St. Patricks Day

Today is Saint Patrick's Day which has become the arguably the most important amateur drinking day of the year. It has transcended New Years Eve for a lot of the hardcore drinkers and seems to be holding off a hard charging Cinco de Mayo.

As far as I am concerned. I do not give a flying fig what some drunken, flute wielding, Papist, has to say. I am neither Irish, or Irish Catholic, or much of a drinker. I am not an Orange-men as some people like to claim on this day. Technically I suppose it is true that I was raised as a Protestant but I more and more do not care about the labels.

But, the most important thing for me is that while I am aware of my family's origins. My father's side is Scottish-English and my Mother's is Scandinavian. I often joke with my friends about being a Scotch-Viking. I was born in the United States of America, in the state of Oregon, in the county of Marion, in the city of Salem. And I had no control over that. It just happened! So for me to get all worked up about where my father's father came from or where my mother's mother is from I just have no desire to do it.

I suppose things might be different if I had been born and raised during a different time historically or perhaps in a place where Catholics and Protestant's were constantly fighting. But I was not. So I have no desire to get all twisted up about it or to fabricate a reason to celebrate something that I do not even care about. If I want to drink I will do so. If I do not want to I will not drink but I certainly do not need an excuse to drink. Just ask most of my friends.


So there you go folks. Day two of my trying to write everyday and I believe I may have insulted the Irish, Catholics, and I suppose Protestants as well. I think for me that is a pretty good day all things considered.

3-17-2010 (Wednesday) St. Patrick's Day

Today is St Patrick's Day. A day some would argue is the biggest amateur drinking day of the year. Now some of you make be wondering who is St Patrick and why do we celebrate him.

Well...I do not know either and I am to lazy to look it up. I know there is something about the shamrock being a tool to explain the trinity to early non Christians and that the "wearing of the green" went from wearing a shamrock to wearing green so that some little hooligan on the schoolyard or in the office doesn't pinch you. I also am aware that for some Protestants this is a day where they put on orange instead of green. So if I wanted to follow that thread I could move into a rabbit hole about the "Troubles" in Ireland between the Catholics and the Protestants but having attempted to write one term paper on the subject and then picking a different topic I have no desire to do so again.

The history of St Patrick's Day aside it now appears to be mainly a day in America where people wear green and get really, really, drunk. Often there is a parade of some sort in the bigger eastern cities and I think in Chicago and Boston they may color the rivers green.

I do not think I will be going out this evening. Tomorrow is a work day and I do not like to work hungover. But I hope those of you who do have a good evening and a safe time. I will see you tomorrow.