Damn blue-ass Monkey year!

Down with the Monkey. I'm not talking about good old Rafiki here- I'm referring to Chinese astrology. 2004, as you may, or may not know, is the year that the Chinese named after the monkey.

I used to like monkeys. I always thought that they would make the ideal pet. You know, they're smart, comical, almost human-like creatures. And when I say smart, I mean smart. This summer while in California, I went down to the 3rd Street Promenade, a lively pedestrian mall in the heart of Santa Monica. Some of you may know this as "the place where Jay Leno sometimes films clips for the Tonight Show." The street performers there are pretty incredible. Among them, was this really intelligent guy with his really intelligent monkey. See, this performer guy has no talent. All he did was dress his monkey up in a hat and sort of suit, so he looks all professional. Holding the leash that he put this monkey on, he just stands there as the monkey walked around in circles. Now, passers-bys (and there are many of them, especiall tourists), find this captivating because it's rare that you see a monkey elsewhere than at a zoo. Now, here's where "performance" comes in. If you had the monkey a dollar bill, he takes it, neatly folds it and puts in his jacket pocket, and extends his hand for a handshake. So thanks to his monkey, the guy makes more money just standing there than the guy who could potentially injure himself by juggling fire.

People born in the year of the monkey tend to be trouble makers, pranksters and manipulators just like the monkey. The monkey year is described as "A year of sidestepping problems and clever manipulations, backed by intelligence and guile. Short-lived, transitory projects and the open exchange of ideas filters our emotions through an agile and razor sharp intelligence. Using a great sense of humor (and sarcasm) Monkey years, hold out bright prospects of a fascinating future, rich in the unexpected. A year of "transformations." A year to give full rein to your imagination, but also be wary of over-optimism, allowing tolerance of the intolerable. Riots, revolutions and the overthrow of rulers, keep everyone on their toes! Monkey years spin everyone's concept of "normal." Bluffs, tricks, ruses and deceptions abound during Monkey years; Those who enjoy risk and novelty, thrive; Those who prefer predictability and convention, wince." Also, 60 years ago, 1944's Wood Monkey brought a climactic year of the second world war, when the threat of disaster brought allied forces together. So many natural disasters happened in money years too.. click the link (title) for more.

I don't know if it's just me, but certainly had a unpredictable year. Has anyone else developped a fear of monkey years? That being said, I now think monkeys are evil. I'll give more details of why my year sucked next post.