Beware the Ides of March!

Yes, beware those Ides. But what the hell are Ides, anyway? Good question. I’ll tell you.

In the ancient Roman calendar, Ides are the 15th day of March, May, July, or October, and the 13th day of the other months. Made famous in Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, March 15th is the day that Julius Caesar is warned by a soothsayer about, and subsequently, the day his life changes forever…by ending…via 23 stab wounds. Nice story, eh? Makes you kind of pray for the good ol’ days of politics when Senators would conspire to assassinate a tyrannical leader, instead of reluctantly bending over their Senate desks everytime he opens his mouth. Well…at least a few of them are reluctant. The rest seem to get off on it, which I find to be disturbing…but then, I never understood politics anyway.

Anyway, Caesar is warned to beware the Ides of March by a crusty old hobo who happens to be a soothsayer. And you can’t blame Caesar for not taking the soothsayer seriously; I mean, crazies on the street are constantly wearing signs and warning us about impending doom: “Will work for ultimate salvation…or beer,” “Blimpy subs now half off,” “The world is ending…because you touch yourself at night,” etc….