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Saturday, December 27, 2008

2009, here I come!

I've been in an increasing state of panic lately as I've been trying to make plans for next month. I go to write my appointments on the calendar and as I flip the page and remember that the calendar ends this week I feel the panic rise. Not only because there's a good chance I'll forget about my dentist appointment in January, but also because I find the selection of calendars available to be lacking and the decision of which one to buy every year is not one I handle well.

A lot of thought has to be put into something that's going to be up all year. Last year I failed miserably with my choice. I'd rather not get into it. I don't do too much better with day calendars either - you know, the ones where you rip a page off every day? I got a "worst case scenario" day calendar for my desk this year and I haven't ripped a page off since August 16th. I may never know how to outrun a lion or fall off a cliff without injuring myself.

Today I decided it was time to just do it, as much as I hate it. As I looked at the selection of calendars at the stores, I wondered once again: what do I want to look at every day for the whole year? Nuns having fun? Pastoral scenes? Wolves? Wall - E? I mean, I liked Wall -E well enough, but do I really want to see pictures of him on my wall for the entire year!?

Most of the calendars center around pets, which I'm not interested in. A few of the calendars made me furrow my brow as I tried to picture the people who buy them, like the calendars "Views from the Hubble telescope" and "the Witches Datebook" (which is described as "perfect for the witch on the go").

The "Too Blessed to Be Stressed" calendar caught my eye, especially because it's a 16 month calendar which would give me a grace period next year. But after looking at the pictures on back, I realized that I might be too white for that calendar. I just looked it up and found it on the website It's a Black Thang.com.

I went to a couple different places in my quest for a tolerable calendar choice, and when I finally reached my limit, I found the perfect calendar. Perfect because it happened to be the closest one to where I was standing. It's title is "Just us Chickens" and it has a picture of a chicken every month. I was telling my friend Janice about the calendar earlier and she asked what the chickens are doing in the pictures. "Nothing," I said. "Just you know... chillin on the farm." She sounded confused but glad that I had at least chosen a calendar. I feel good about this choice. This is going to be a good year.

8 comments:

Katherine said...

Wow. I can't believe I'm going to have to look at those chickens for the whole of 2009. I admit that the title of the calendar is hilarious, but I'm a little worried about the next year. I'm either going to have 12 months of chicken-themed nightmares or the song "Old MacDonald" in my head non-stop. Yeeeeehaw!

Janice said...

chickens. see, i can appreciate the random humor in getting a chicken calendar, but the sad thing is that there are probably many who truly would want nothing more than to admire the photos of these twelve chickens as they tackle 2009. but whenever i rip on people for the strange fetishes they have, i'm humbled as i remember that i have a psychedelic camel tattooed on my upper back.

Anonymous said...

Now Hens and Roosters in a Calendar! I can appreciate that!

Mike said...

I had a friend who's family randomly had a few chickens. They were fun. Now I have a friend who randomly has a chicken calendar. I'm sure it will also be fun.

Katherine said...

That January chicken was lookin' at me funny this morning... He's kinda cute, though, I have to admit.

Unknown said...

Yeah, there is such a thing as being too white, but I'm sure the calendar makers are equal opportunity providers. You would have been okay with the "Too Blessed to be Stressed" calendar--if you got dreads.

Elizabeth Downie said...

Thanks Najah, I was hoping you'd weigh in! Can you imagine me with dreads?! lol. By the way, I keep looking for you on facebook and you're not there yet! You gotta get on it! Did I tell you Jon Hanna's on there now? I'm waiting for you!

Angie Cheney said...

Now now, Elizabeth, I feel it is my duty as a mother of African-American children to tell you that I would hope you would feel completely okay with the 'Too Blessed to be Stressed' calendar because we're all the same on the inside.

Your blog makes me laugh so hard! I can't believe you picked Chickens, but I understand how upsetting it can be picking a calendar. I have mine for my planner all ready but NONE on the wall yet (unless you count my husband's ANNOYING MSU calendar that he put up facing me at my desk so I would have to see it constantly that plays annoying MSU diddies)...I have looked but it's either animals or just ODD things, and I'm really not an animal person. Should choosing a calendar be this difficult?