Save the date

New year, new calendars. I always have several of them—they're cheaper than buying art—and there are a couple of them hanging in the kitchen, one or two in the bedroom, and one on the wall next to my computer. This year, I also have a page-a-day one that sits on the desk, each day featuring a New Yorker cartoon, which will give me no excuse to begin any day in a grouchy mood.

Looking back through the "main" calendar for '07 (the one I write on) makes me realize how much goes on in my life—little things, like haircuts and dentist appointments, and bigger things, like vacations, weddings and (this past year) funerals. I'll transfer the birthday and anniversary reminders from last year's calendar to the new 2008 model, but I'll save the outdated one; old calendars are my diaries, and unearthing a 10- or 15 year-old one from a box or drawer can make me remember the details of those long-gone days better than anything.