Getting My Phil

Ah. Groundhog Day. One of my favorite holidays, second only to Arbor Day.

I don't have to buy gifts. I don't have to decorate.The best part of all? No forced cheeriness. I can be as surly as I like, since that sort of behavior is par for the course in the dead of winter. What a wonderful, relaxing, comfortable holiday it is, indeed.

I especially like the fact that the date is 2/2. I have a peculiar fondness for prime numbers, and 2 is the only prime that is also an even number. Even numbers generally annoy me, but for this reason alone, 2 gets a pass (even though it could be argued that 2 is the ultimate even number).

So it's a good day all around.

This year, Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow, thus predicting that spring is just around the corner. This "see his shadow" thing has confused me since I was a child. When I was small, I thought it meant that if Phil emerged from his hole facing the wrong direction and his shadow was behind him, it was the harbinger of early spring, since he wouldn't actually "see" it. What if Phil didn't open his eyes? Or went blind? What if he was distracted by something else and didn't look at the ground? Could he just pretend not to see it (sort of like my habit of pretending not to see piles of laundry) and force the hand of the seasons?

This confusion could have been averted if we'd replaced "sees his shadow" with "has a shadow", of course. It's interesting that we give Phil all the power here. Then again, if it were just "has a shadow" any marker would suffice. We might have "Stick Day", and that would never do. So this whole process requires a sentient being, I guess. Ah well. With great power comes great responsibility.

Days until trip: 159
Money saved: $350.00