Y2Kers To Party This Time Around.

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Those Who Missed Out on Y2K Plan to Party This Year Like It's 1999 By Susan Parrott Associated Press Writer

DALLAS (AP) - Mike Cox's millennium dinner came from his favorite restaurant - in a takeout box.

Like thousands of other workers, he rang in last New Year at work, awaiting fallout from the Y2K computer glitch that threatened to wreak havoc, but didn't.

"I had my entire staff at work," said Cox, who was then spokesman for the Texas Department of Safety. "Threadgill's sent over chicken fried steak and we had fake champagne. Then we just sat by waiting on problems. It was probably the safest New Year's Eve ever."

Don't call Cox this Dec. 31. For him and others who missed the fun last year, this holiday will be an excuse to party like it's 1999.

Cox said he'll celebrate the "real millennium" in style - the food will be the same, but he'll eat at the restaurant.

Under the widely used Gregorian calendar, which started with the year 1, the third millennium doesn't begin until Jan. 1, 2001.

Weather permitting, organizers of some public celebrations expect a bigger turnout this year than last. Some events last year drew weaker-than-expected attendance because people feared big crowds or problems from the Y2K computer bug - glitches caused by computers reading "00" as 1900 instead of 2000.

In Denver, Sunday night's celebration is expected to attract nearly 100,000 people after a weak turnout last year.

"It will be better this year than if they had it last year because people can just concentrate on celebrating rather than being caught up in the overall sense of impending doom," said Lashley Pulsipher, a 25-year-old Denver resident.

Randall Horton of Dallas is content just to celebrate with friends and family instead of staring at a computer screen. As Y2K project manager for Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Horton spent the rollover to 2000 in a command post monitoring the transition at hospitals around the world.

"This year, I expect I'll monitor the millennial transition with equal interest, albeit from home, with family, and with real champagne instead of grape juice and soda water from a plastic cup."

But some people looking for a chance to party have been disappointed by scaled-back millennial celebrations.

Frank Guarino of Memphis, Tenn., a telecommunications manager, has had little luck finding a "true millennium" celebration. Guarino wanted something special after working last year to help First Tennessee Bank make a trouble-free transition to Y2K.

"I'm astounded that no big hotels are really pumping this thing to celebrate the real millennium," he said. "It disappoints me because I was looking forward to a big hoorah."

Bad weather could be this year's glitch; ice, snow and unusually cold weather have buffeted many parts of the country.

In New York City where 11 inches of snow had fallen by midday, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani remained confident that the New Year's Eve bash in Times Square would go on.

"Although it's cold, it's not unbearable," Giuliani said.

Others were less confident.

"I don't know if we're going to be off," said Don Rogers, spokesman for the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which rang in 2000 at work. "It's going to totally depend on the weather."

If Mother Nature cooperates, Rogers will be a happy man.

"At least I'll be able to give my wife a kiss at midnight and not at 4 a.m.," he said with a chuckle.

-- AP Says: (AP@Wire.stuff), December 30, 2000

Answers

12/04/00- Updated 10:24 AM ET

No Y2K means workers off for holidays

By Stephanie Armour, USA TODAY

So many employees were barred last year from taking vacations because of Y2K concerns that some companies are bracing for more time-off requests this holiday season. Some companies are giving first dibs to those who toiled last year, and others are letting most of their technology departments take time off over the holidays. Many Y2K workers are planning to make up for being on call or in the office last year with big plans this year.

For example:

Employees at Santa Clara, Calif.-based Oren Semiconductor who worked around the holidays last year are guaranteed time off at year's end. About 60% of staffers in one department will be off around Christmas.

"The guaranteed Christmas came later as a thank you," says Mike Hurlston, a marketing vice president. "It's unusual for us to have that many people from one department taking time off. We would normally never allow this much of a department to leave at once."

AT&T is making efforts to give time off to managers who may have had to forgo vacations last year because of Y2K.

"We try to make accommodations for people who have put in the extra effort," says spokesman Burke Stinson.

The Federal Reserve expects to see an increase in requests for time off. Hundreds of staffers last year were told they might have to be in the office on New Year's.

"There will be a lot more people taking time off," says spokeswoman Rose Pianalto, adding that her department is a prime example. "Last year, we didn't take time, and this year we're all taking time off."

At MessageClick, a New York-based communications firm providing outsourced voice, fax and e-mail services, employees who worked because of Y2K get first dibs for vacation during the holidays this year.

"I worked on New Year's," says product manager Andrey Kuzyk, who is going with his wife to Bali just after Christmas. "Around this time, it's hard to get vacation because everyone wants to go. You can choose the vacation time you want if you worked."

At Mount Laurel, N.J.-based Inrange Technologies, employees who didn't take vacation last year around the holidays are taking time off now.

"Last year, you had people who couldn't take vacation in the fourth quarter," says Charles Foley, executive vice president. "We've seen a significant increase in people and clients taking vacation days now."

Some workers never get a break. Philip Murphy worked on New Year's 2000 for New York-based public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. This year, client demands on Jan. 1 mean he'll probably be working again.

"I guess it will be another 1,000 years until I get a day off," Murphy says.

-- (H@ppy.holidays), December 30, 2000.


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