13 May 2011

may 12 of 12: by the numbers

for a very long time, i've had this odd fascination with numbers. i can't wait for dates like this one, i get a thrill when the phone number of the new pizza joint is the transposed number of an acquaintance's phone, or when i can add all the digits on a license plate and keep the total under 20. so i planned to make this 12 of 12 about some of the numbers i encountered on day 12 in may.

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16.5 
the average time in minutes it takes to do hair and makeup. today i was a little over that. there are some days when i wonder if it's even worth the time at all.
6
that's how many years i've had these birkenstocks. they're my favorite shoes in summer, my slippers (with socks) in winter. twice i've tried to replace them with what the salespeople insist is exactly the same shoe. i don't think so. 
1234
this is a project i've been working on since last summer: assigning bar code numbers to all the books in my schools' collections. it's necessary but tedious work and i try to find some diversion by noting the unique numbers that are coming up. this is 1234 and, because it's such a familiar numerical sequence, i try to remember the book i've linked it to in the database. but there are so many numbers - and so many books - that i can't remember the pairings of number and book for more than a few minutes, which distresses me a bit. so many great numbers here. 

$3.84
the going price for regular gas today. this is at one of two local stations across from each other that always show the same prices. i often wonder who changes their price first and how quickly the other follows suit. i'd love to catch that actually happening.
a few too many
these deposit slips make me crazy. why have so many boxes when most account numbers here are in the eight digit range? when i fill these out, i write my account numbers backwards, so the last digit is in the last box of the line. today the bank clerk tells me i don't have to do that and that there's no reason why these slips are printed the way they are. it's just what it is and will always be. 
XXX
my weight at my doctor's visit today. i take comfort only in the fact that i now know the bathroom scale is in fact accurate and i won't have to buy a new one like i was sure i'd have to.
132/78
my blood pressure at the aforementioned doctor's appointment. that's the lowest it's been in a long time. even though the assistant insisted it was okay, i still think these readings are skewed when taken through the long sleeve of the knit top you wore, totally forgetting that someone would be taking your BP.

at least 92
the age of the woman who welcomed  me as i walked into this store. dear God, i thought, don't ever make me have to go to work when i'm that old. a few minutes later i got my comeuppance when a tall blonde young woman approached me and said do you sell gas grills here?

$12
the price of this old needlework that i did not buy in the antique shop, even though i really liked the lacework and particularly the sentiment. i'm not sure i agree with it - but i like it!

17!
the number of people i saw driving and talking on their cell phones. c'mon people! i started counting a few minutes into my commute when i spotted the driver of a tractor trailer, while making two quick and consecutive right turns, talking on his cellphone. and yes, i did pull over here to answer mine.
the age kids have to be around here to play t-ball. i bought this set to practice in the yard with the little girl so she'll know the rules and procedures when she's old enough - maybe next season!

22 
the number of pavers i purchased to replace the old brick border on the shade garden. it's about a dozen short of what i actually need. for all the bizarre interest i have in numbers, i'm really, really lousy at estimation.

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10 comments:

Lynne said...

Very intriguing! I also have a great interest in mumbers.

Do you also count steps when walking up or downstairs?

I can't believe people think it's okay to do other things while they're driving; don't they realise they're behind the wheel of a lethal machine?

chris said...

Lynne: if there's more than one or two - yeah, i do count steps. especially walking up.

Irene said...

I have a thing with numbers too and am always adding and subtracting. Many times I count items in a room and steps I've taken. It's a subconscious effort. I always want to come out even.

Star said...

That was fun! I look forward to when you do it, again. (I GASPED at the price of gas. It has doubled in the years since I've been away from the States. It's now almost as expensive, I wager with as much mathematical acumen as you have, as gas in Italy, which is priced by the liter close to the size of a pint....)

Cherie Blessing said...

Fascinating post! I'm more of a word girl, collecting words wherever I go. I can't wait to see what you think of next month!

Linda said...

What a great concept for a post. I'll have to keep that in mind. My number-of-note this morning is 58. That's the temperature in upstate NY on May 15, for goodness sake. But, it is what it is. At least we're not dealing with tornadoes, floods, hurricanes & earthquakes.

Anonymous said...

LOVED this. Truly. Everything about it. 12 of 12 was invented for your kind of creativity.

~she~ said...

This was my favorite post of yours in a long time! I like numbers but I love words. Do you count how many times you knock on someone's door? I always have and don't know why. I have a knack for remembering people's telephone numbers. Great job!

Kay said...

I love this post..especially about the elderly greeter!!! Yikes. that will be me. I started counting the steps in front of the Art building at the U of Utah. Then I would forget how many..so it became what i did everyday. Mainly because everything on this campus is uphill..I was out of breath and tired but got so much better as the 3 yrs. passed. Still can't tell you how many steps there are..but if I had to go up them again..it would put me in bed for a day!

chris said...

thanks for the comments on this month's 12 of 12. it was lots of fun doing it and i had a lot of pictures (and numerical opportunities!) that never got used. Linda, the temperature was one of them -it was 57° here at the time. Nora, i don't count steps but i DO want everything to come out even! ~she, when i knock, it's always three times. i don't know why, though. SquamLoon, my virtual 12 of 12 mentor, i thank you kindly for your comment and your inspiration.