Friday, January 1, 2010

Hello, 2010

It's the New Year and I've a question to ask of it.

2010, are you gonna suck? Because if you are, I'd rather just keep living 2009. Actually, I'd rather keep living 1987, but at least the San Diego Chargers are a good team now. Anyway, please don't suck... I'm gonna be too busy to deal with too much adversity. Leave that shit to 2006, if you don't mind. Thanks in advance!

Let's see... resolutions for 2010... quit smoking, get published (not counting the three pieces in January, since those were commissioned and sold in 2009), and... no, that's about it. Same as every year.

Calendar Musings

Why do seven calendar months have 31 days, but February only has 28? Why not cut a day each from July and August and give February an equal shake? Sure, the knuckle trick won't work anymore, but we're long past honoring Roman Caesars.

Besides, those two bastard Romans are the reasons that September, October, November, and December aren't the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the year, as their prefixes clearly imply. So how about that? Let's ditch July and August completely and go back to ten months in a year! Five months with 36 days and five with 37! No? Too much?

How come the calendar year isn't tied in to the solstices and the equinoxes (is that the plural of equinox?)? Why not make the winter solstice fall on January 1 and the summer solstice fall on July 1? Is it too much to ask for civilization to have some logic?

Can we please, PLEASE get rid of Daylight Savings Time?

There's a lot of hubbub concerning when the new decade starts. Some claim that today is the first day of the new decade; others claim that January 1, 2011 is the first day of the new decade. Well, to be technical, every January 1st is the first day of a new decade, depending on how you're counting your years... but, for the sake of argument: if you're counting cardinal decades, then 2011 is the correct starting year (and is the first year of the 202nd decade). If you're talking about the colloquially accepted "2010s," then, duh, of course it's 2010.

The same thing goes for centuries. The 21st century didn't start until January 1, 2001. But, again, the "2000s" started in... you can figure it out. Millennia  follow the same rule set.

Anyway, Happy New Year. Hope it becomes a Happy Old Year.

9 comments:

Ted H. said...

happy new years. Hopefully you'll get a hair cut this year. lol

Brian Miller said...

happy new year jeff...hoping its a good one.

Wings said...

I have to go with the un-cool, I suppose. I mean, the 80s were 1980-89, right? The 90s were 90 to 99? So would'nt this last decade be 2000 to 2009? Works for me, and who the floop cares!

Here's to the start of everything new!

Happy 2010! You are another year closer to physically being the grumpy old man inside you!

Tom said...

another milestone year, another dissapointment...still no HAL running rampant through the universe, still no jetpacks.

happy new year

Lorenzo — Alchemist's Pillow said...

If we ditch July and August, as you suggest, we would be eliminating what have been famously cited as the only two good things about being a teacher.

Happy new year, Jeff, regardless of how many months it eventually brings, or how we tally the days and whether or not your post triggers a run on the daylight savings bank.

e said...

I sincerely hope 2010 is wonderful for you, and congratulations on the three pieces published in the near future.

Baino said...

Well it can't suck more than 2009 for me. I'd like to be back in 1995 frankly! Best year for music anyway. No no, I get a rostered day off each month so would lose 2 days paid leave if it was a 10 month year. And I LIVE for daylight savings time. I wish it was 2 hours all year not just in summer. I was at the fireworks on NYE on Sydney Harbour and two of my friends were going hell for leather about whether it's the start of a new decade or not. I don't care frankly. I just don't know what we're going to call them . . the 'tenies'? Happy New Year anyway . .

Harnett-Hargrove said...

What else do you have so many opinions about? Would you make a good politician? Great, post! -j

Bill G. said...

;^|

Will put out my predictions on Sunday ... but 2010 will be one of the most interesting years ever. I'm ready for 2014.

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