Tonight marks my 40th post of the year, which was my revised goal (see my post from July 3rd) once I admitted that 52 was not likely to happen. So quit bugging me about 52. If anyone other than my regular commenters is concerned about me dropping below one post a week, then I ask you to put in a little more effort yourself and make some comments. Nothing inspires Little Jackie like feeling he's being paid attention to. Now on with post 40 of the 2010 season.
We are getting near the end of the year and that makes me think of a bone I have to pick with the calendar. Two bones in fact. One about the year and the other about the weeks. Let's start with the weeks, because it is clearly the most glaring of the two annoyances when it comes to the calendar.
According to the calendar (I don't know who makes up the rules for calendars that we all follow so uniformly - and I'm all for calendars being uniform) the week starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. How ridiculous is that? Everyone refers to the weekend as Saturday and Sunday, but on the calendar these two days aren't the weekend. Saturday yes, but Sunday is clearly the weekstart on the Calendar. Why doesn't the calendar week start on Monday like we really all think it does and finish on the Sunday?
This would work way better when planning weekend activities as well because, get this, the two days would be right beside each other on the calendar and not down one line and way over on the other side. Am I right? Can we fix this?
Meanwhile the year begins in January. Why? Well I'll tell you why. It is because that is the date that the new consuls in the Roman Empire took office. Seems like a great reason for us to continue doing it today. Probably just as good a reason for having the calendar week start on a Sunday. That reason? Inertia. Change is difficult. However, people, the time for a change is now!
January is not the start of the year in any real sense. It's the middle of winter in our hemisphere and the middle of summer in the south. Nothing is starting up then. I suppose that makes it hemisphere neutral, but since when have we in the North been worried about that. Let's move it to a sensible time. The start of spring comes to mind. Or how about the start of the school year which seems like the start of the new year in a lot of ways. And not just for the kids and teachers. Then we'd have two big celebrations at two different times of year, not two in a week like we do now. What do you all say? Are you with me??
Okay, maybe changing New Year's is not in the cards, but lets at least do something about the calendar week. Roman empire be damned!
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I suggest using scissors and glue to move the sunday column to the right side.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote, "This is my 19th post, so my goal of 52 for the year is in serious jeopardy. It's looking more like 40. Who knows, maybe there will be a rush of inspiration this summer." I didn't read it at the time like you'd amended your stated goal, just that your pacing was off. So you can't go claiming success now. Just admit you failed in your goal and that you'll do better next year and we'll all forgive you.
ReplyDeleteAs to the start of the new year, I'd be for making it the start of the school year, but different places start at different times. In Alberta, they start in August, for God's sake!
Are you serious? Does the calendar actually bother you? If it does that is weird? Time, calendars, it's all an illusion, that helps anal people deal with our world. Strange days indeed!Oh and who cares if you have 52, or 30 posts? Just make them more interesting and worthy of comment than this one. Cheers, xelA.
ReplyDeleteOkay, you're correct. I didn't officially revise my goal. In my mind I knew back then that I wasn't going to make 52 and I had long since given up on that. I have failed.
ReplyDeleteApparently I am now boring as well. Maybe I should do one a month and try to make it really good!!!
Once again backwards Alex is off the mark. I say go for quantity rather than quality. Go big or go home! Once a week or bust, baby! I know you have it in you.
ReplyDeleteOnce again xelA finds himself agreeing with curmudgeon Guy!Write as often as you can Jack, just try to make it a real annoyance, and a relevant anecdote.As your "mentor" Jack I obviously know you have it in you. Cheers, xelA.
ReplyDeleteOne man's annoyance is another man's "whatever".
ReplyDeleteMove to Germany. The ever efficient Germans set up their calendars starting on Monday. I'm sure you can get one on the Internet.
ReplyDeleteThey also use the 24 hour clock and they do their dates properly, that is either day-month-year or year-month-day. That's biggest to smallest or vice versa. It's the damned Americans that came up with month-day-year. What's with that for confusing? Is 2/3 February 3rd or the 2nd of March?
Another thing the Germans do is stroke their sevens (which a lot of people do here now) and they put a leading stroke on their ones to keep them distinct from a small l or an I.
Those Germans have these things all figured out.
And another annoyance I have is people implying that there's something wrong with anal people. That's a fine attitude until, as you hop into a helicopter, you overhear the mechanic say to the pilot, "I think it's fixed. I mean, I had to work from memory on how tight the rotor screw was supposed to be because I couldn't fine the manual in all the clutter. And I forgot to order those combustion valve thingies again. Just thank god for duct tape. But you should be good to go."
Don't get me started.
Hmm' my memory of helicopter flights would be that you can't hear anything outside, and inside if it's less than a four seater you use a headset to chat with each other? Maybe anal people have better hearing than me? Ah well, I doubt I'll be worrying about it. Cheers, xelA.
ReplyDeletePaul, I'm fully in support of the Germans having a solution for everything. Just so long as it isn't the Final Solution.
ReplyDeletePaul, I think it's the Brits who use the confusing month/day/year model. The Yanks use the simple (and superior) day/month/year. But that's as far as I'll go in complimenting either the Germans or the Americans.
ReplyDelete