in_stead | (no subject)

I am trying so hard not to be the asshole nerd historian going around correcting people about the so-called Mayan-predicted end of the world on Friday.

And I'm failing.

But! But!

The Mayans didn't predict the end of the world; their 5000+ year calendar just happens to end on 21/12/12! The calendar in my kitchen ends 31/12/12. It's just a sign that it's time to get a new calendar.

(And my asshole nerd historian husband points out that the calendar in the kitchen actually has a little January 2013 preview page at the back. We deserve each other, we do. We promised to love, honour, cherish, and spoil each other's punch lines until death do us part.)

Seriously, though, there are absolutely no ancient Mayan doomsday predictions for Friday. None. At all. The first reference to a 21/12/12 apocalypse came in a 1966 book by an archaeologist obviously willing to sensationalise and warp the truth for book sales.

Besides which, as a comedian on BBC radio pointed out a few days ago, if the Mayans had the ability to predict the future, there would still be Mayans. Given the fact that their empire crumpled and fell, I think we can all consider ourselves safe.

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but that's so logical, historical, and rational!

I think most of those people are just being goulish, enjoying it like horror movies or haunted houses on Halloween.

That and, according to the article I linked, there's been something like 3000 books about the Mayans and their calendar and the apocalypse, all published after the 1960s. Repeat a bunch of rubbish enough times and people start to believe it! I even remember my high school history teacher telling me the Mayans had a doomsday prediction for 2012 and he should have known better!

But if I don't pretend to believe in it, what excuse do I have for still not having prepared any Christmas presents?

I have no excuse. Well, baby, I guess, but still. I'm doing half my shopping in duty free at the airport on Friday! Everyone's getting booze or chocolate this year... ;)

Booze and chocolate are very good presents. And you're pretty much guaranteed that they won't be shoved into a closet and eventually given to charity.

- sez the woman who still needs to make the booze run and pick up decorative bags for bottles. 8-)