The Squirrely Day that Only Comes Around Every 4 Years!

Yup, you guessed it! Today is February 29th! Happy Leap Year Day!!!

As some of you may already know, I have a minor obsession with holidays, weird holidays, and general histories and fun fact about abnormal days that occur in our human existence. I never got these stories growing up, but now thanks to the wonderful powers of the almighty interwebs, HUZZAH! Information widely, and worldly available!

Most everyone does know the reason behind leap year. But, jut in case you live under a rock, but happen to have internet access and are reading my blog, According to my trusty wiki:

"In the Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, most years that are evenly divisible by 4 are leap years. In each leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28. Adding an extra day to the calendar every four years compensates for the fact that a period of 365 days is shorter than a solar year by almost 6 hours."

Yes, indeed, most everyone in the US of A knows this little bit of info as to the why of the extra day in the month of Feb. But, has anyone ever wondered if there were some crazy traditions that surround this day? Why, yes, I sure do!!! Here's some interesting tidbits to amuse you for the day. You can only do this once every four years, ladies!

"In Britain and Ireland, it is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. While it has been claimed that the tradition was initiated by Saint Patrick or Brigid of Kildare in 5th century Ireland, this is dubious, as the tradition has not been attested before the 19th century. Supposedly, a 1288 law by Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway), required that fines be levied if a marriage proposal was refused by the man; compensation ranged from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown, in order to soften the blow. In some places the tradition was tightened to restricting female proposals to the modern leap year day, February 29, or to the medieval (bissextile) leap year day, February 24.

According to Felten: "A play from the turn of the 17th century, 'The Maydes Metamorphosis,' has it that 'this is leape year/women wear breeches.' A few hundred years later, breeches wouldn't do at all: Women looking to take advantage of their opportunity to pitch woo were expected to wear a scarlet petticoat—fair warning, if you will."

In Denmark, the tradition is that women may propose on the bissextile leap year day, February 29, and that refusal must be compensated with 12 pairs of gloves.

In Finland, the tradition is that if a man refuses a woman's proposal on leap year day, he should buy her the fabrics for a skirt.

In Greece, marriage in a leap year is considered unlucky. One in five engaged couples in Greece will plan to avoid getting married in a leap year."


Also some info about people with birthdays on Feb. 29th:



"A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or a "leaper". In common years they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28 or March 1. In some situations, March 1 is used as the birthday in a non-leap year since it is the day following February 28.

Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthday anniversaries than their age in years. This phenomenon is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthday anniversaries only. In Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday rather than until his 21st year."


So, if you have been waiting on that oh, so special guy to pop the big question and are getting restless, today is your day to give it a shot! Hey, the worst that can happen is you'll either end up with a kiss, some money, or spanky new threads if he refuses you. Not too shabby!!

And, if you happen to be a Leapling, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Be glad you aren't a Pirate sworn to servitude, especially on my ship...  

~Capt.
m>^.^<m

Fun Fact Info taken from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year#Folk_traditions

Change

Yes, change. Everything changes in life: clothes, hair, weight, cars, kids, the planet. But, the change we most seem to recognize is change in other people; mostly the people in our lives that surround us from the day to day. There may be that  acquaintance at work that you never really got to know that got another job and moved on. Your brother got married and moved away so you see very little of him. Friends from high school that were the absolute best of your friends at the time that you can't remember the last time you spoke to ten years later. People are constantly coming in and out of our lives. Why is this?

The answer may be as simple as we are ever changing creatures ourselves. We may not notice it as much because, you know, well, we are looking at ourselves and tend not to notice the little changes that creep in. Your mood may have changed or you adopted a new life attitude and didn't realize it. You started hanging out at a different bar than the regular spot for some fresh feel. You may have picked up a new hobby. Or, even the more subtle, you didn't really change at all except for a tiny fraction of yourself and someone just fazed themselves out of your life. Things don't always happen intentionally, but we do grow apart and evolve. We are the pinnacle of evolution on our planet, so is it really so surprising that the best friend or sister you had last year is suddenly seeming to be on a different play field? Maybe they have something going on in their own lives that is changing them and they must alter their perspective in order to cope. Also, there is the case of the person you were such good friends with ten years ago, lost contact with for the most part for whatever reason, and suddenly because of a nasty divorce, they are your best hang out buddy again. People seem to move in an out of our field of vision, but they are never really gone. It's just the path that everyone must walk often times takes us in different and unexpected places.

