Numerical Fixation

Human fixation with so called significance of numerical coincidences has always bemused me.

However, put it into a different perspective by using metric instead of avoirdupois:

US baby born on 9/11 at 9:11 weighs 4.394 kgs Not quite the same!

As a fisherman I could never understand the significance of 20lb - a 9.07 kg carp just doesn’t have the same cachet!

As for anniversaries, don’t get me started! Why, oh why, are we so fixated on 50th and 100th anniversaries? I wonder sometimes if they are inventions of the ruling classes - give the masses something to celebrate and be happy / sad about and it will divert their attention from all the s**t in the world. Or am I just being a cynical grumpy old git?!

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To your last question … probably yes.

Welcome to the Club.

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Or in the UK one could say ‘baby born on 11/9 at 09:11 weighs 4.394 kgs … even less the same :grinning:

I almost posted exactly that, but didn’t as the reported birth was in US…

To make it really correct, plus confuse Americans, we need to have a 24 hour clock
‘baby born on 11/9 at 21:11 weighs 4.394 kgs’

If it was evening

Yes I assumed morning when I put my 24 hour clock… 09:11. :grinning:

Of course, given that a baby must be worth its weight in golspd, shouldn’t it be weighed in Troy ounces?

Baby born at 09:11 (or 21:11) on 11/9/19 weighing 141 oz t.

Shouldn’t that be Trospy ounces?

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I must confess to being a fully paid up member of the grumpy old man club, but I do disagree on anniversaries - I like an excuse to make it a bit special, go out for dinner, maybe get a bit of special treatment. Maybe no logic in celebrating at that particular time, but it’s no less lovely.

I also think it is good to mark the time, makes one think. Hopefully in a nice way.

I feel rather the same about Christmas/Birthday/Anniversary presents for me and SWMBO. I have tried to persuade her not to get me anything for these events, as whatever I truly want I will probably already have bought for myself, but she persists in getting me something, so I have to struggle to think of something to get her.

To make it worse, I never know what to get her : she doesn’t read, never watches any DVDs etc I have bought her, doesn’t like perfumes, rarely wears jewelry (sp?) and has vetoed me getting her any more, has forbidden me to buy her clothes. What’s left? :roll_eyes:

The last couple of years I ended up taking her to the local garden centre to choose yet another (stupid) garden ornament …

Would have used a puzzled emoji, but couldn’t see one in those offered (sigh)

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I agree completely about presents. But having a special day for just us is always lovely.

Father’s Day too - my kids love coming round to spoilt me and I do nothing to deter them :sunglasses:

It’s a choice whether to be grumpy, perhaps almost for the sake of it, and trying to make the best of things and celebrating. I used to be grumpy about this stuff but since narrowly escaping my end I’ve become far more positive. I think it’s great to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and to make a bit of an effort. It’s our 35th anniversary of going out together in November (we largely ignore our wedding anniversary as Mrs HH’s birthday is the following day) so we are going to France for a few days. It’s a good excuse for a holiday in what can be a bit of a funny month. For birthdays we have never spent very much and make a real effort to get nice little things and as our birthdays coincide with sales it’s good fun searching out bargains. This year I bought her a dress, a necklace, a DVD and a book for not much at all and it was great.

For her last (70th) birthday I took her for a “Northern Lights Cruise” in Norway, even though I HATE cruising (my idea of hell on Earth). Needless to say, we never saw the lights - it was cloudy every night. To make life complete almost every evening meal served on board was fish of the salmon family. Yours truly is allergic to salmon. It gives me urticaria, so I had to request something else all the time.

Our anniversary, Christmas, and her birthday all occur within period of 3 weeks. When she would accept jewelry I used to get her a ring/necklace/earrings set and give her one item for each event. Must get the stuff valued for the insurance company …

You’ve got me there! Trospy?

A holiday: weekend break for birthday (from go see a play or concert or show in another town, to a foreign city break: different each time). Longer fancier trip for anniversary.
Or spend time with her, e.g do something with her she does like: e.g go for a long walk

True. I’m not really a “holiday person”, although she likes to travel. I usually let her pick the destination and just fork out the money. This is in addition to our annual trip to Malta to visit her family, of course. I did persuade her to go to some classical concerts, which she actually enjoyed, although being a little selfish, they were really for me. :wink:

Must check on what’s coming up in Birmingham. She likes musicals, so hopefully there’s something going on that I can enjoy too.

I thought you’d get that. Read the post before mine…

Oh… Dratted small ‘keys’ on iPhone!