With the arrival of 2005, we're now half a decade into the 21st century.

So where did you ring in the New Year? Jook Leung has documented several Times Square New Year’s celebrations with panoramic photographs. He is internationally recognized as an innovator in spherical panoramic photography. See if you made it into his shot this year at www.panoramas.dk. Even if you’re not in the photo, you'll enjoy a fascinating graphic effect.

The Skellys celebrated New Year’s Eve in the fashion traditional to our culture. We sat around and got drunk with the neighbors. That way, we were sure to spend the first day of the New Year feeling terrible and longing for the sun to go down so we could go back to bed. I think the logic behind the tradition is this: ushered in thusly, the New Year begins to feel better and better to you in the ensuing days and weeks -- so long as you don’t start drinking again.

Find out about other traditions for greeting the New Year at www.wilstar.com. (Unless you’re a real fan of repetitive music, you’ll want to turn down your volume.)

I’m now 1 day, 8 hours and 15 minutes into 2005, and I’m beginning to feel a little better about things. Your results will vary from mine based not just on what you did on New Year’s Eve but also on where you were at the time. Here’s a website that shows the geographical order in which countries around the world enter into the New Year: www.timeanddate.com. This will help you figure out whether you’re doing better or worse than I am. If you’re not doing better, get in touch with me. Maybe we could set up a support group.

Happy New Year, everybody. Stay healthy. Be happy. Get rich.