It is hard to see the reason behind such changes in our lives, especially the bad changes. Someone may have broken your heart and your trust. It is hard to let them back inside the castle. Hell, maybe you don't even want to, ever, because the hurt was so bad. That is okay too. I like to think so anyway. Not everyone on the planet is good for your karma. People can be deceptive and have intentions that you cannot even dream of because they are so close to you. It is hard to see the bad in such a seemingly good person. People also transition from awesome to dangerous during the course of a relationship. The best friend or soul mate you once knew and fell in love with may not be that same person today. What do you do? The answer is difficult and never the same since we are all different and so diverse in our personal mentalities. The struggle may be hard, but the end result may be that the obstacle was necessary to elevate you both at the same time to a higher state of trust. Other times, you just may have to let go...

Why am I saying all of this? It is because I am starting to sense a trend in my own personal relationships with the various people close to me in my own life. I have lost friends and gained new ones almost at the same time. Friends that I never thought would betray me or hurt me have caused the most pain I have ever felt on an emotional level. Other people have come into my life and have been that much needed ray of sunshine and given me so much perspective and they didn't even realize it. You have to pay attention to the people around you. They can help you understand yourself if you are ever feeling lost. That person you met yesterday or the co-worker you have known for a year may seemingly to all of a sudden become your new best friend. It's funny how things happen. It's called life, and it is so extremely difficult to see the path or higher purpose. We tend to be linear beings by nature, only seeing what is in front of us. We must learn to look all around us, up in the sky, down at the ground, behind us, as well as forward, for the answers do indeed dance all around us in various forms.

This month has been very important to me, not only on a personal level, but on a spiritual level as this month marks the Sabbat of Imbolc, or basically, Rebirth. The sun is rising and blanketing the earth more and more everyday clearing away the winter snow to show the new growth in the land and the coming of Spring. This is very much a metaphor for life during this time when I am seeing so much change all around me. Sometimes you just have to let go of some people in order to make room for the philosophies of others. It is not a bad thing, but a natural progression, one that we all must take part in if we are to grow as individuals.

So, when that best friend or sister lets you down, the brother moves away, the new guy at work starts paying attention to you, or the shy girl suddenly warms up to your glow, remember that the universe has a purpose. Pay attention to it, even if you may not understand it. You will be amazed at what you may discover just by listening.

HAY YOU!

So... It's been awhile, huh?

Yeah, the Capt. has been pretty busy with school and things (schoolschoolschool) so I have been neglecting you readers, and for that I am dearly sorry. But, alas, I am sure you understand, as everyone has been in school at one point in their lives, be it graduate or grade.

BUT I HAVE A TREAT!

More of my (attemptive) creative yammerings are to follow this little bit of nonsense intro as most of you may know that I am indeed a REAL CAPTAIN! Yes, I have my own crew of Pillagey Pirates and we love to have fun and things (involving rum). So, I have come up with a creation story of my Bewb Crew as  a favor to the Boson of my mate and fellow Capt., Jack Hammer (Joshua Parmer a.k.a. "Cheese"). She cornered me a couple days ago and told me of her most romantic and quite adorably cute V-Day plans for her man and asked for my help. She wished for me to compose a story of how we created our most illustrious Bewb Crew, and I most humbly obliged. Following is that story, as it actually happened. I swear it on my oath as  Pirate...

The Bewb Crew

(A Creation Story)

Once Upon a Time in the distant and fantastical world of TRF, there lived two scurvy mates who wandered the high seas looking for adventure. Each mate held his own contingency plundering and pillaging to his heart’s desire, drinking rum and enjoying the fruits of the most pleasurable company until one day, these two mates both happened upon the same island.

