when people do that....
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Do you remember all the hype leading up to the change-over from 1999 to 2000? Yeah, that whole Y2K scare.
We really didn't go overboard, as you'll recall there were people building bunkers and arming themselves in expectation of a total return to the Stone Age. We just bought some extra canned food, stored up some water, and made sure we had plenty of diapers on hand (Maya and Sage had just turned 2 on 12/30.)
At about 5pm, my friend Mark called me from England to wish me a Happy New Year. Since he was 7 hours in the future, I asked him if the British Isles were being plunged into chaos or anything. Nope, it all looked good, he assured me. Then, at around 10pm my family on the East Coast called and said the same. So, I felt pretty confident that things were going to be OK. But, as I said before, I was feeling pretty OK about it anyway.
At midnight, we woke up Anya, who was 4 at the time, to ring in the New Year. We figured she was A. the only kid with any hope of remembering it when she was older, and B. probably actually going to go back to sleep after. She wasn't really impressed...but then nothing really impressive happened.
I know this is probably a horrible thought, but I was a little disappointed. I wanted SOMETHING to happen. Certainly nothing major, I didn't want anyone to get hurt. But these folks had really kind of robbed our joy and excitement over the new millennium (don't even start on the whole new millennium not starting until 2001; as Mulder says, "Nobody likes a math geek, Scully.") Maybe our electricity could have gone out for a few hours, or the internet could have gone all wonky for a day or so. I don't know. Something to make us feel we'd SURVIVED the whole non-event.
As it was, life went on as it will when you have 3 kids age four and under. Which means we didn't really have a lot of room in our schedules for extra excitement anyway, we were making plenty of our own.
How was your Y2K experience?
If you're playing Monday Memory this week, please drop a comment and then link yourself up! Don't forget the comment part, though, I get kinda twitchy when people do that....
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Yeah, I remember that year. It was weird that nothing at all happened. All that build-up too.
I have been trying to post my Monday Memories, but blogger is not publishing me right now. Will try to have up later.
Thanks for sharing!
I have been trying to post my Monday Memories, but blogger is not publishing me right now. Will try to have up later.
Thanks for sharing!
My husband, who Mulder would most certainly not like, is very fond of pointing out to people that if thousands of computer geeks hadn't worked hours of overtime for months beforehand, there certainly would have been a big problem. I'm sure he's right. Nevertheless, the average person only cares that their VCR and computer kept working.
We did go to a gas station right after New Year's that year at which all the pumps were acting wonky. If you bought gas with a credit card, it spat out a receipt with the wrong amount, bought on a different day and time. The guy inside said it started Jan. 1.
We did go to a gas station right after New Year's that year at which all the pumps were acting wonky. If you bought gas with a credit card, it spat out a receipt with the wrong amount, bought on a different day and time. The guy inside said it started Jan. 1.
We were singing in the new year with our friends from church and stopped for prayer. I wondered if the lights would still be on when I opened my eyes and low and behold they were!
How long did it take you to eat down your stocks of food?
We didn't do any big prep. I have a camp stove and I keep a lot of stock on hand anyway, so I wasn't worried. I did buy water, just in case.
How long did it take you to eat down your stocks of food?
We didn't do any big prep. I have a camp stove and I keep a lot of stock on hand anyway, so I wasn't worried. I did buy water, just in case.
My Y2K memory... we were in Korea at the time and I figured that if anything went wrong, "not quite right Korea" was the place for it to happen. We were still using the old computer bought in 1993 and surfing the net on Korean dial up.
I didn't stock up on anything because I knew that the AF had plenty and we would be fine for months if anything happened...worse case they would ship us home.
So that night Dh was watching TV, Darly had gone to bed and I was surfing the net...checking for news stories from places further east. DH called me in to see a story about New Zealand where a reporter had used the ATM at 12:01 just to see if anything happened...nothing.
Nothing happened on the internet at 12:00 either. Everything was fine. I think I went to bed at about 12:30. I do remember that the first thing I did the following moring was to check my computer...everything was fine. I sent my brother a birthday ecard as the 1st is his birthday and being 16 hours ahead, I could send it out and still have plenty of time. I don't think he replied...he's like that.
I didn't stock up on anything because I knew that the AF had plenty and we would be fine for months if anything happened...worse case they would ship us home.
So that night Dh was watching TV, Darly had gone to bed and I was surfing the net...checking for news stories from places further east. DH called me in to see a story about New Zealand where a reporter had used the ATM at 12:01 just to see if anything happened...nothing.
