Happy Leap Day?

I heard a joke once:

Q: In what month do women talk the least?
A: February, of course. It only has 28 days!

I didn't say it was a funny joke. And it isn't.

While February is always the oddball of the calendar, we do become accustomed to the 28 day rule of thumb. But then there's leap year to throw everything off. I have always both pitied and envied those people born on February 29th. It is certainly an inconvenience in many ways, but a certain conversation starter in others.

Frankly, I am surprised that Hallmark hasn't made February 29th a "holiday." Or have they? Somebody somewhere is surely making a buck off it somehow. My suggestion: Move Valentine's Day to February 29th. That suggestion alone, if passed, would make me a hero to men everywhere. It would also make me anathema to women everywhere. Oh, yeah -- I think I have that covered already.

I used to know exactly why we add a day every few years -- five, I think it is. Something to do with making the calendar year fit the actual time of a revolution around the sun? Maybe it is proof positive that God has a sense of humor. Whatever the reason, it did give me a reason to write my third post of the week to meet my quota. Ain't life grand?

Happy Leap Day. Do something fun!

Procrastinator's Resolutions

Except for the Longfellow poem I posted on New Year's Eve, I completely missed the opportunity to develop New Year's Resolutions and share them with the world. As the saying goes, better later than never. Here are a few things I am working on.

• Blogging. I enjoy writing, and have been told I do it well. Accordingly, I resolve to keep the blog going in hopes of making positive connections with good people everywhere.

• Writing (by hand). I recently happened upon a program on PBS about former US presidents. They happened to be talking the elder George Bush, whose letters had been published in a book a few weeks prior. A special point was make that his letters were hand-written. He commented that he never used e-mail or the computer in his personal correspondence, preferring to write by hand to make it more meaningful and personal. I felt a bit ashamed, as I used to write letters and notes all the time by hand. Of course, there was little choice then. Nevertheless, somewhere in a box in my attic are volumes of handwritten poems, stories, letters, and so forth. Wouldn't it be nice if someone years from now decided to publish them -- in their handwritten form? I also realized that my ability to write had diminished greatly -- from lack of practice. Other than my signature, I rarely write anything with a pen. What a shame! So, for Christmas, I got a nice new fountain pen, and I resolve to use it! If you send me your address, I will write you a letter. How's that?

• Reading. I read a quote from Mark Twain saying, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." I will endeavor, therefore, to read a minimum of one book a month. More would be even better. Recommend a few, please.

• Back to the Gym! I work out like I blog: As long as I'm in a routine, all is well. If, however, something ever interrupts that routine, I take forever to re-establish it. I had eye surgery in July, after which I was to take 2 weeks from working out to recover. It has now been six months! Enough said.

There are a few more, but they are of a more personal nature. I'll spare you those. But these will get me started. I'll update you from time to time.

The Sad Tale of a Wayward Blogger

Time flies -- whether you're having fun or not. I wanted to take a few weeks off from writing, so I announced a "sabbatical," saying I would return in a few weeks. Well, that was in early October. I think it is either time to return or to hang it up. So I'm back.

We missed a few important occasions, so let me address those now:

• Happy Thanksgiving!
• Merry Christmas!
• Happy New Year!
• Happy Valentine's Day!

And so forth. As I recall, February 11th was the anniversary of my first blog post. I had hoped to write something that day. Alas, such is life. My goal will be to post three times a week. Several things have happened since I last wrote, so I'll write about those first. This will really be like starting over in a way. As always, if you see anything here that you like, please tell a friend. I very much enjoy writing when someone is reading. And post comments so I know you're there.

Finally, I started experimenting with a new hosting site. So for the time being, I will be mirroring the content here and at http://daytightcompartments.wordpress.com. I will welcome any feedback regarding a preference.