By Kevin Cooney
I've never been very good at remembering what year it is. That's kind of a strange thing, since I have no such problem with, for example Tuesday, the second week of August, or even a smaller yet full month like February. I generally know what day of the week it is, and usually what day of the month and yes, even the current month. However, the year for some reason often slips my mind. Many times I have filled out some form or dated some document only to have it returned to me with a quizzical stare that says, "Seriously, you think its 2008?" It's with great embarrassment that I have had to scratch out and re-pen a year here and there.
It would seem an eminently large enough unit of time that I could remember it. But sadly, I can not. So while most people are busy celebrating what a great new year it is, I'm always trying to just remember which great new year it is. The months before January are not so tough. I've usually just gotten the hang of it by August. I'm fully engaged in the yearly cycle by November. Then comes a whole new one. For the next three months I'll be constantly dating things 2009, and getting wincing "you idiot" looks from friends and colleagues.
I have actually had the following conversation at a post office.
Me: "Whats the date again?"
Them: "The fourteenth."
Me: "Oh... and this part" (gesturing to year)
Them: Uhm. (Silent Disbelief)
While my issue with what year it is was comparatively minor stateside, I now have to deal with the Japanese calendar as well. With its various periods, Taisho, Showa, Heisei and more all marking the reigns of various emperors I can say that I came to Japan in the 13th year of the Heisei period. But only because I just did a web search to find out. When filling out a bank statement and suddenly being asked what the current date is in Heisei, I draw a blank. Which is fitting, considering my overdraft. I know the day, week, month... but which year it is in the Japanese calendar always throws me. (Pro Tip: I just write 09! Well soon it will be 010, if I remember.)
Another issue is working with and living amongst other English speaking people who not only drive on the wrong side of the road but order their dates bizarrely as well. Is it day/month/year or year/month/day or even month/day/year? I've seen fisticuffs erupt in an international workplace over the statement. "07/08/06... So was this in July?"
I've thought about it, and I suppose the reason I have such difficulty remembering the year, is that it is of little relevance to my life. I know its Tuesday because I have my Japanese lesson on Tuesday. I know its the fifteenth, because that check is supposed to get deposited in my account. I know It is February because I am freezing. These smaller units I'm working with on a regular basis and interact with at great frequency. But years? I don't have much cause to think about what year it is. I suppose that is Old Father Time's dirty little secret. We get so busy with the Mondays and the Twenty-thirds that we forget all about the picture. Time passes so surreptitiously that I hardly notice its already Hesei 22! Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? I'll tell you where it went, into lots of little 24 hour blocks of life here and there.
Happy New Year!
I've never been very good at remembering what year it is. That's kind of a strange thing, since I have no such problem with, for example Tuesday, the second week of August, or even a smaller yet full month like February. I generally know what day of the week it is, and usually what day of the month and yes, even the current month. However, the year for some reason often slips my mind. Many times I have filled out some form or dated some document only to have it returned to me with a quizzical stare that says, "Seriously, you think its 2008?" It's with great embarrassment that I have had to scratch out and re-pen a year here and there.
It would seem an eminently large enough unit of time that I could remember it. But sadly, I can not. So while most people are busy celebrating what a great new year it is, I'm always trying to just remember which great new year it is. The months before January are not so tough. I've usually just gotten the hang of it by August. I'm fully engaged in the yearly cycle by November. Then comes a whole new one. For the next three months I'll be constantly dating things 2009, and getting wincing "you idiot" looks from friends and colleagues.
I have actually had the following conversation at a post office.
Me: "Whats the date again?"
Them: "The fourteenth."
Me: "Oh... and this part" (gesturing to year)
Them: Uhm. (Silent Disbelief)
While my issue with what year it is was comparatively minor stateside, I now have to deal with the Japanese calendar as well. With its various periods, Taisho, Showa, Heisei and more all marking the reigns of various emperors I can say that I came to Japan in the 13th year of the Heisei period. But only because I just did a web search to find out. When filling out a bank statement and suddenly being asked what the current date is in Heisei, I draw a blank. Which is fitting, considering my overdraft. I know the day, week, month... but which year it is in the Japanese calendar always throws me. (Pro Tip: I just write 09! Well soon it will be 010, if I remember.)
Another issue is working with and living amongst other English speaking people who not only drive on the wrong side of the road but order their dates bizarrely as well. Is it day/month/year or year/month/day or even month/day/year? I've seen fisticuffs erupt in an international workplace over the statement. "07/08/06... So was this in July?"
I've thought about it, and I suppose the reason I have such difficulty remembering the year, is that it is of little relevance to my life. I know its Tuesday because I have my Japanese lesson on Tuesday. I know its the fifteenth, because that check is supposed to get deposited in my account. I know It is February because I am freezing. These smaller units I'm working with on a regular basis and interact with at great frequency. But years? I don't have much cause to think about what year it is. I suppose that is Old Father Time's dirty little secret. We get so busy with the Mondays and the Twenty-thirds that we forget all about the picture. Time passes so surreptitiously that I hardly notice its already Hesei 22! Oh my goodness, where has the time gone? I'll tell you where it went, into lots of little 24 hour blocks of life here and there.
Happy New Year!
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