I think we need a new National Holiday --- Leap Day. I have a complete plan for this. It will happen just once every four years. There will be no presents, food, decorations or sales attached to it. Well, people whose birthdays only come every four years still would get to celebrate.

By the way, you all KNOW there will be news stories about these people on every news show and in every newspaper today as well as a sidebar piece on the babies born today. There will be yukking it up by anchors about the people who really are four when they are sixteen or whatever. It's one of those stories that is on the story file at every studio and paper to get plucked out and done like it's an original human interest concept, but it's not. But I digress...

For the rest of us Leap Day will be spent on whatever your favorite pursuit is. For many of you, like me, this will be reading. Picture a day every four years where all you will do is read. I see myself planning my Leap Day books. You would have four years to plot the perfect book to enjoy. It will be a bonus day.

Hmmmm...now which candidate can add Leap Day to their platform? I see this as a nonpartisan holiday. All the candidates should "leap" on this as concept. Okay, that was a bad line.

But take a moment and think about what your Leap Day book would be. Then find a chair and at least spend an hour of Leap Day reading. Or play hookey today and devote the day to reading. After all, what's the harm? It only happens every four years.

Tuesday night my husband, the boys and I are going to see Eric Clapton in concert. Confession here: I know most of Clapton's hits, but I have zero clue which are recorded with The Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream, Blind Faith, Derek and the Dominoes or as solo works. I have been told that this IS important. The guys have this all nailed. I have no idea where Ginger Baker figures into this though I do know he is alive and they had to tape his drumsticks to his hands when he played when he was high. This has come up a few times.

Thus this weekend in an effort to get on the right page I am boning up on Clapton by reading his autobiography. They already did this months ago. We actually own two copies of this book since there was simultaneous reading going on, and the arguments over who was on what page and who was not reading fast enough just got to be too much so my older son high-tailed it to the store to get his own copy.

My younger son did his December book report on this book --- and yes, his teacher approved of this selection. (I think she was a fan.) He drolly told me that the end once Clapton gets sober is not as good as the other parts and I could skip that part. I sincerely hope that the book report that he wrote has more about redemption and how fabulous it is that he kicked drugs, but I truly fear that this never happened. Of course, let's not get me started on how much I truly hate school book reports. When I read the questions that he is supposed to answer I wonder how I have the credentials to run Bookreporter.com since I usually cannot answer any of them.

Now I do know "Layla" and I do know that THAT song was recorded by Derek and the Dominoes. When I got a new phone a few weeks ago the boys decided it needed to be cool. These are the same boys who are aghast that my screensavers on all of my computers are what the factory delivered (except on the laptop that they jazzed up with one of my favorite views in Colorado) and that my IM tone is what AIM has programmed in. I see spending time on any of this as time I could be doing something useful --- like reading. They decided I needed a cool ringtone. My phone now rings "Layla" --- "da da da da da" and plays quite a bit of the song. It rings and I usually look for the radio. While a ringing phone attracts a stare, a phone ringing "Layla" really turns heads. It rings and people are amused and comment saying thing like, "that is so cool."

I was seriously contemplating changing it, but I confess I have gotten rather attached to "Layla" these past few weeks. My phone rings and I smile. Seeing this the boys now are encouraging me to customize ringtones according to who is calling so I can further my entertainment. Well, I am not sure I would remember who was what song, so this does not make much sense. Now if they only would devote some time to entering all my contacts and their numbers into my phone. Now THAT is something I can use, but I am told that THAT is not FUN.

I also need to address the battery on this phone which gives me like one second of warning before it dies. I kid you not. It beeps and shuts down. Now I am the kind of girl who starts thinking about stopping for gas when the yellow light goes on. But I know I have forty or so miles left and I eek out every one of them. On the phone I need a five-minute warning so I have time to sprint to the charger. I need to figure a way for "Layla" to start playing when the battery is dying to ensure I pay attention. This beep and die is not working for me.

Now I just need to remember to turn it off Tuesday night as we walk into the Garden or I could completely mess up the show. But think about it, if "Layla" is not on the set list, we can play it as we leave and entertain folks.

Okay, I am off to read so I am in the loop Tuesday night with my Clapton timeline --- "da da da da da."