We never learn.
Waking up bright and early Tuesday morning I was distraught to discover that it was December 1st. The first of December. 01/12/09. In summary; THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS.
Where did 31st November go? I thought I had one more day, just one more day before the pissing tide of Christmas joy became acceptable once more.
But no. The real reason for my confusion lies in the simple fact that none of us really know how many days are in each month. “But you’re wrong, what about the rhyme?” I hear you snear. Well yes, Thirty Days hath September certainly has its uses, but you are remembering the (not so catchy) rhyme itself, not the actual content sitting within it.
We’re all guilty of it. It’s one of those things that we as human beings just simply never bother to learn throughout our entire lifetimes. We don’t act this way with anything else important in our lives. “Shall I learn how to walk?” Go on then. “Should I get into this whole business of ‘brushing my teeth’ twice a day?” If I must. “Should I try to remember how many days each of the months hold?” I’ll give it a miss.
Despite this, I am ridiculously judgemental when it comes to April. My birthday falls on 30th April (each year) – the last day of the month.
Because of this, I have always been fully aware of how many days April holds – it would be hard not to be. Throughout my childhood and now my young adult life, if a friend, relative, or indeed parent was trying to remember my birthday, I would snear and scold them for even beginning to suggest that it could be on April 31st. “April the what? How long have you been living on this planet that could make you possibly think April has 31 days. You’re a fool, Mum, a fool”.
So it seems we’re all as bad as each other. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to discover the principles behind daylight saving. Which is ‘the good one’ again?
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As far as I can make out, it becomes acceptable shortly after “Back to School” and “Halloween” have died down, doesn’t it?
That rhyme about “30 days hath September…” is thoroughly embedded in my mind and gets chanted in a distracted whisper regularly when I am calculating bills and rent payment dates etc.
Also thoroughly embedded in my mind and a sure harbinger of Christmas are “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Christmas in New York”, which I start involuntarily humming around 20th Nov each year. It’s quite depressing really. I need better brain-substrate that rejects nonsense and retains useful and interesting subject matter.
Much like you using ’30 days’ while calculating bills, I have got into the habit of listening to ‘Song for Whoever’ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Cc0zxkB-sE&feature=related) while trying to remember girls names.
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