By Jan Stadtherr
This month’s column is a hodgepodge of four different topics, four of many subjects that make me ask, “Why?”
Happy 2024! Did you know that 2024 is the 25th year of the third millennium, the 25th year of the 21st century, and the fifth year of the 2020s decade? It’s boggling for my blonde brain.
It seems like the year 2000 was yesterday, but that was a very quick 25 years ago. I wish time would slow down. What bugs me about the start of the 21st century is the way people say the year. The most common way is to the say the year in two parts – twenty twenty-four. But some say two thousand and twenty-four. Why?
Remember during the 1900s when the majority of people today were born, went to school, married, built a career, raised a family, and then retired to enjoy their grandchildren? I graduated from high school in 1966 and I don’t recall anyone saying one thousand nine hundred and sixty-six or the longer version of any other year. The turn of the new century had never happened to us before and we were challenged as to how we verbally say the years. I did some research on-line and discovered that both versions of saying the years are correct.
When the year 2000 arrived, everyone said two thousand as it should be said, not twenty-oo. According to Woodword English, a company based in New Zealand, which offers free English lessons on the internet, the number zero is said as the letter “O”. When saying the years from 2001 to 2010, we said, as an example, two thousand and eight. I say 20-08 and continue with that format today, as it’s shorter.
Here’s another “why?” Since I had a knee replacement two months ago, this is the first time I’ve had a handicap sticker in the car. Before I had it, I always thought there were too many handicap parking spaces in parking lots, and, except for Walmart, those spaces were usually empty. But now that I have a temporary permit hanging from the rear-view mirror, I very seldom find a space no matter where I go! My permit will expire soon and I will see more empty spaces.
My third “why” has to do with toilet paper. If you’re a regular reader of this column, you may recall that I have a written a few columns including bidets in public bathroom, using Wi-Fi to flush toilets during a trip to Europe, and a survey about toilet paper that asked if you are a folder or a wadder when using TP. I had always been a wadder. But in the past couple years I became a folder. Why you ask? Because I am making more trips to the bathroom and have learned that by folding, you don’t use as much. Just what you wanted to know, right?
But I need to write about toilet paper once again as I’ve seen a commercial on TV where Charmin is promoting a new TP with a wavy edge. The ad claims you will get a smoother tear for an even better ‘go’!” HUH? Really? Who cares? I don’t care if the tear is uneven and raggedy. It’s used for one purpose and then flushed away. I wonder whose idea it was – man or woman?
When I was in elementary school, I asked my fifth-grade teacher why are we here on earth? If no one was here every thing would be black, there would be nothing. She told me that God put us here. Yes, I knew that, but if God put us here did he create space aliens, too? I do believe there is life elsewhere. Why should we be the only ones? Why?