It's time for a PSA, afterschool-special style. Yes, this is a public service announcement, dear readers, that tomorrow is February 1st: the big 02/01/08.
This may seem like an obvious fact; any calendar (mine is a Get Fuzzy day-to-day, thanks Mom) will share this gem. But what no calendar warns you - hence my intervention - is that February is a crucial month here at Penn.
February may not seem particularly special. If anything, it is the dreariest of months; distant memories of winter break and bad weather are a terrible mix.
Yet February flies by. (And despite what the Senior Class Board may think, it's not because of Feb Club.)
True, February is the smallest month, even with 29 days this year. This too might seem obvious; everyone knows the ditty "30 days have September, April, June, and November." And so on: February stands alone.
But it really passes by because dear Feb doesn't really stand alone. Every month bleeds into the next, but February gushes into March. This means March happens upon us practically before we even habituate ourselves to writing "February" instead of "January" at the top of our papers. And you know what March means? Midterms. First papers.
In January, March - and its deadlines - seem a pleasant distance away. But before you can say, "Oh shit, it's almost Valentine's Day!" March enters the picture, leaving me longing for the dreary, paperless-ness of February.
Smokey the Bear says only you can prevent forest fires. VerbNow reminds that "it's what you do". which prevents something. I say, only you can remember that a large project due March 3 should be started in February. Trust me. I've learned this the hard way, twice.
But as depressing as February may be, don't write off this poor month quite yet.
February 1st also = First Friday, when art galleries in downtown Philly stay open late so you can tour the galleries and drink wine. So before you hit the books, escape a little. Get buzzed. For an amazing preview, check out our back page. You'll be doing yourself a (public) service.
Here's to you, Kerry
