Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me St. Patrick Is the Patron Saint of Paralegals?

I feel like such a fool. Here I am, descended from a long line of red-headed Irish Catholics (lapsed), running around in my green dress all day (which really complements my Red-Straight-from-a-Bottle-Because-I-Got-Cheated-in-the-Genetic-Lottery hair) - and not afraid to use my big old black metal Bates stapler in case someone tried to pinch me.

But I didn't know it was our day. Sure, earlier this week, I saw a tantalizing tidbit in "The Tech of the Irish" about IPhone apps that said, "There is also a live Twitter feed integrated as well as a newsfeed so you can see how everyone else is celebrating the patron saint of paralegals and engineers." I laughed it off until I kept seeing tweets referencing "our" patron saint.

So I looked it up on Wikipedia and boy, did my mouth hang open when I read:

American paralegals are also traditionally honored on St. Patrick's Day, and many employers give paralegals and legal assistants an exemption from work on March 17 so that they can celebrate the day of their patron saint.

Really? Did you get an "exemption from work" today? I didn't.

I didn't even get a bouquet of four-leaf clovers or a coupon for a free green beer.

Ah, well, then. Let's raise a figurative glass, and toast to our day:

May your glass be ever full,

May the roof over your head be always strong,

And may you be in heaven

Half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Best Reader Comment: "I wish I had known - I would have taken yesterday off as a religious holiday!" ~ HDK