Author: Rebecca OConnell

Pickles can be a divisive topic: You either love them or you hate them. But the people who love pickles really love pickles. Thankfully, devout fans of the brined cucumbers can celebrate their love with a whole slew of items that smell or taste like pickles.

1. LIP BALM; $6

Unfortunately, you can’t eat pickles all day long, but you can at least have the smell lingering on your lips with this novelty lip balm. The 2.5-inch tube boasts a strong dill flavor that may lead to some vinegary (but soft!) lips.

Find it: Amazon

2. MINTS; $6

Usually people eat mints to get rid of pickle breath, but who’s to say that you’d ever want to? Each green tin comes with 100 dill-flavored mints that will give your mouth a fresh-from-the-jar smell.

Find it: Amazon

3. POP ROCKS; $6

People who love both candy and pickles will want to pick up these off-brand Pop Rocks, which promise to be “not only a barrel of fun, but also dill-icious.”

Find it: Amazon

4. DORITOS; $9

Doritos may not have the flavor breadth of other brands—Lay’s, for example, continues to astound and alarm their fan base with flavors like wasabi and mango salsa—but they do have some quirks. This Intense Pickle flavor claims to “add some zing to your meal.”

Find it: Amazon

5. VODKA

Any fan of the pickleback knows that alcohol and pickles are a match made in heaven. Now you can get your booze and your pickle juice in the same shot glass thanks to Chilled Dills. The dill-infused vodka is meant to be enjoyed in Bloody Marys, mojitos, or just on the rocks.

Find it: Chilled Dills

6. A GUMMY; $11

Why settle for a boring bag of gummy bears when you can enjoy a 4.5 ounce gummy that looks and tastes just like a real dill pickle?

Find it: Amazon

7. SOAP; $7

Now shower time can smell like a New York deli with these realistic gherkin pickle soaps. They come in packs of 12, so every bathroom in your house can have one. (These soaps also come in a margarita scent.)

Find it: Etsy

8. CANDLE; $25

If you’re trying to set the right ambience for a date, might we recommend this pickle-scented candle? This green, 8-ounce candle come in a metal tin for easy storage.

Find it: Amazon

9. TOOTHPASTE; $10

This dill-flavored toothpaste is sure to raise a few eyebrows. Likely not a practical option for oral hygiene, the 2.5-ounce tube does make for a good gag gift.

Find it: Pickle Addicts

10. GUMBALLS; $4

Blow some green, salty bubbles with this novelty bubble gum. Each tin contains roughly 22 brined gumballs.

Find it: eBay

11. ICE POPS; $9

Cool down on a hot day with a pickle-flavored ice pop. Each bag comes with six pops that can be eaten frozen or unfrozen, and the snack is guilt-free: it has less than five calories and no sugar added.

Find it: Amazon

12. SPORTS DRINK; $13

Believe it or not, drinking pickle juice is an old-fashioned trick runners use to prevent muscle cramping. While it might seem counterintuitive to gulp down something so salty when you need to stay hydrated, there is some evidence that pickle juice really does help. These 8-ounce bottles come in groups of six and pack a salty punch.

Find it: Amazon

13. POPCORN; $45

OK, hear us out: Pickle popcorn is surprisingly good. The zippy dill taste works just as well as salt and vinegar works on chips. You can get a huge case of 12 bags of organic pickle popcorn online, because you’re definitely going to have to share.

Find it: Walmart

The hardest part of cooking a well-rounded breakfast is getting the timing right (after all, no one wants cold eggs or floppy bacon). Fortunately, there are plenty of innovations on the market to make cooking as efficient as possible. In addition to this all-in-one frying pan, there’s also the Nostalgia Electrics 3-in-1 Breakfast Station.

This retro, diner-esque appliance can cook a whole slew of different breakfast items and brew you a pot of coffee at the same time. Up top, there’s a griddle for eggs, sausages, and bacon, which is situated just above a toaster oven. To the left, there’s a coffee maker that makes up to four cups of java at a time. Everything is controlled with knobs in the front, so the chef can stand in one place while making the meal.

This one-stop breakfast station is perfect for creating elaborate meals in record time and saving a little counter space. City dwellers in cramped apartments know the value of kitchen space, so it’s important to make each appliance count.

