25 Comments

O what a beautiful essay.

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Amen. And again, we say Amen, Sugar Buns.

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Back in the day--when such dances as The Pony came along--I invented a dance called The Pause--for the reason you suggested: an over-crowded dance floor.

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If we are sorrowful in our time of joy, how sad shall we be in our time of sorrow?

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Once again, I’m living vicariously through your lovely description of an evening onboard. We crossed the Atlantic three times on different Cunard liners, but never a Queen. (My cousin Colin worked on the Queen Elizabeth though so we heard his stories of the fancier crowd.) Your evening’s musical selection was definitely for our age group and I’m glad you made it onto the dance floor. Thanks for taking me away!

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Sounds like some real "unadulterated" joy. Happy New Year to you!

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That was truly lovely

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Just lovely. I felt I was right there!

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Let's face the music and dance

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Wow, what a way to greet a new year! I am glad you had a good time and no longer feel guilty about doing so. Thank you for sharing with us, your loyal readers, who get to enjoy the event vicariously. I used to play in a band and played lots of New Year’s parties and dances, so we’d watch the people have fun, which we were helping to make happen. Once I kissed a girl in the band at midnight, a memorable part of an ultimately sad story. Most New Years have been more mundane. This one was but it was nice, and I kissed another woman with whom my story has been much better. I have high hopes for this year, politics notwithstanding; among them the fact that I have gotten to use the word “notwithstanding”.

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Beautiful essay. Thanks for taking us along.

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One of your best columns ever! My wife and I took the seven day voyage on the Queen Mary 2 from England to New York last summer. It was the best travel experience of our lives! I'm about your age and a Badger who was born in Pine Island, near Rochester. You are like a good friend who I will probably never meet. Thanks for your book "Cheerfulness," which helps me to avoid becoming a "grumpy old man!"

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One of the most positive things about cruising is the easy access to entertainment, just an elevator ride away. While at home, we don't venture out at night much, but on a cruise we're out of our cabin every night with loads of options for quality live performance.

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Great words, gorgeous video!

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Happy new year, Sugar Buns. May sunset's sweet horizon lead to an abundance of tenderette greens.

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Your wife did not want to dance, then did.

Why get all dressed up then?

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She liked the fancy dress she'd bought and in her life as mom and violist and hiker she doesn't often get the chance to dress up. Her mom as a young woman frequented the ballrooms of Manhattan, loved to dance, got dressed up, and so did her New Jersey grandma.

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Thanks for going into that detail.

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