Tag Archives: dates

Tuesday’s Second Post

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I have 26 minutes to get this posted, which is quite a task, so I’d better get on with it.

Most of the time has been spent watching TV, but Julia isn’t feeling well – still post-Covid from what she says (I am suffering some of the same symptoms, but in a milder form). I thought I’d spend some time sitting in the same room as her, chatting and being attentive. I like to think she appreciated my efforts.

I have had another tanka accepted and Failed Haiku is out (Issue 94). I assume that link will eventually become useless. I’m on page 24 if anyone wants to pop over and look.

Nineteen minutes to go . ..

I’ve now hit a wall. Can’t think of a thing to say. I’ve already reported on last night’s meeting. And you’ve heard enough about the boring life of shopkeepers recently. It will be our wedding anniversary soon. It’s always a stressful time of year as I have to provide three thoughtful and imaginative presents in two months (Wedding Anniversary, Julia’s birthday and Christmas).

The stress starts with remembering all the dates. The Wedding Anniversary is quite close to the end of this month. Fortunately, Julia did an embroidery to commemorate that. It’s hanging ao a wall upstairs, so I can check thee exact date nearer the time.

Julia’s birthday is early in the month. So was her fathers, and so was the birthday of an old girlfriend from my early days, when I remembered dates better. So, I remember three dates in November, and have to make sure I don’t mix them up.

Christmas, of course, is easy. Well, it is if you ignore the evidence that suggests he was born in April or September, and probably between 6BC and 4BC.

I really should start writing these dates in my diary.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Day 77

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Tonight, I noticed that 2022 in Roman numerals, as used in film credits, is MMXXII. In 200 years it will be MMCCXXII. OK, it’s not as easy to read as 2022 and 2222, but it’s more decorative and more fun.

I moved on to discuss date writing conventions of the world. I searched for “dating conventions” but soon realised that it wasn’t the information that I wanted, It seems that the Americans do it differently to the rest of the world because they preserved the original format used by the British before 1776.

This has been bugging me recently because a journal I submit to has started instructing me to use the American system in my submissions. This is one of a number of instructions editors of various journals have been issuing recently. Strangely, they also say they favour the Chicago Manual of Style for certain things – though the date isn’t one. The Chicago Manual of Style does not recommend the American date format as it is felt to be ambiguous.

This is irritating, because I don’t like micromanagement, but that’s how it is. If I want to be published I submit in the style requested. However, things have now moved on. They are going to have a themed issue. I don’t like themed issues. I write for enjoyment, not because I want to engage in a glorified writing exercise. It’s nice to have editorial input, but I don’t crave publication like a  drug.I’m going to sit this one out.

Even if I did decide to submit, it’s unlikely that anything I write on the subject of war and human stupidity will be as good as this, so I’ll stick to writing about birds and Julia and traffic jams.

The Best Laid Plans…

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Last night I asked Julia what time her brother was arriving.

“Oh, it won’t be too early.”

That alerted me to the fact that she hadn’t actually fixed a time, but, confident that she knew what she was doing I slept the sleep of a man with a clear conscience. I even managed to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep…

You’ve guessed the rest haven’t you?

Fortunately we were planning an informal day, as you don’t get much more informal than meeting your guests whilst wearing a nightshirt.

It’s been a good day, featuring wide-ranging conversations on a number of subjects that indicate we’re getting older, and we’ve found time to fit in a certain amount of cold meat, cheese, snacks, nuts and dates.

My waistband is no longer as slack as it once was.