Hungry chefs can get their breakfast fix with one of these devices over at Amazon.

[h/t Trend Hunter]

In the 24 years since Groundhog Day’s original release, fans have spent plenty of time and precious web bandwidth attempting to decode the alleged layers that exist just below the surface. Groundhog Day as metaphor? These eight theories say yes.

1. BILL MURRAY IS OUR SAVIOR.

Among the first groups to embrace the message of Groundhog Day were Buddhists, who were moved by its story of rebirth. As part of a talk at New York City’s Hudson Union Society in 2009, director Harold Ramis spoke about the many people who had been moved by the film—including his Zen Buddhist mother-in-law.

She isn’t alone. In an essay entitled “Groundhog Day The Movie, Buddhism and Me,” Spiritual Cinema Circle co-founder Stephen Simon calls the film “a wonderful human comedy about being given the rare opportunity to live several lifetimes all in the same day. Of course, that’s not how the film was marketed but, for our purposes, I believe that concept is at the soul of the story.” In an interview with The New York Times, Dr. Angela Zito, co-director of NYU’s Center for Religion and Media, noted that the film illustrates the Buddhist idea of samsara, or continuing rebirth. “In Mahayana [Buddhism], nobody ever imagines they are going to escape samsara until everybody else does,” she noted. “That is why you have bodhisattvas, who reach the brink of nirvana, and stop and come back and save the rest of us. Bill Murray is the bodhisattva. He is not going to abandon the world. On the contrary, he is released back into the world to save it.”

2. PUNXSUTAWNEY PHIL IS JESUS CHRIST RESURRECTED.

Bill Murray isn’t the only seemingly otherworldly figure in Groundhog Day. In the same New York Times feature, film critic Michael Bronski noted the Christ-like attributes assigned to Punxsutawney Phil (yes, the groundhog) in the film. “The groundhog is clearly the resurrected Christ, the ever hopeful renewal of life at springtime, at a time of pagan-Christian holidays,” he noted.

3. PUNXSUTAWNEY IS PURGATORY.

In the space between heaven and hell, according to Catholic Church doctrine, is purgatory. And in Groundhog Day, purgatory is the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania itself—a place where Phil Connors must undergo his own brand of purification in order to decide the fate of his afterlife. Blogger Jim Ciscell scoured the Internet to come up with the “Top 10 Reasons Why the Movie Groundhog Day is Actually Set in Purgatory,” which includes Connors’ own assertion in the film that he is “a god.”

4. IT’S A METAPHOR FOR JUDAISM.

Dr. Niles Goldstein, a rabbi at New York City’s New Shul congregation, sees Connors’ actions as specifically geared toward Judaism, citing the fact that his good deeds beget more good deeds, as opposed to a place in heaven or state of nirvana. “The movie tells us, as Judaism does, that the work doesn’t end until the world has been perfected,” Goldstein told The New York Times.

5. IT’S A METAPHOR FOR PSYCHOANALYSIS.

There aren’t a lot of Hollywood comedies that have gained analytical attention from the psychiatric community—and psychoanalysts in particular. In his talk at the Hudson Union Society, Ramis recalled the number of psychiatric professionals who told him that, “Obviously the movie’s a metaphor for psychoanalysis, because we revisit the same stories and keep reliving these same patterns in our life. And the whole goal of psychoanalysis is to break those patterns of behavior.”

The comparisons have continued. In 2006, the International Journal of Psychoanalysis printed an essay entitled, “Revisiting Groundhog Day: Cinematic Depiction of Mutative Process,” which explained that the film “shows us a man trapped by his narcissistic defenses. The device of repetition becomes a representation of developmental arrest and closure from object relatedness. Repetition also becomes a means of escape from his characterological dilemma. The opportunity to redo and learn from experience—in particular, to love and learn through experience with a good object—symbolizes the redemptive, reparative possibilities in every life.”

