Take a Leap

Today is February 29th, otherwise known as Leap Day. It happens only once every four years, and it's sort of a chronological course correction. We say that it takes the earth 365 days to revolve around the sun, but in fact it takes 365 days and 6 hours. So once every four years, we've got an extra day to deal with. (Actually, that bonus time is not exactly 6 hours, either, leading some to suggest, if our system is to be really, really accurate, years divisible by 4000 should not have a leap day. To which others have replied, you really, really need to get a life.)

I don’t know about you, but my fascination with February 29th usually revolves around those poor souls who were born on this day. It’s hard enough only having one birthday a year, am I right? Try having one every four years! Plus, people born on Leap Day are called “leaplings”, which to me is just a half step away from them being tiny people with big ears and jobs that require them to sing.

But this year it also occurred to me, heck, on this unique day, why not do something unique? Why not take a leap, as it were? So, I and four of the other tertians got in a car this afternoon and drove down to Sydney to a great little pub called the Australian. We sat down at a table for dinner, got ourselves some drinks... and had ourselves a kangaroo pizza!

CUTE AND CUDDLY

FRY THEM UP IN A PAN!

I guess you could say we took the whole idea of taking a leap a little bit literally…buh-dum-bump! I have to say, the whole experience made me a little jumpy. Hope I don't rue the day.

Actually, We were all very pleased with ourselves, until we asked the waitress if she’d ever had kangaroo and she said no, she hadn’t. But you’re Australian, we said. And she replied, Exactly.

So perhaps it’s a bit of a tourist thing to eat kangaroo. Hey, at least we didn’t demand Foster’s beer (which no one down here drinks. Also the phrase “shrimp on the barbie” is a complete fiction. Australians do use terms like “barbie” for barbecue or “brekkie” for breakfast, but down under they’re “prawns,” mate, not “shrimp”.) Undeterred we proceeded to also eat some saltwater crocodile (which is one of the many dangerous predators of Australia that I wish I hadn’t read about; on the other hand, knowing how deadly it was made the eating really quite satisfying).

NOT SO SCARY NOW, ARE YOU?

We’ve had a great couple weeks of classes, and I’ll be blogging next week before we go away for our long retreat. Until then, hope you, too, have the chance to take some kind of leap. Trust me, it can be tasty!

Four Very Hoppy Tertians in front of the Sydney Opera House.

LONG RETREAT COUNTDOWN: 12 DAYS