groundhog's day

music: White Stripes: i'm finding it harder to be gentleman

today is groundhog's day. i thought it might be funny to see what kind of stuff is out there about the history and what-not...you know... cuz i'm on break at work or something, certainly not because i'm bored out of my mind and have nothing to do, really.

so i found some really scarey things.

first of all, the "official" groundhog is named Punxsutawney. they call him phil. i sorta knew this. this is okay. the web site calls all others fakes and frauds...a little weird but ok.

then:

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/06 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

"It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Around the country there are many imitators of me.

In Harrisburg there is Gus who appears on TV working for the lottery.

Then all around town, Cute groundhog statues abound. They all look like me, I found.

Today on the Knob as I'm doing my job, I don't like this likeness of me.

It's my shadow I see. Six more weeks of mild winter there will be."

ok kinda cute...a little poem to say six more weeks of winter.....but then i read on.

from the FAQ page:
"No! Phil's forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in "Groundhogese" (a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world."

i'm sorry....GROUNDHOGESE!!!! are you KIDDING me?!?!

a couple other interesting answers:
"How many "Phils" have there been over the years? There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!

Punxsutawney Phil gets his longevity from drinking "groundhog punch," a secret recipe. Phil takes one sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic and it magically gives him seven more years of life."

i find this all quite hysterical. there is also an "inner circle" of old white men that care for phil. some of the more comical titles these men hold: cloud builder, fog spinner, big flake maker, dew dropper, stump warden, sage, burrow master...the list continues on.

i think i've found my life's calling...i want to be the BIG flake maker. how cool does THAT sound?

6 more weeks of winter folks...no joke...this groundhog stuff is for REAL. :)