6. IT’S A PERFECT COMPARISON FOR MILITARY BOREDOM.

Shortly after the film’s release, members of the military began using the term “Groundhog Day” as slang, in reference to the monotony of their days. In 1994, the crew of the USS Saratoga, who were deployed to the Adriatic Sea, nicknamed their post “Groundhog Station” for this very reason. In 1996, while speaking to American troops at Tuzla Airfield in Bosnia, then-President Bill Clinton showed he was hip to the lingo (but in a Commander in Chief kind of way) when he noted that, “I am told that some of you have compared life here with the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day, where the same day keeps repeating itself over and over and over again. I’m also told that there are really only two kinds of weather conditions here in Tuzla. When it snows, the mud freezes, and when it rains, the mud thaws. Even the dining hall apparently is in on the act, dishing out the same food every morning and night.” The phrase took a turn for the formal when it was included in The Oxford Handbook of Military Psychology, which contains a chapter on “Boredom: Groundhog Day as Metaphor for Iraq.”

7. GROUNDHOG DAY AS ECONOMIC THEORY.

In 2006, economist D. W. MacKenzie published an article on “The Economics of Groundhog Day,” noting that the movie “illustrates the importance of the Mises-Hayek paradigm as an alternative to equilibrium economics by illustrating the unreal nature of equilibrium theorizing.” Say what?

“In economic terms the final reliving of the day constitutes what economists refer to as a perfectly competitive equilibrium based on perfect information,” MacKenzie goes on to explain. “With full knowledge of how to realize every possible gain during this day, Connors is able take advantage of every opportunity for gain. The difference between his first time through the day and his final reliving are dramatic. While this is of course only a movie, it does serve to illustrate the wide gulf between the economists’ notion of perfectly competitive equilibrium and reality.”

8. IT’S A SELF-HELP BIBLE.

For motivational speaker Paul Hannam, the key to self-fulfillment can be found in Groundhog Day’s 101 minutes. His book, The Magic of Groundhog Day, forms the basis of his transformative program of self-improvement, which promises to help its users “learn how to unlock the magic of the movie to transform your life at home and at work” and to “break free from repetitive thoughts and behaviors that keep you stuck in a rut.”

This post originally appeared in 2014.

This Valentine’s Day, show that special someone you really care with the help of a celestial body that’s 150 arcminutes in size and glows intense, red gas. The Heart Nebula, which is just a short 7500 light years from Earth, is easily the most romantic of all the nebulas thanks to its darling shape. Maryland-based artist Lauren Beacham (known for her space jewelry) takes this charming image and puts it on matching cufflinks—you know, so you can wear your heart on your sleeve—and a necklace.

Now you can give a gift that’s the perfect balance of adorable and scientific. Both the cuff links and necklace are made with glass and rhodium-plated brass. If a heart-shaped nebula isn’t enough to make you swoon, also consider that it’s right next to the Soul Nebula, creating the Heart and Soul complex. With a backstory like that, the accompanying card pretty much writes itself.

You can snag the necklace or cufflinks on UncommonGoods for $65 or $28 respectively.

Punxsutawney Phil is getting ready to make his Groundhog Day prediction about how much winter we’ve got left. Here’s a closer look at the rodent we trust for weather prognostication.

1. HE HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE 1887.

Punxsutawney Phil has been in charge of telling us how long winter will wear on (and, conversely, when spring will finally bloom) since 1887, all based on whether or not he sees his shadow on the morning of February 2nd (if he sees his shadow, we’re in for six more weeks of winter, if he doesn’t, spring will come early). There are no other Phils. There’s just the one. No, really.

2. IT’S “GROUNDHOG PUNCH” THAT KEEPS HIM SO YOUNG. 

Phil stays so young by way of a magical “Groundhog Punch” that he’s fed every summer at the annual Groundhog Picnic (just a sip) that apparently extends his life for another seven years. So even if Phil misses out on six annual sips, he’s still good to go with his weather reporting and newsmaking for the time being. That’s some magical punch—the kind that foresees potential snags for nearly a full decade.

3. THE PUNXSUTAWNEY GROUNDHOG CLUB’S INNER CIRCLE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PHIL.

Phil obviously can’t get his elixir without a little help, which is where the so-called “Inner Circle” comes into play. The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle doesn’t just hold fast to Phil’s meds and administer them to their beloved groundhog; they also take care of Phil for the entire year, plan each year’s big ceremony in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and sport some truly styling top hats and tuxedos at each ceremony.

