Boring, Self-Indulgent, Useless Drivel

Now, before you take the title to be a description of everything that I write. Someone who writes about what I usually do cannot be that focused on self...only someone who DIDN'T care about themselves could reach those feats of, ahem, eloquence.

No, no profound insights today, I'm afraid. I was working on two larger pieces (one on the economics of tipping and the other comprised of my reflections on the larger implications of Labor Day) but they got wildly out of hand.

If you are interested in hearing me muse on these topics, well, just let me know. I think they are both fascinating (especially the economics of tipping) but you might not necessarily share this interest.

What I decided I would do was post a few dumb facts about me and my birth, for tomorrow marks my thirty-first birthday. Oh, those of you who maybe had me in a dead pool, you lost.

First, facts about my name, with a tip of the hat to M. Gordon Jenks for the idea.

Facts About The Name "William Shannon"

(These are courtesy of this site).

• There are 3,749,592 people in the United States who have the first name William.
• Statistically, it is the sixth most popular name.
• 99.72% of the people named William are male. (Jeez, I wonder what the rest are..."Other?")
• There are 51,865 people with the surname Shannon.
• It is the 675th most common surname.
• There are 637 people in the U.S. who have the name William Shannon.

Of those, I know one already (my father). A quick Google search yielded the following other William Shannons:

• A famous author, journalist and diplomat...I knew about this guy (if you read the profile, you'll know why).
• A professor of medical biostatistics at Washington University in St. Louis. This guy, in a pinch, could be my stunt double...almost.
• A rear-admiral in the U.S. Navy who sounds like he runs some pretty bad-ass stuff.

There were others, but these were the most interesting.

Now, as if you weren't packed full of pendantic minutiae yet, comes...

Facts About September 9, Will's Birthday

(Courtesy of this site).

• My date of conception was on or around December 17, 1976.
• Zodiacs: Greco-Roman = Virgo; Chinese = Year of the Snake; Native American (now, I am sure there are more than one of these...) = Bear; Ancient Egyptian = Season of Emergence - Fertile Soil
• Birthday In Other Calendars: Hebrew = 26 Elul 5737; Mayan = 12 baktun 18 katun 4 tun 3 unial 11 kin; Islamic = 25th Ramadan 1397

Why Should You Care About Any Of This

Well, from a very practical standpoint, you shouldn't care about any of it. It really doesn't relate to you at all. Hell, it only relates to me in an attenuated, distant sort of way.

So, why did I do this? Well, I guess if any of this information lets you know me better, then you really have no interest in knowing me in any meaningful sense. It gives you facts and superstitions and little more.

I guess I have no good reason apart from the fact that I had other, weightier stuff to post but decided to give it a miss in the interest of this crap.

Good decision? Well, it's up to you to decide that.

As for me, I will keep musings on my birthday to a minimum and say "Well, made it through another one. Now, back to work."

Hey, I gotta keep motivated. Just because it is the 26th of Elul does not mean that it is time for slacking.

I suggest you do likewise.