You Know What Today Is?

Today is a very important day for me, for two reasons. The first and most obvious of course, is.....
Happy half-birthday to my wife Lily!

Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day too, I guess.

OK, perhaps most of you were not aware that today is the halfway point to Lily's next birthday. Now you know. Half-birthdays is an idea Lily taught me, as a way to generate an excuse for more presents; not that we actually need excuses, but it helps us to rationalize them better. I imagine if we start celebrating 1/10th birthdays, it will be time to admit we have a problem.

It has its foundation rooted in math. When you have the figure 5.5, and you want to round up, it becomes 6. Therefore, when you are halfway to your next birthday, you simply round up and voila! Your birthday, mathematically speaking, is here already!

The other, lesser known and clearly not-as-important reason today is special is because it's the celebration of one of our most beloved saints, St. Patrick. Somehow, the anniversary of this 5th century bishop became synonymous with green beer, leprechaun-like outfits, and a whole lot of sick leave taken the day following. Given that we have a very Irish name, it stands to reason that this particular day resonates with me more than say, Family Day or Jean-Baptiste Day. I can partially recall many wonderful, if slightly hazy, memories of celebrating St. Patty's Day in fine style. Today I am wearing a green shirt, and might possibly hoist a green beer tonight, but with the notable lack of pubs in town, this will be a much more subdued celebration than in previous years.

For St. Patrick's Day, anyway. Lily and I are going to rock out on behalf of her .5 birthday, you can be sure.

So, for anyone looking for an excuse to spend money on themselves, we invite you to experience half-birthdays. It's a much more inventive way of celebrating one's self, compared to the mundane "Happy Monday". Hope you hoist one (or many) on Patrick's behalf, and for all of you bosses out there, please note that productivity on Tuesday will be a little low.

Top 'O The Mornin' To You!

-J