Thanks to you and you and you for humoring me with the meme.

And since a couple have asked what a meme is, I thought I�d do some research to make sure I answered accurately. According to memecentral.com (see also wikipedia), memes are �the basic building blocks of our minds and culture.� The term was first used by zoologist Richard Dawkins in his groundbreaking and controversial book, The Selfish Gene, first published in 1976. If I understand correctly, the idea is that memes are to the mind what genes are to the body. As pertaining to the internet, memes are those things that suddenly turn up everywhere and then disappear, like the music questionnaire I answered yesterday � a fragment of cultural detritus that spreads rapidly and then evaporates.

There you go. I hope you all feel edified.

We have been celebrating this fine Groundhog Day in low-key fashion here in the Harriet household, with a chorus of coughing and the weak waving of half-used tissues. We began the day by trying to find pictures of a groundhog for AJ, who was a bit terrified at first � he�d thought it was a �Ground-dog.� And AJ doesn�t like dogs because �they�re too licky.� Once the groundhog�s species had been clarified, we spent an entertaining few minutes trying to teach AJ to say �Punxsutawney.� The word �Punxsutawney� is really the only reason Groundhog Day deserves any celebration at all. Not only is it fun to say, but it is apparently derived from a Native American word meaning �town of the sandflies.� Kind of makes you want to plan a visit, doesn�t it? According to Punxsutawney Phil�s website, he saw his shadow this morning, so we�re in for six more weeks of winter. Here is his official proclamation. Damn, I wish I could speak Groundhogese.

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