Four-Digit Years

I tweeted yesterday that next year will be the first year since 1987 with four different digits.

Every year since 1988 has had a digit that appeared at least twice:

1988: multiple 8s
1989-1999: multiple 9s
2000-2010: multiple 0s
2011: multiple 1s
2012: multiple 2s

Next year, 2013, will finally break this pattern.

I was trying to figure out the previous record for a sequence of numbers with repeating digits. I think it was 1099 to 1202. Before that, 988 to 1022.

Meaningless trivia, but I still think it’s cool. Numbers are fun.

Books Read in 2011

Here’s a list of the books I read in 2011. I do a similar post every year.

My reading is very important to me, because I love to learn. The difference this past year was that I got a Kindle in late 2010, so I was able to read big, thick books on my long work commute, and I was able to sample books I might not have tried in the past — hence, more fiction and self-help than usual.

That said, I’ve decided to make some of my reading from the past year private. I have tended not to disclose as much of my personal life on my blog as I used to, and some of the books I read this year were self-help books that I’d rather keep to myself. So… in chronological order, here are most of the books I read in 2011:

[private]

[private]

Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898, Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace (started in late 2010, finished in 2011)

The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, Gordon S. Wood

The Tragedy of Arthur, Arthur Phillips

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy: A Practitioner’s Guide, Nancy McWilliams

The Story of Britain: From the Romans to the Present: A Narrative History, Rebecca Fraser

Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947, Christopher Clark

The Help, Kathryn Stockett

[private]

The Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell, and the Struggle for Civil Rights, Robert Mann

Watching TV: Six Decades of American Television, Harry Castleman and Walter J. Podrazik

If the Buddha Got Stuck: A Handbook for Change on a Spiritual Path, Charlotte Kasl

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chödrön

Thoughts Without a Thinker: Psychotherapy From A Buddhist Perspective, Mark Epstein

11/22/63, Stephen King

Turning the Mind Into an Ally, Sakyong Mipham

[private]

The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes

The Stranger’s Child, Alan Hollinghurst

A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War, Amanda Foreman (started a couple of weeks ago)

Happy New Year.

Visit to the Met

Today I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by myself and I had a great time. I spent more than five hours there, and of course even though I saw tons of stuff — mostly temporary exhibitions since I’ve seen many of the permanent exhibits before — there was a lot I didn’t get to see. I lingered for quite a while at some exhibits, and in other places I went through pretty quickly.

In order, I saw:

I also stopped along the way at one of my favorite paintings at the Met: The Storm, by Pierre-Auguste Cot.

It was a really nice afternoon. Visiting the Met is like traveling around the world, and through history. I adore it. I’m glad I live in the city that has the Met.