2010

I was born in 1951. I say that year as reading the words "nineteen fifty-one." Barbara and I got married in 1972 ("nineteen seventy-two.")

I don't say those dates as "one thousand nine hundred fifty-one" or "one thousand nine hundred seventy-two."

So consistency seems to lead me to call this year "twenty-ten" instead of "two thousand-ten."

At the same time, I'm trying to develop more of a scientific attitude, one that does not embrace tradition merely for the sake of comfort. Maybe we'll talk about the status of the dwarf planet Pluto one day, but today I'm interested in the consistency and tradition of saying the date as "nineteen something" instead of "one thousand nine hundred something."

I'm also interested in doing the work I want to do while expending the least amount of energy. So I counted syllables.

"Twenty-ten" has three syllables and "two thousand ten" has four syllables.

In the interest of efficiency and the knowledge that I'll be somewhat consistent, I'll be calling this year "twenty-ten."

Now, I wonder, all the energy I am going to save by being so efficient, was that just used up with all this rationalization?