There was an interesting question in Dear Abby today, and Shu and I disagreed whether Abby answered the question. What do you think?

The question was on the definition of New Year's Eve. If the date is December 31, 2004, is it New Year's Eve 2004 or 2005?

Abby said, "The Reader's Digest Oxford Complete Wordfinder defines 'eve' as: '1. the evening or day before a church festival or any date or event (Christmas Eve; the eve of the funeral); 2. the time before anything (the eve of the election).' Therefore, Dec. 31, 2004, is New Year's Eve 2004. New Year's Eve 2005 will be Dec. 31 of next year."

I agree with her, though Shu says she doesn't answer the question just by defining "eve." What do you think? Is this the 2004 or 2005 New Year's Eve?

I would say that New Year's Eve 2004 is what's coming soon, but I could very well be wrong.

This is the ending of the year 2004.. New Year's Eve 2004.

The New Year is 2005! And doesn't that sound just incredible, when everyone thought 2000 would send us into rack and ruin. And I thought I'd never be able to write a check with 2000 on it... and now it seems so normal.

As Arnie would say, IMO...

Hits in Google-news:

20 for New Year's Eve 2004 (one of which omits the apostrophe)
25 for New Year's Eve 2005 (one omits the apostrophe; another misplaces it)

I can never keep it straight, either! My first date with Mike, whom I eventually married, was a New Year's Eve party and I can never remember if it was going into 90 or going into 91 - takes me a while to do all the figuring out. Of course, I'm generally much more scatterbrained about details than most of you. (blush)