QUOTE OF THE YEAR

Shamefully, the quote comes from the OC, to which I've sadly become addicted. But peep this:

"I'm fine...I'm just having an allergic reaction to...the universe."

Ah, BRILLIANT! Seriously, haven't we all felt that way sometime? Brilliant.

Alright, I've been wicked busy, and it hasn't let up quite yet, but I'll post quickly on the things I've been keeping in the back of my head for you the past week or so.

First: The Pope had the flu. REALLY?!?!? Of all the people I would consider eligible for the first round of flu shots, the Pope tops the list. How in the world did he not get a flu shot? Did he deny it? Did he say something like, "Don't worry, God's got my back. I'm the Pope!" And why aren't people questioning this more? Why is it just me? If I were Catholic (which I'm not), and especially if I were tithing (which I couldn't, as I have no income to speak of), I'd write on the little envelope they give you for your offering money that I wanted it to go to the Pope Flu Shot Fund.

Second: Groundhog Day. Can we talk about this for a bit? This whole thing reeks of an Eisner-created Disney scam. And I quote:

• There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 119 years!

• Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking "groundhog punch," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life.

• According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

• No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese"(a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.

• So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.

AHA! The last one proves it. Br'er Groundhog. I bet if you ride Splash Mountain enough times you'll find hidden Punxsutawney Phils all over the place! And there's more to the silliness: I'd like to say that if you announced in Boston on February 2nd that there were six more weeks of winter, the city would be in riots of joy that far surpassed the crowds that flooded the streets after the Red Sox World Series win last year. ONLY six more weeks of winter? Really? You promise? Thank goodness! The whole thing is a hoax, and it's not even a remotely believeable hoax (c'mon....the original Phil is pushing up daisies somewhere and this year's guy is someone they rounded up at the last second whose real name is probably Barney or Eunice and just gave the "stage name" of Phil to), and yet it makes the news every year. It's not even a charming tradition! It just makes us look even more ignorant in the eyes of the rest of the world - can you imagine what they think when they see that we are predicting the weather with a groundhog???

I suppose I shouldn't complain...at least it's positive news that they're putting on the news instead of all the death and dying and war and violence we usually show. It's a nice, peaceful story. And the whole six more weeks of winter thing...well...that's just the girl in me who's dying to see the sun again. It's that spirit-breaking time of winter when you're just ready for a sunny warm day, just one, to restore your spirits. Unfortunately, you only realize this when you find yourself exclaiming things like "The temps were in the upper 30's all week! It was soooo warm!" These sorts of statements promptly force you to realize the desperate nature of your need for a sunny day to help you make it through the six plus weeks of winter left before Spring even begins to think about poking its head around the corner. Ahhh...Boston. Not for everyone.

But I will survive, folks. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a week. There is something to live for after all.