Syn March Bigan Thritty Dayes and Two

We’ve all felt like a fool at one time or another, some of us maybe more than others. Yet we proud fools of western culture have a rich history dating all the way back to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in 1392.

"Syn March Bigan Thritty Dayes and Two" the story begins in the "Nun's Priest's Tale" with the protagonist rooster Chauntecleer soon to be tricked by the fox. The set up is beautifully crafted through misunderstanding April 1st to be the 32nd of March. But who is duped, the reader or the characters in the story?

This is our culture's first documented hoax for April 1st. This "just for fun for it’s own sake" All Fools Day evolved across Europe over the centuries. Much of it attributed to the change in our calendar from the Julian to the Gregorian in 1582 when New Years was conveniently moved from the week March 25 - April 1, to the day, January 1st.

The Julian calendar assumed the year was 365.25 days. That's dang close but actually it's 11 minutes less than that. It may seem trivial but every 4 centuries we're 3 days off and since we started way way back with the Julius Caesar calendar in 45 BC, by the time we flip to Pope Gregory the XIII's calendar in 1582 to sync Easter it's happening on March 11th (which is totally unacceptable, yet my birthday).

The point being that time was reset not only forwards but backwards by the authorities and for those who held true to the old calendar and refused to change, we called them fools! Kind of reminds me of Y2K and other totally modern things we do.

If you remember your European history you know some fools had official position. A Court Jester’s job was to bring objectivity to the royal conversation by telling jokes, demonstrating the fool, bringing humor and levity, and thus a better perspective.

I say we need to bring them back in a most official capacity! Not under the guise of an institutional government sanctioned expert, institution, program or department. Just sayin'

Images & April Fools Jokes

Photo credit to free-extras.com - April Fools Jokes...

Anyway, I find the history of fools a worthy study, especially in these modern times. I found this great site with The Top 100 April Fool’s Day Hoaxes of all Times.

There’s some absolute classics if you have a few minutes to look. I remember many of them from over the years.

In 1962 Kjell Stensson announced on Swiss TV that you could convert your black and white television to color with a nylon stocking.

In 1996 Taco Time announced it bought the Liberty Bell and it's now the Taco Liberty Bell.

I had several laughs discovering how many pranks have been played by NPR. In 1992 they did a piece announcing Richard Nixon was running for president again.

In 1998 Burger King introduced the left handed Whopper. The condiments were the same but rotated 180 degrees to better accommodate their left handed patrons.

We’re all gullible at one time or another. So celebrate it!

All Fools Day, a Holiday just for us!

Don’t be cruel, have fun, and keep a watchful eye...

Syn March Bigan Thritty Dayes and Two!

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. -- Mark Twain

The Blackberry Chronicles
© ARFCO MEDIA 2011

Lessons learned from Johnathan Livingston Seagull

I was grilling some marinated steaks for my son Jeff and I this past Friday night. We splurged! After a busy week it was fun to be home. I had a little more energy than some Friday’s. Instead of dead tired I was inspired to make a “real” dinner with all the fixings, tune out work, and watch a movie.

While I was making sure my math was correct for timing everything I put on some music and ran through my movie library. Mashed potatoes, a fresh green salad, fresh green beans, oh oh... it’s been 8 minutes better check the grill.

I ran out to the deck to make sure I didn’t over cook the first side of that steak when I saw this huge young gull sitting on top of our building 'A' chimney across the parking lot. It’s a totally crappy picture at dusk with my notorious Blackberry, but the point is what it’s about... At first I thought, "why is he here all by himself?" Maybe he's lonely?

Remember Johnathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, way way back in the 70’s... I know, I’m probably dating myself, but the messages stay with me...

Johnathan is bored with the meaninglessness of everyday basic life concerns. Seized by the passion of flight he has a vision and the expense of that vision is being cast out. Then he transcends to a society based around flight and goes through several lessons to learn that to be free one has to be true to one’s self first. By sharing this personal freedom he realizes that without compassion, forgiveness, and understanding he has no world.

Love, respect, freedom all need to be separated from the myth of obey. The evidence is everywhere today when we witness the happenings especially in the middle east this past month.

Aspire to greatness by doing what’s true to you and share it. That's what makes a difference.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Wishing you all a great St. Paddy's Day...

These things I warmly wish to you-
Someone to love
Some work to do
A bit o' sun
A bit o' cheer
And a guardian angel always near.

Irish Blessings and Sayings, author unknown.

The Blackberry Chronicles
© ARFCO MEDIA 2011

March... and the Lion Roars

As the old saying goes, March, in like a lion, out like a lamb. I'm thinking that might qualify this year. I'm looking forward to the lamb as the month goes by.

I know this is only the evening of the 2nd day and already I've seen sun, wind, rain, hail, and snow. I love the kaleidoscope of it all. It's moody and bursting with energy at times. The air smells so fresh and invigorating. 

Although I just washed my truck yesterday and it already looks like I've run a few creek beds, a swamp, and went off road on some old logging roads!

These pics are from my Eastlake office today. The weather oscillated all afternoon from sunny with blue skies, then the wind would pick up, dark clouds would roll in and the rain would pound on the windows. All to brighten up again and repeat the pattern.

But to think we're heading this month into Spring... St Patricks Day, and daylight savings time. Even as a NW native with no weather agenda, I'm ready!

The Blackberry Chronicles
© ARFCO MEDIA 2011