This Friday, we encounter the anomaly that is the Leap Year. Why the extra Friday this month, you ask? Well, truth be told, the addition of an extra day every couple of years is to keep our calendar in synch with the earth's revolutions around the sun....crazy, huh!
I don't know what is crazier, the fact that someone thought ahead enough to figure this out, or that this has been going on since 46BC. That's right folks, 46BC! The man who enacted this rule was Julius Caesar, of all people. I guess he needed something to do between salads. (He actually stole this idea from the Hebrew's, but I digress.) His math was a little off, though, because his calendar had too many extra days. The result was probably something along the lines of snow in August; they were all f-ed up. So, they ditched this controversial character's calendar and adopted a new one made by Pope Gregory in the 1700s. The idea of the leap year remained, so let's celebrate this special day that occurs each year that is divisible by 4 by leaping back through time.
Leaping back to my fun filled high school days:
I don't know what is crazier, the fact that someone thought ahead enough to figure this out, or that this has been going on since 46BC. That's right folks, 46BC! The man who enacted this rule was Julius Caesar, of all people. I guess he needed something to do between salads. (He actually stole this idea from the Hebrew's, but I digress.) His math was a little off, though, because his calendar had too many extra days. The result was probably something along the lines of snow in August; they were all f-ed up. So, they ditched this controversial character's calendar and adopted a new one made by Pope Gregory in the 1700s. The idea of the leap year remained, so let's celebrate this special day that occurs each year that is divisible by 4 by leaping back through time.
Leaping back to my fun filled high school days:
Notice anything? Like maybe that I have the SAME haircut as I did 10 years ago?
A funny story to go with this picture. I can remember when I ventured into the city of Allentown to pick up my package of pictures at the photographer on Hamilton Blvd. I had *just* gotten my license, and this was pretty much my first solo venture outside of Schnecksville. To make this event more enjoyable, I picked up Lori and her (not- so- little- anymore) brother, Michael. He may have been going by the name Fluffy The Cat this particular year, but this is irrelevant.
Anyway, you know how sometimes in cities, the people in charge of road signs decide to glue them to the sides of buildings instead of putting them on poles like they do everywhere else? Well, I unknowingly encountered one of these camouflaged stop signs and attempted to stop only after Lori screamed, well, "STOP!". I slammed on the breaks of the Jeep Cherokee just as I was right smack in the middle of the intersection. With a quick, panicked glance to my right and left, I was fortunate to find that nobody was heading towards me about to crash.
I was, however, UNfortunate to find two policemen perched atop their bikes, staring straight at me. I made eye contact with one of them, but decided it was still OK to keep going. They did not agree. Picture me, obviously lacking some basic driving skills, cruising down the one-way, all -parked- up, traffic-jam madness that is Hamiton Blvd, with two policemen on bikes chasing behind me.
Needless to day, I did not get very far, as I soon found out that similar stop signs are pasted on just about every other building on this street. So, they yelled and pointed at me to pull over. I obliged, and then gave them some expired insurance papers. Then I cried and mumbled something to the effect of "why was the sign glued to the building?". They yelled even louder because there was a crosswalk at the particular intersection where I chose to disregard the traffic signal. I cried some more and mentioned "accidental vehicular homicide" between sobs. I told them I was so sorry and I would never do it again. Lori sat there calm and collected, searching in the glove compartment for papers that hadn't expired 3 years ago. Fluffy sat in the back seat meowing and grooming himself.
The policemen on bikes took pity on me, and let me go with just a warning and a directive to remind my parents to put the updated insurance papers in the car. I promised I would, knowing full well that Tom and Sandy would never hear a single word of this event. At least not for another 10 years, anyway. I guess this time has come, so in celebration of Leap Year, I will give my parents a chuckle tonight when I call them to confess to this comical event. I urge you to do the same in honor of this extra day we've been gifted by an unscrupulous tyrant. Put that hippocampus to work and dig up a memory that has been buried and is growing cobwebs in the far corners of your brain. Dust it off and share it with a friend. Thanks, Jules, for brightening our February with a bonus day, giving us a reason to re-live a memory, and giving us an extra chance to make a new one. Now, I am off to call my parents.
