Today is Lunar New Year. Happy new year to those of you to follow that calendar. I don’t, but I like the idea of having two new years to celebrate. Also, I’m superstitious, and if one new year’s day isn’t what I wanted, I get another stab at it: today.

Like most Americans, I follow the Gregorian calendar. I grew up Catholic, so I never understood the whole lunar calendar thing, but I think the rest of my family – who are Buddhist – do. But it’s the year of the dragon. Dragons are cool. For those of you who watch Game of Thrones: how the fuck do you progress from dragons. Dragons enter the picture and it’s game fucking over, people.

Speaking of new year’s day: England didn’t accept January 1 as the commencement of the new year until 1752, when they adopted the Gregorian calendar. Other European countries were quicker to adjust, but England stood strong, until 1752 that is.

This is why Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (written in 1723) begins with Spring, because Spring was the start of the new year, back in the day.

Speaking of arbitrary time, what’s up with Canada, France, Italy, and the US (among others) wanting to abolish the leap second?Germany and the UK want to keep the leap second because without it, we’d lose sight of our relationship to the earth. Or something like that.

But whatever, it’s 2012: The Mayan calendar apocalypse thing has been debunked, may we live another year!