Happy New Year, You Dirty Rat!

I had occasion last week to go to an Asian New Year celebration to celebrate the year of the rodent. Wikipedia my source for much that is popular culture, explains:

"Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_of_the_rat

It then goes on to talk about the rat's natural charm, noting, "Behind the smiles and charm, rats can be terribly obstinate and controlling, insisting on having things their way no matter what the cost." Charming, huh? Well, that isn't the word that springs immediately to my mind, so that's when I had to stop and think a bit. I just had to wonder about our president, George W. Bush - he is charming, ambitious a conqueror - you know - but after all that, it turns out he is not a rat. His father is.

Anyway, those in the horoscopic know think we can expect a year focused on aggression, wealth, charm and order. Ho hum... what else is new?

The Asian New Year celebration, by the way, was marvelous and we had a chance to see several new year's dances including this amazing dance group who played the drums in perfect precision. (It was suggested I might be culturally insensitive because I said this group was Chinese - the program said they were - perhaps they changed the order. My anonymous commenter says they are probably Korean. Apologies if I offended anyone or if it was a misnomer.) The dance was lovely regardless. There were presentations by a variety of cultures and there was much good will and desire to share amongst our various cultures.



We got a chance to enjoy wonderful food, a festive atmosphere and lightness of heart before the rodents start streaming into our year.



George W. Bush, by the way, is a dog. (Loyal, assertive, playful, restless, assertive, stubborn). Hillary Clinton is a pig (honest straightforward, patient, materialistic, hesitant, naive) Obama is an Ox (honest, caring, intelligent, inflexible, materialistc. petty, critical.) If it really is the year of the rat, however, I guess we'll end up with this guy.



Frankly, in this year of the rodent, I'm still holding out for a Pika. They seem like cute little unassuming individuals and I've simply had it with our everyday rats.




Yup, I'm going to call this the year of the Pika! Pika,pika. Pika, pika, pika, anyone?