Feb 29 The Ladies' Privilege.

My lovely associate Wendy just asked if I was planning on proposing to 'any lucky guy' today. First of all, I don't think that would make him very lucky and second of all, what the heck? She went on to explain that on a leap year, on February 29th, women are encouraged to propose to the man of their choice.


This provoked a variety of facial expressions including a laugh out loud, followed by an eye roll and then was replaced my studious frowny face that I use when researching. Sometimes I feel so fresh in this world, not knowing things like this. Before delving into the subject, I wanted to know how many leap years I've lived through oblivious of these shenanigans. This handy website told me that I am 9265 days old and that I've only lived through 7 leap years, which may explain my ignorance in this matter. Let me share my findings:


Because leap years are seen as unusual events that disturb the otherwise orderly progression of days/months/years, certain beliefs have been attached to them. (One constant in the realm of folklore and superstition is that out-of-the-ordinary events are deemed to have out-of-the-ordinary consequences or properties.) Leap years, according to folk tradition, were the only times when women could propose marriage to men, with this belief often termed "The Ladies' Privilege." 

Another school of thought held that a man so entreated either had to accept the proposal or pay the refused woman a substantial forfeit for turning her down, such as a silk gown. Alternatively, if the proposal is rejected the man would buy the lady 12 pairs of gloves- the intention being that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. -insert eye roll here-

Though everyone loves a good folktale, the beginning of this custom more likely has to do with February 29 being perceived as a day that does not properly belong on the calendar and thus as a period when the ordinary rules of conduct do not apply. Other superstitions play upon the underlying theme of "betwixt and between" times being occasions especially fraught with peril or periods when the unusual was not only allowed to occur, but was encouraged to do so.

In earlier days of Western society, relations between the sexes were far more formal and scripted, with each gender being expected to adhere to its assigned roles. When it came to proposing marriage, men did the asking and women did the accepting or declining — the other way around would have been unthinkable. Thus a leap year reversal of this ordinary state of things would be seen as something else being turned on its ear during a period when little else made sense anyway.

So there you have it. February 29th is a great day to show everyone you are crazy. Maybe I will propose to someone and hopefully they will say No and i will get a new dress out of it, or perhaps a dozen gloves.

Source: http://www.snopes.com/oldwives/february29.asp

 

thievery at its finest

This weekend, Daddydukes and I put on some black ski masks and robbed my sister blind. She has moved out of my parents house, but a lot of her stuff didn't make the trip with her. Not just odds and ends, but good quality, totally covet-able stuff. -insert thievery here-. Honestly, I think I've done her a favor by borrowing some of her things, as now she has less to go through when she finally decides to sort her remaining junk. And trust me, if there's anything left over it's junk. I took ALL the good stuff. Sunday night it all looked so daunting that i left it there to be tackled at a later time, hopefully with a buddy.

Monday morning started off poorly. Dead dog in the middle of the road during my drive to work, surely a bad omen. The second i made it to my desk the phone was ringing with a typical "Monday Morning Things Gone Wrong Because I Suck At My Job" call. Jacket still on, no coffee in my cup, computer still asleep from a long weekend of binge drinking (oh wait, that was me)- I did not deal with that call well. I tried to remind myself that work is about Facts, not Feelings and that crying doesn't solve anything, and was able to mull through my day somewhat successfully.

When it was time to go home, I decided to skip the gym (which I never do) and go straight home instead. Then I treated myself to a spa afternoon (thanks Jess for the idea). I face masked, clarified my scalp, deep conditioned my hair, painted my nails and then settled on the couch to read. Two minutes later I was asleep.

*knock knock knock* I go flying off the couch, heart beating a mile a minute and run to the door (I do not take being waken from sleeping very well). At the door, my neighbor and handy man extraordinaire, Cam, is there like a knight in shining armor, ready to save the day. Three seconds later I've put him to work setting up my TV. Ten minutes later we are snacking, with a pizza cooking in the oven, and watching Bourne Identity. My very first movie at my condo! Took two years to get there, but I did it. Insert cheering crowd noise here.

So thanks Lisa for your TV, I owe you big time (we will discuss terms at a later date), and to Glenn for helping me lug all my new goods over to the chalet, and to Cam for helping me set everything up. If anyone needs me they will find me on my couch staring at my new contraption.

valentinestastic.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 To celebrate, I baked a super duper batch of sugar cookies. I am always concerned when a recipe has less than half a dozen ingredients. How could something so delicious be so simple? Somehow this simple recipe ended up being a four hour project. Myself and my kitchen are covered head to toe (ceiling to floor) in flour, icing sugar and food coloring, which some (cough, katie) may find concerning, but i like to turn a blind eye to things like that...  I'd say the results are worth it. The cookies turned out adorable.  I tasted them to make sure they weren't poisonous and they are delicious. There's about 4 dozen, so if you'd like a cookie fix, come find me- I'll cookie you. xo shelly. 

 

The Night Circus

The Night Circus is a fantastic novel written by Erin Morgenstern. It is her debut novel.  I highly recommend you read it. It stretched my imagination, made me think anything is possible, it invaded my dreams and all the waking minutes in between. I thought it would be rude not to share my find. Here's a synopsis:


The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker

and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.


I went to Erin Morgenstern's website and discovered she posts a short story every week (Flax-Golden Tales). I read a whole bunch of them and they are all fantastical, she tells a mean story that girl. She describes herself as a "writer, painter & keeper of cats", lol what a quirkball. This one delighted me...

waiting for the light

I moved my chair so I can see the lamppost through the window.
I know I would probably be able to see the light from anywhere in the room if the lamp were lit, but I like having a direct view. It makes me feel more secure, somehow, to be able to glance up from a book and see it, stalwart. Still dark.
It’s really quite clever, a lamp that only lights when you’re near.
Now I can’t stop checking it, even though it’s been dark for so long.
If it turns on again, I don’t want to miss it.
In case someday, somehow, you come back.
I’ll have a warning.
I just hope it will give me enough time to run.