4. THERE ARE 15 MEMBERS OF THE INNER CIRCLE.

The Inner Circle currently has 15 members (16 if you count Phil himself), including President Bill Deeley, who has been in the circle since 1986. The members all have individual nicknames that vaguely tie into their careers (Tom Dunkel, the so-called “Shingle Shaker,” is a roofing contractor) or weather phenomena (there’s an “Iceman,” a “Big Chill,” and even a “Thunder Conductor”).

5. PHIL LIVES IN A TOWN LIBRARY.

When Phil is not busy predicting the weather at Gobbler’s Knob, a rural area about two miles outside of Punxsutawney proper, he lives in the town library.

6. HE HAS A WIFE, PHYLLIS.

He lives in that library with his wife, Phyllis. Yes, Punxsutawney Phil has his own little groundhog wife, and her name is Phyllis. It’s almost too adorable to be believed.

7. HE’S A JETSETTER.

Despite enjoying life in the library and doing other groundhog-appropriate things, Phil has done his fair share of traveling over the course of his career. In recent years, he has met big celebrities and public figures like Oprah and President Ronald Reagan.

8. HE WAS REPORTEDLY NAMED AFTER KING PHILLIP.

Punxsutawney Phil was apparently named after King Phillip. Before that naming took place, he was called “Br’er Groundhog,” which doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

9. HE SPEAKS GROUNDHOGESE.

Phil speaks a special language—it’s called Groundhogese—which is what he uses to communicate his shadow-finding to the Inner Circle President, who then announces it to the world.

10. HE WAS FIERCELY ANTI-PROHIBITION.

Phil apparently likes more than just his Groundhog Punch: The groundhog quite memorably announced during Prohibition that, if he were kept from drinking the hard stuff, there would be 60 weeks of winter. (But not even Punxsutawney Phil can plunge the world into over a year of winter, desire for booze aside.)

11. HE’S WRONG A LOT MORE OFTEN THAN HE’S RIGHT.

Phil’s batting average for his predictions isn’t exactly the greatest: A record of his findings shows that his shadow-based predictions have only been right about 21 percent of the time.

This article originally appeared in 2014.

Ever hear that humans lose half their body heat through uncovered heads? Though that ubiquitous warning is total nonsense, a warm hat is still crucial for colder weather—because cold ears hurt. Protect your head with one of these unusual hat options.

1. MEGA MAN; $10

Make your wildest dreams come true and become Mega Man—or at least look like him. This officially licensed knitted beanie mimics the iconic helmet worn by the character. It’s currently out of stock, but it’s going to make a reappearance on the shelves in about two months.

Find it: ThinkGeek

2. UNICORN HOOD; $32

Keep yourself warm with the magic of a unicorn. This cozy hat/scarf/glove combo is perfect for staying covered up in cold weather. No actual unicorns were harmed during the making of this hood—it’s cotton and polyester.

Find it: Firebox

3. HOGWARTS HOUSE BEANIES; $20

If you put on the sorting hat, where would you end up? Probably Hufflepuff, but luckily we Muggles/No-Majs can decide for ourselves when picking out Harry Potter-themed headwear. Grab a beanie adorned with the crest of Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff.

Find it: Amazon

4. BLACK CAT; $16

Don’t settle for a normal ribbed knit beanie when you can have one with little cat ears and an embroidered face. It will look great with the rest of your cat lady ensemble.

Find it: ASOS

5. POKEMON; $14

Play video games in style with this black embroidered beanie. The pom-pom adorned headwear is covered in a pattern of smiling Pikachu faces.

Find it: Amazon

6. SPIDER-GWEN CONVERTIBLE HEADWEAR; $10

This tube-shaped bandana can do it all. Creative dressers can fold and knot this polyester scarf to turn it into a variety of accessories to wear on the head or neck. The headwear can be used to keep heads warm or protect identities when dabbling in some vigilante work.

Find it: ThinkGeek

7. WAMPA BEANIE; $20

Anything that lives on planet Hoth has to have a thick coat to stay warm in the arctic climate. This beanie incorporates the Star Wars creature’s white fur and horns into its design. Thanks to the double lining and ear flaps, this hat is warmer than the inside of a tauntaun.

Find it: Amazon

8. DOCTOR WHO; $15

Let this TARDIS-inspired hat transport you to a world of warmth. The ear-flapped hat fits snuggly on most heads, so Whovians of all ages can enjoy.

