Leap Bleepity-Bleep Day

February 29 — Leap Day — only comes around every four years. So let’s look at the pros and cons of Leap Day.

Pros

• One more day to get my taxes done.
• An extra day for the month.
• If born on Leap Day, you only have a birthday every 4 years. (could also be a con)
• If married on Leap Day, would only have to remember your anniversary every 4 years, and the news would be reminding you! (could also be a con)
• Another reason to celebrate something, anything!
• A woman can ask a man to marry her. And if her refuses, he should pay a penalty (money or gowns, or even several pairs of gloves so the woman can hide her embarrasment of not having an engagement/wedding ring).

Cons

• Now have to wait one more day until my birthday.
• Now have to wait one more day until Xmas.
• For salaried employees, you have to work an extra day for the month of February.
• Since I’m part Scottish, I need to adher to the “leap year is not a good sheep year” adage. So bad day (or year) for sheep farmers.

Leap Day in the Past

1940 Hattie McDaniel was the first Black person to win an Oscar. She won Best Supporting Actress for her perfromance as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind.” How coincidental that Octavia Spencer won the same award this year.

1952 The first pedestrian “Walk” and “Don’t Walk” signs were installed in Times Square in New York City.

1964 Dawn Fraser, an Australian swimmer, won her 36th world record in the 100-meter freestyle event; her time was 58.9 seconds.

1972 Hank Aaron became the first baseball player to be paid $200,000 a year.

1983 The final episode of M*A*S*H aired.

Wonder what will make history in 2012? Certainly not me.

About these ads