St. Patrick's Day

I noticed that Turner Classic Movies seemed to be running a lot of Irish movies yesterday.  Ever alert, I consulted my trusty iPhone calendar and confirmed that, indeed, it was St. Paddy's Day!

Growing up in a WASP household, we never paid much attention to this holiday.  I seem to recall my mother actually letting me wear an orange sweater to school on St. Patrick's Day once.  I had no idea it might spark the response it did at school.  I certainly learned not to flout my WASP-iness that day.  But in later years, I took many business trips to Chicago and, of course, saw the river (and beer) dyed green, so I developed a great appreciation for this unique holiday.

In my wild and crazy single days, it was a holiday to celebrate to great excess as the Irish founders intended, but as a grumpy old curmudgeon, as with New Year's, it is now a day to get in early and avoid after-dark drivers.