Nothing happened on the internet at 12:00 either. Everything was fine. I think I went to bed at about 12:30. I do remember that the first thing I did the following moring was to check my computer...everything was fine. I sent my brother a birthday ecard as the 1st is his birthday and being 16 hours ahead, I could send it out and still have plenty of time. I don't think he replied...he's like that.
I was just about to start with the real millenium doesn't start until 2001 when you threw in the Mulder remark.
We have lots of food, water, camping supplies, etc (and I mean lots, including MRE's) set aside for hurricanes so we were already prepared when nothing happened during Y2K. It's like insurance. Sure you have it, but you never want to use it.
We have lots of food, water, camping supplies, etc (and I mean lots, including MRE's) set aside for hurricanes so we were already prepared when nothing happened during Y2K. It's like insurance. Sure you have it, but you never want to use it.
BTW I notice that your post isn't registering any comments even though there clearly are comments. What is up with Blogger today? I can't even post.
I left a comment earlier but I think blogger ate it. Thanks for the Y2K craziness memory. Or maybe all those committees weren't so crazy. We didn't have any problems at our university of 50,000.
My MM is up.
http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2006/04/monday-memories-did-i-ever-tell-you_24.html
My MM is up.
http://collectingmythoughts.blogspot.com/2006/04/monday-memories-did-i-ever-tell-you_24.html
We were anticipating what might happen just as you were. We had our generator ready and I think we had purchased some extra water, but we didn't make any major preparations. If I remember correctly, our church had made some preparations, and of course my hubby was in charge of that.
It was an odd feeling wondering what might happen.
I agree that it was somewhat of a letdown that nothing really happened at all.
It was an odd feeling wondering what might happen.
I agree that it was somewhat of a letdown that nothing really happened at all.
Jen - I was on the Y2K team at work, I spent years getting system plans to gether to make sure nothing happened. I was relieved that nothing happened.
By the way - most systems had glitches, they just didn't fail at the stroke of midnight. They popped up through-out the year 2000.
By the way - most systems had glitches, they just didn't fail at the stroke of midnight. They popped up through-out the year 2000.
Jen - I was on the Y2K team at work, I spent years getting system plans to gether to make sure nothing happened. I was relieved that nothing happened.
By the way - most systems had glitches, they just didn't fail at the stroke of midnight. They popped up through-out the year 2000.
By the way - most systems had glitches, they just didn't fail at the stroke of midnight. They popped up through-out the year 2000.
I was in Dallas during Y2K. We watched the millenium ring in from the Pacific Islands all the way across. We stored a little water and had food storage already.
Now we are prepared as a matter of course. Tomorrow I start my preparedness tips on the website.
Now we are prepared as a matter of course. Tomorrow I start my preparedness tips on the website.
I don't remember being all that worried about Y2K. Then again, M Girl was born in August of 2000 so I was pregnant over New Years so I don't remember much of anything during that time!
After 9/11 we stocked up on water etc. for awhile and talked about escape plans from the city (we live downtown Chicago) in case of a dirty bomb or something equally awful. The water's long gone but when I'm feeling especially paranoid, my hubby and I talk about what we'd do to get the kids safe. I wish I could say it makes me feel better to talk about it. But it doesn't!
After 9/11 we stocked up on water etc. for awhile and talked about escape plans from the city (we live downtown Chicago) in case of a dirty bomb or something equally awful. The water's long gone but when I'm feeling especially paranoid, my hubby and I talk about what we'd do to get the kids safe. I wish I could say it makes me feel better to talk about it. But it doesn't!
I remember that, too. It's always wise to have a few emergency supplies on hand, whether to cope with weather, natural disasters or an illness that keeps you from getting to the store for a few days.
i really wanted to see the world-wide celebrations. we didn't have cable (or satellite) at that time. a few weeks prior to new years eve, i had asked my hubby if we could get a set up so we could see all the celebrations ...paris, egypt... at the last minute he got the idea to go buy a system. we spent all morning picking out a system and the rest of the day with my hubby on the roof installing the dish.
i didn't have the heart to tell him we missed the whole thing, because it started at 10:00 a.m.
i didn't have the heart to tell him we missed the whole thing, because it started at 10:00 a.m.
That is totally awesome! I was a little disappointed nothing happened also. The computers didn't care. lol!
My husband is one of those 2001 freaks. I told him that how can they really know for sure anyway. Maybe the new millienum really happened in 1997.
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My husband is one of those 2001 freaks. I told him that how can they really know for sure anyway. Maybe the new millienum really happened in 1997.
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