Once in a Blue Moon

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Once in a blue moon"? Perhaps you have even used it. Well, I have new understanding of what it means. In scientific terms, some will tell you that a blue moon is the 2nd full moon in a months time. This occurs once every 33 months or so. Others will tell you that the "blue moon" theory is rather new and that farmers in the 1800's have a different meaning for blue moon. If these theories interest you, check out wikipedia. Whether you believe it is folklore or not, I can tell you that there was a full moon in the sky on May 31st. this was the 2nd full moon of the month of may. You ask how I know this? Am I an avid moon phase watcher? Do I spend hours in the evening gazing into the sky? NOOOOO! I am an elementary school principal. The behavior of my students and their parents are directly related to the FULL moon. some of you may find this ridiculous, but spend a few months in my shoes, and you will be able to predict with acute accuracy the day or two prior to a FULL moon. As we were nearing the last week of school, I was amazed at the interesting phone calls I was receiving from my "frequent flyer" parents. One claimed she was sending the police to the school because 2 girls talked to her daughter and I was supposed to keep them separated. Another was sending the police to fill out a "felony" theft report because his daughter's glasses were worth $200.00 and were STOLEN (actually they were left on the table in the cafeteria and the lunch lady had them), and the marriage and family counseling sessions that I had throughout the week with 3 different sets of parents. As my office had a revolving door, I knew that it had to be a full moon, but I remembered we had already had on earlier in the month! (I spoke to most of these people then!) Then I saw the news......the moon was FULL! I was indeed correct. Everyone kept saying that it was a blue moon. Well, I hope the folklore is true, and this will only happen once in every 33 months. One full moon per month is all this principal can handle. Oh, and if you have kids in school, DON'T CALL THE PRINCIPAL DURING A FULL MOON! :)