February 29

Happy Leap Day! (Unless You're in Debt)
This being February 29 — Leap Day — today is costing you an extra day's interest if you're repaying a debt. On the bright side, its earning you a tiny bit more on your bank deposits.

Whom do we have to thank — or curse — for this extra day every four years? Julius Caesar and his lover, Cleopatra.

In 48 B.C., Julius Caesar was in Alexandria, Egypt, absorbing the culture and science — and decadence — of Cleopatra's capital. There he learned from an old sage named Acoreus about Egypt's calendar, which had a leap year.

At the time, the Roman calendar did not. Like most ancient calendars, it was based on the phases of the moon, which in one cycle take about 29.5 days. But 12 months of 29.5 days doesn't equal the true length of the year as measured by the orbit of the Earth around the sun. It's off by 11 days, so anniversaries, holidays, and entire seasons to drift backward on lunar calendars.

The ancient Egyptians had realized this and created a calendar 365??-days long — with the fraction averaged in by adding an extra day every four years.

When Caesar returned to Rome, he created a 365-day calendar with a quadrennial leap year, adding the extra day in February.

A minor hassle for some, perhaps, but certainly better than the alternative faced by the Romans. Back in 45 B.C., for instance, their lunar calendar had drifted backward by 80 days — nearly three months. Spring had become winter, and autumn came in the summer months.

To correct, this Caesar decreed that 45 B.C. would be 445 days long. Think about the extra interest on 80 extra days! No wonder they called it "The Year of Confusion."

America

Adam: Hey man...how did the interview go/
me: no dice
they didn't have a position open for me
Adam: well, you made a connection...
me: yeah, possibly
Adam: I never thought finding gainful employment was suppose to be this difficult
me: yeah, me either
land of opportunity my a....
I would have never come to this country if I would have known it would be like this

Quote of the Day

The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it.
- Franklin P. Jones

Cal vs. Oregon

You may have heard about the recruiting debacle that took place in Northern Nevada less than a week ago. A Senior offensive lineman Kevin Hart wanted to play division I college football. Probably more than he wanted to play he wanted others to think he could play D-I. So, he held a press conference with his family, friends and the school band. He announced he would go to Cal, electing them over Oregon. His bubble burst when someone from those schools said, "who's Kevin Hart?" Neither school had heard of him. He fabricated the whole story. I can only imagine how it started, but I see how it ended. Also, what was he thinking every time he told this lie? How much turmoil was in the pit of his stomach every day.

I'm glad I have reasonable expectations set by myself and my family. I don't know where this idea came from, but I would be surprised if it was all his idea.

I pray that I never push a loved one or friend to a behavior such as this.

Our House, In the Middle of a Cul-de-Sac