Find it: Amazon

9. MINECRAFT; $12 – $25

Any builder in Minecraft is familiar with the dreaded Creeper. Now you can celebrate the annoying green monsters with a threatening looking beanie. Complete the look with a Creeper scarf and you’re ready to start slinking around in the night.

Find it: Amazon

10. RICK AND MORTY REVERSIBLE BEANIE; $15

Some days you’re Rick and some days you’re more of a Morty. If you can’t decide which of the titular characters best suits you, get a beanie that can do both.

Find it: Amazon

11. FIREFLY; $24

In an episode of the short-lived sci-fi show Firefly, tough guy Jayne Cobb gets a hand-knit beanie in the mail from his mother, which he happily wears. Now you too can look like Cobb with a matching beanie that was also hand-knit.

Find it: Etsy

The shih tzu, known for its humorous-sounding name (the real pronunciation is actually “sheed-zoo,” thank you very much), has a lot to offer. Loyal service dogs and loving companions, these small dogs are an ideal fit for anyone in need of affection. Learn more about the pooch and its long history of melting hearts. 

1. THEY’RE AN OLD BREED. 

Nobody knows exactly how old the shih tzu is, although it existed at least as far back as 624 CE (we know this because of its presence in art from the era). As with most ancient breeds, it’s difficult to determine when and how exactly it originated, though experts have some ideas. According to one popular theory, the breed was started in Tibet by Buddhist monks and eventually made its way to China. 

Back then, Tibetan monks bred a number of lion-like dogs, which they referred to as “holy dogs.” (Since the time of early Buddhism, the lion has been an important religious symbol, representing the Bodhisattvas, or “sons of the Buddha.”) According to some accounts, the Dalai Lama came to China in the 17th century with a trio of lion-like pooches. These shih tzu predecessors were bred with Chinese dogs, resulting in pups with shorter snouts. 

In the early 20th century, the Chinese empress Tzu-hsi was gifted a pair of Tibetan lion dogs. She was immediately enamored, and kept them from breeding with the Pekingese and pugs in her care. The result: the shih tzus we know and love today.

2. THEY’RE CLOSELY RELATED TO WOLVES. 

They may not look like it, but the modest shih tzu is more closely related to wolves than many fiercer-looking breeds. In 2004, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle tested the genetic data of 414 dogs from 85 different breeds. They concluded that Asian breeds, from the imposing akita all the way down to the diminuitive Pekingese, are some of the oldest and most closely related to Canis lupus familiaris‘s wolf ancestors. (Only the Nordic breeds have these dogs beat: The Siberian husky, Alaskan malamute, and Samoyed, among others, are the “best living representative[s] of the ancestral dog gene pool,” the researchers wrote.)

3. ROYALTY LOVED THEM.

Despite their genetic similarities to wolves, shih tzus were bred to be loving companions. The pampered pets led luxurious lives in palaces, enjoying all the creature comforts a dog could want. Their thick coats made them effective radiators, and their owners would use the dogs to keep their beds warm. At one time, it was even fashionable to keep the small canines tucked away in large robe sleeves. 

4. THEY HAVE MANY NAMES.

For such a small dog, the shih tzu has a long list of nicknames. Shih tzu roughly translates to little lion dog. Other monikers include “under-the-table dog,” “Fu dog,” “shock dog,” “sleeve dog,” “Tibetan poodle,” and more. They are sometimes referred to as the chrysanthemum-faced dog thanks to their unique facial fur, which fans out like flower petals. 

5. THEY ALMOST WENT EXTINCT. 

As with other Chinese dog breeds, the shih tzu was nearly wiped out when the Communist party began its takeover. Luckily for shih tzu lovers, some dedicated fanciers protected the breed and seven males and seven females survived. Those 14 dogs were responsible for rebuilding the entire line. 

6. THEY HAVE LONG, SILKY ‘DOS …

The hair of a shih tzu is truly something to envy. Show dogs can be seen sporting stylish long hair that drags on the floor like a dress’s train. This particular hairstyle is very hard to keep up, so most shih tzu owners opt to keep their dog’s hair in a short style called the “puppy cut.” Usually this involves cutting the hair uniformly about two inches from the body (this is also referred to as the “teddy bear cut,” because it makes them look like a plush toy). Other owners opt to shave the body hair closely, leaving the hair on the head and ears in a bob-like style (this is known as the “top knot cut.”) If neither of these options appeal to you, you can always book an appointment with this groomer in Taiwan, who will cut your dog’s hair into a perfect circle or square. 