Twas a tall island, full of trees bearing strange fruit, Rum Fruit!! “Huzzah!” said each mate as they sailed their sloops up onto shore, one upon the North shore, and the other ran aground upon the South. The mates, respectively, ran into the fruitful trees and began to shimmy up the trunks in pursuit of the Rum Fruit, casting many a fruit upon the ground for each mate held a healthy appetite for the Rum! They ate and ate until their woes of the world disappeared and their heads began to swim of everything most fine and Piratey. Well on into the night, each mate had the most enjoyable of solo parties, each on their respective sides of the island. When night had completely consumed the day, the mate on the North shore began to make a fire, the most amazing fire you have ever seen! ‘Twould warm many a partier, tis for sure! She had plenty of driftwood and tossed some Rum Fruit upon the flame to enhance the size and aw of the bonfire, and make no mistake on its size, for it got the attention of the South mate as he saw the tip of the flame from amongst the top of the trees. “Oh no!! Not the Rum Fruit!” said he, for he believed his precious Rum Trees to be on fire. Running frantically through the forest grabbing as many fruits as he could (waste not, want not, ye know) he happened upon the strangest of scenes when he broke through the tree line on the other side. Dancing wildly around the most monstrous of fires and singly as loudly as she could, “It’s a Pirate’s Life for MEEEEE!” was this strange little pirate, drunk off her arse, having the best of pirate times all by her lonesome. The other mate was so astonished, and hammered, that he decided to join in the fun and began dancing and singing around the fire as well. For hours and hours, until the break of the dawn, did these two fools drink and sing and stumble in the sand having the most wonderful time, until finally they could dance no more and passed out on the sand with Rum Fruit spewed all around them.

When they awoke the following dusk, a most peculiar converastion ensued…
“Ahoy there!” said South. “Ye sure know how to have a right Piratey time, mate!”

“Yer not so bad yerself there, bub! We sure did have us a blast! I LOVE RUM!!” replied North.

“INDEED!! The name is Hammer.” said South, “Jack Hammer.”

“Pop.” replied North, “Pop of the Lollies of Lob. Pleasure meetin’ ya!”

“HAY!” said Hammer, “ye know what is just as good as rum?? BEWBS! HAHAHA!”

“Ye know,” Pop grinned, “ye be damn RIGHT! BEWBS ARRR AWESOME!!”

            They both laughed their most heartiest of laughs and became immediate friends.

“Ye know what?” said Hammer, “we should make our OWN Pirate Crew! We can sail the seas and party like Pirates all the year round if we had ourselves a proper crew!”

“Ye be durn right!” replied Pop. “We shall makes us a Crew so AWESOME the land has never seen it’s equal! And we shall be the BEWBIE PIRATES! Cuz we loves us some boobs!” she shouted as she jiggled hers for enjoyment and enthusiasm.

“HOORAY FOR BEWBIES!!!” They both exclaimed and began drinking more of the Rum Fruit and toasting each other for thinking of such an Awesome idea.

            After another night of drinking and celebrating, the two mates began to make their preparations for departing their island and set out to find mates for the Bewb Crew, when upon reaching their respective sloops, found that the little ships had floated away in the nights and days out into the open sea. “Oh No!” the both exclaimed. “What are we gonna do?” For as happy the two mates would have been partying on the island for the rest of their days, they wanted to adventure upon the seas and find Bewbs who likes Boobs as much as they did and drink and enjoy rum together. Almost at the same time, the mates noticed a pair giant of sea turtles swimming lazily in the island’s bay. “Light bulb!” said the two mates as they eyed the unsuspecting turtles and came up with a plan of epic proportions. Hammer prepared a whip-rope from the vines of the Rum Trees and proceeded to jump one of the turtles from behind and lasso it into submission. After many minutes of thrashing about in the shallow bay, Hammer won his victory and the turtle submitted. “HA! Yer mine now turtle! Now float me outta here so’s I can go get me crew started!” The turtle nodded and Hammer became his master. “That be a lot of unnecessary thrashing,” said Pop who sat comfortably upon the other turtles back and scratched her head as she floated easily through the bay water. “How’d you do that? Catch yours so easily? Mine was right dreadful and hard to tame! No fair!” exclaimed Hammer in frustration. Pop shrugged, “Twas easy, she likes Bewbs too! I flashed her mine and she offered me a ride! I win!” Both laughing hysterically at the feat began to sail upon the backs of their turtles together and having the most merry a time finally back upon the sea. “Hay!” said Hammer, “What’s yer turtle’s name?” “Nipply!” replied Pop, “Since she favors them so! What’s yers?” “Vengence!” said Hammer with fervor, “Since he is a nasty brute who will stare down any who comes in his way! I like it!” And they sailed off into the sun laughing heartily, drinking rum, searching for Bewbs and adventure…

            Thus is the tale of how Cap’n Jack Hammer and Cap’n Lollie Pop created the Bewb Crew and sail upon the seas of Awesome on the Nipply Vengence! YARHAR YE BEWBS!

SURRENDER YE BEWBIES!

(or give us Rum)