I am not necessarily referring, by the title of today's post, to round-ball, although I have watched every ACC tournament game played this season, observing with chagrin how my Tigers displayed their customary lapse in credibility at the hands of those dastardly Tar Heels. (I can only hope that Duke teaches them some humility today- I'll be watching.)
No- there's something afoot about March, and it has nothing to do with basketball, or any other athletic event. Just look at the history of and the cliched adages about the month, to wit:
- To start off, the month's very name derives from the Roman god of war, Mars, which hints at the month's potential for conflict and/or combustible situations.
- "Beware the Ides of March" (meaning the middle of the month, not the one-hit wonder band), historically significant as the date of Julius Caesar's mortal encounter with his old buddy Brutus and pals. Today the aphorism is considered an augury of craziness around the second or third week, which happens to coincide with the celebration of Saint Patrick's Day..... go figure.
- "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb" (making it the most schizophrenic of all the months, with the obvious exception of January, named for the two-faced Roman god Janus, who never knew whether to scratch his watch or wind his a**.....)
- March was once the first month of the year, usurped in 1752 by January and February, and leaving it, no doubt, fuming over the loss of prestige and inclined to act out.
- The Spring equinox, which falls on the date of March 21st, was a time of great significance to the ancient Druids (is that redundant? I mean are there any modern Druids?), signaling the start of the growing cycle and calling for the sacrifice of fertile virgins to assure a good crop- which I am sure has occurred to more than one rabid basketball fan. Aren't there always too many cheerleaders on the sidelines, anyway? Oh, wait, we were talking about virgins, weren't we?
-And, speaking of virgins, "The first day of spring was once the time for taking the young virgins into the fields, there in dalliance to set an example in fertility for nature to follow. Now we just set the clocks an hour ahead and change the oil in the crankcase." - E.B. White, "Hot Weather," One Man's Meat, 1944
-The modern belief that eggs are delivered by a rabbit known as the Easter Bunny comes from the legend of the Goddess Eostre. So much did a lowly rabbit want to please the Goddess that he laid the sacred eggs in her honor (quite the achievement in and of itself), gaily decorated them, and humbly presented them to her. So pleased was she that she wished all humankind to share in her joy. In honor of her wishes, the rabbit went through the entire world defecating jelly beans and distributing these little decorated gifts of life. (modified from Wikipedia)
"A little madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King."
- Emily Dickenson, # 103
So, enough with the sayings, etc. I am quite thrilled to have got through January and February and the anguish affiliated therewith. March should be a piece of cake.
And from London, today's architectural feature- kind of an organic, wrap-around domicile which I found, once again, at Design Milk:
Use the link above for more photos and the story. Go Devils!
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