7. … AND COME IN LOTS OF COLORS.

According to the American Kennel Club, the shih tzu comes in 14 different colors and three different markings. 

8. THEIR SPOTS ARE THE STUFF OF LEGEND.

Most shih tzus rock a little white spot on their foreheads, which is affectionately known as the “Star of Buddha.” According to legend, Buddha was traveling with a little canine companion that closely resembled the shih tzu. When a group of robbers tried to attack Buddha, the little dog transformed into a fierce lion and chased the thieves off.  Buddha was so grateful he kissed the dog on the forehead, giving it its little white mark. The markings on its back are said to represent the saddle Buddha used to ride the dog-turned-lion. 

9. TRAINING CAN BE TRICKY.

Before you get a shih tzu, consider how much free time you have. The little dogs are notoriously difficult to train and it takes a lot of patience to housebreak them. In fact, it can take around 40 to 50 repetitions of a bathroom routine before the stubborn pup catches on. Owners are urged to start training immediately at puppyhood so irreversible bad habits don’t form.

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have 31,
Except for February,
Which got the short stick because it’s cold and no one likes it.  

Well, something to that effect. Some believe February once boasted 29 days and that Augustus Caesar stole a day so he could add it to August, which was named for him. (If there’s a month named after you, why not milk it?) But that’s a myth. Rather, February has 28 days because, to the Romans, the month was an afterthought. In the 8th century BCE, they used the Calendar of Romulus, a 10-month calendar that kicked the year off in March (with the spring equinox) and ended in December. January and February didn’t even exist:

Martius: 31 days
Aprilius: 30 days
Maius: 31 days
Junius: 30 days
Quintilis: 31 days
Sextilis: 30 days
September: 30 days
October: 31 days
November: 30 days
December: 30 days

Tally up those numbers, and you’ll see a problem—the year is only 304 days long. Back then, winter was a nameless, monthless period that no one cared for much. (Planters and harvesters used the calendar as a timetable. To them, winter was useless and wasn’t worth counting.) So for 61 days out of the year, Romans could ask “What month is it?” and you could correctly answer, “None!”

King Numa Pompilius thought that was stupid. Why have a calendar if you’re going to neglect one-sixth of the year? So in 713 BCE, he lined the calendar up with the year’s 12 lunar cycles—a span of about 355 days—and introduced January and February. The months were added to the end of the calendar, making February the last month of the year.

But no Roman calendar would be complete without some good old-fashioned superstition mixed in! The Romans believed even numbers were unlucky, so Numa tried to make each month odd. But to reach the quota of 355, one month had to be even. February ended up pulling the short stick, probably because it was simply the last month on the list. (Or as Cecil Adams puts it, “If there had to be an unlucky month, better make it a short one.”) Numa’s calendar ended up looking like this:

Martius: 31 days
Aprilius: 29 days
Maius: 31 days
Iunius: 29 days
Quintilis: 31 days
Sextilis: 29 days
September: 29 days
October: 31 days
November: 29 days
December: 29 days
Ianuarius: 29 days
Februarius: 28 days

Of course, a 355-day calendar had its bugs. After a few years went by, the seasons and months would fall out of sync. So to keep things straight, the Romans would occasionally insert a 27-day leap month called Mercedonius. The Romans would erase the last couple days of February and start the leap month on February 24—further evidence no one ever cared much for the month.  

This caused headaches everywhere. The leap month was inconsistent, mainly because Rome’s high priests determined when it would arrive. Not only did they insert Mercedonius haphazardly, but the priests (being politicians) abused the power, using it to extend the terms of friends and trim the terms of enemies. By Julius Caesar’s time, the Roman people had no clue what day it was.

So Caesar nixed the leap month and reformed the calendar again. (To get Rome back on track, the year 46 BCE had to be 445 days long!) Caesar aligned the calendar with the sun and added a few days so that everything added up to 365. February, which by now was at the top of the calendar, kept its 28 days. We can only imagine it’s because Caesar, like everyone before and after him, just wanted it to be March already.