This month is the Month of Joy!  There are many reasons to be joyous this month!  There are many causes to end every sentence with an exclamation point!  Wow!

The first cause of celebration is the success of the revolution against Conspiracy Day!  Loyal Warrior and Humble Servant Paul wrote of his victories, "Love has been repelled! Self- serving consumerism denied! Hamsters freed from their cages!"  Such victory was widespread and included the acts of Random Night, during which the Soldiers of Randomness destroyed the symbols of the Conspiracy by fire, and when that failed, by throwing them off a bridge.  Victory was ours!

The real fun of the Month of Joy begins the first Wednesday with the Day of Joy.  This day kicks off the first Festival of the Wednesday Weekend.  Some people out there go to schools where this sort of festival is a matter of course-- we call these people "future janitors for my judge's chambers."  For the rest of us, while mopping floors is not in our future plans, it doesn't mean that fun is also exempt.  Hence, we have the best of both worlds in the Festival of the Wednesday Weekend.  Here's how it goes.  In the days before Wednesday, work until you think you might just pop.  Then, with no more work left to do until the next week, begin your weekend on Wednesday afternoon.  It's just that easy, my friends.  Sure, you can go to classes Thursday and Friday, but don't intend to be mentally active.  Because it's the weekend! Join the new revolution for the Wednesday Weekend this month!

(Editor's note to Mommy and Daddy:  this is just a suggestion for the rest of the world that is all part of my master plan.  In *no* way do I intend to practce such an immoral and obviously harmful celebration of human filth.  It's not right, and I'm pretty sure it's not even American.... hey, don't laugh!  I mean it!  Really!  You can stop now!)

About the Day of Joy, the trustiest of Royal Servants wrote, "Banks, government offices and, best of all my job, will all be closed Wednesday! Flags will fly at half staff, jets will fly over in formation, children will laugh, woman will weep, men will reflect, a star will rise in the East, dogs will bark , cats will wail, possums will get run over by cars, the y2k problem will begin, and possibly, just possibly the L.A. Lakers will win a game!!"  I think his sentiments speak for all.

This month is chock full of fun!  Your first challenge after the first Festival of the Wednesday Weekend is to come up with another use of the word "chock."  Then head on to the numerous birthday celebrations of so many cool people born in this fine Month of Joy.  A high proportion of the cool people I know were born in this month (or pretty close to it)-- even folks who are forgetful about other people's birthdays.  ;-)  There is also an opportunity for another Festival of the Wednesday Weekend, if you can possibly handle it, for ol' St. Patty's Day.  I think the most exciting thing I will do that day is change the background of this page to clovers.

This month also brings spring, the season of joy!  And spring break!  And lots of folks making out in public.  Lots of them.  It's really quite sick.  But if you can ignore that, it's really a lovely time of year.

So be joyous, my friends, even through the midterms, the waiting to hear about housing and colleges, the perennial frustrations of youth.  And try to make it joyous for each other too. You'll like it, I promise.

It is the springtime of my loving