Happy Chinese New Year!

A hearty and healthy Happy Year of the Rat to you all as today marks the start of Chinese year 4706. I just know I'm gonna keep writing Year of the Pig on my checks for the next two weeks....

Legend has it that in ancient times, Buddha asked all of the animals to meet him on the Chinese new year. Only 12 animals came so he assigned them each to a year. The years, or animal signs, repeat every 12 years, and those born under each animal sign are said to have some of that animal's characteristics. Here is the list of all twelve: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

TFKoP was born in 1965 in the Year of the Snake. Snake characteristics include tremendous wisdom, cleverness, and profound thinking. But you already knew that about me.

And I can't mention Year of the Rat without directing you to the video of Badly Drawn Boy's great song of the same name, "Year of the Rat".