Leap!

Look at this! A new post! I realize that it’s been a while since I’ve written anything here, but I do think about posting all the time. Isn’t that enough?

The impetus for my foray back into the blogosphere is Leap Day. 40-year-olds everywhere are tricking themselves in to believing they’re only turning 10 today.

I’ve had this blog for quite a while (I’ve been neglecting it for quite a while as well), but leap day only comes around every four years and I couldn’t let this one go without pointing at it and saying “hey look, it’s Leap Day!”

As you may or may not know, quirks of the Gregorian calendar don’t exist unless I recognize them in print.

So enjoy your leap day. Leap! …or something.

It’s a vague request. But then I find the term “Leap Day” to be kind of vague itself. “Leaping” implies some kind of rigorous jump forward (although I suppose you can leap backwards too - if your knees are facing the wrong way). But a Leap Day is most certainly not a “leap” of any sort. In fact, it’s almost the opposite. It’s a catch-up day. A time-stopper. It’s slo-mo on a cosmic scale. Since we’ve adopted this imperfect Gregorian system (just say “no” to the metric calendar), and since we love it as we do, it’s something that must be done. And like every other crazy thing we humans do to compensate for a screwed up system, it should be celebrated.

I case you’re the freak that thinks we should do away with the Gregorian system altogether, I have two words for you: Metric. System. No one (in America anyway) wanted to change that for two reasons:

1. The way the system is now, we have lots of excuses for ignorance (I still have to think pretty hard about how many ounces go into a cup. And as for how many cups make up a gallon? Forget it. That’s what Google is for). But with a metric system everything is in tens. Nice and simple. If you can’t convert measurements utilizing the metric system, you’re an idiot.

2. Hardware stores everywhere would be sitting on thousands of promotional yard sticks (they still give those away right?).

Anyway, how to celebrate Leap Day? Well, since it’s a day designed to reconcile an imperfect system, why not use this day to reconcile things in your life? Apologize for some stupid crap you did to someone else. Or reconcile with yourself. Use today to allow yourself to feel okay that you’ve not even made a dent in your student loans, much less have gotten anywhere near having the job you went to college for. It’s okay.

Because Leap Day is also about procrastination. So, do what I do: Nothing. Tomorrow everything will be back on track. You can just sit at home and stare at your watch and wait (while you’re at it, you can figure out how to program your watch for the Leap Day).

Whatever you do, just be mindful that every 400 years, you’ll have to do it twice.

Happy Leap Day!


Fun fact: In the European Union, Leap Day was officially recognized as February 29th in the year 2000.

And I have in my possession the sixth episode of Life From The Inside! Yeah! We shot the damned thing last July! It will - finally - be coming very soon!

And…I’ve been blogging so long that I have an old Leap Day post for you to read! Special! It’s here.